My daughter was diagnosed with kidney failure and urgently needed a transplant. When I found out I was a match, I was overjoyed to lie on the operating table. But when I woke up, I heard my daughter’s cheerful laughter. “Dad, has Aunt Rachel woken up yet? How’s the transplanted kidney working? Finally, we don’t have to pretend in front of Mom anymore. Once Aunt Rachel recovers, we’ll go to the amusement park together!” My blood ran cold. It turns out my husband and daughter had staged this act to get me to donate a kidney to someone else. If that’s how it is, I don’t want this family anymore. 0 The smell of antiseptic assaulted my nostrils as I struggled to open my heavy eyelids. In the pitch-black hospital room, I could only see the faint moonlight filtering through the window. I slowly pushed myself up, a searing pain radiating from the incision site. “Emily…” I instinctively called out my daughter’s name, but my throat was too dry to form complete words. I called out for a while, but no one responded. Just as I was about to lie back down, I suddenly heard familiar voices from the hallway. “Dad, Mom won’t find out, right?” That voice made my whole body freeze. It was clear, cheerful, with a lightness I had never heard before. It was my daughter’s voice. I stumbled out of bed, ignoring the possibility of tearing my stitches. Staggering to the door, I peered through the glass panel and saw her swinging a phone in her hand. Bouncing around… nothing like a patient who had just received a kidney transplant. “Dad, Mom’s still asleep. I snuck out to make a phone call!” “Has Aunt Rachel woken up? Is she feeling okay anywhere? Finally, we don’t have to pretend in front of Mom anymore. Aunt Rachel, do you think I did a good job pretending these past few months?” “Mom’s kidney is finally with you!” “Aunt Rachel, once you’re better, we’ll go to the amusement park together!” Suddenly, my mind went blank. Every word felt like a nail being driven into my eardrums. I couldn’t believe these words were coming from the mouth of the daughter I had lovingly raised for 10 years. Pretending in front of Mom? Did a good job pretending? Aunt Rachel? Was that my best friend of over a decade? My kidney is with her? I bit my lip hard. So for you, this so-called “illness” was just an act you put on? A sharp pain shot through the surgical wound on my waist, but I could no longer feel it. My entire body felt as if it had been submerged in ice water, chilled to the bone. Emily hung up the phone, humming a happy tune. As she turned around, I forcefully dragged myself back to the bed, pulling the covers over myself. The door was gently pushed open. “Mom? Are you awake?” Emily’s voice was deliberately lowered, carrying a fake concern. I kept my eyes tightly shut, struggling to control my breathing. “Still asleep, thank goodness…” She immediately sighed in relief, then started humming again as she left. The sound of footsteps gradually faded away. 0
When the door closed again, I finally opened my eyes. Tears immediately blurred my vision. I trembled as I touched the wound on my side. Beneath the bandages was where my missing right kidney had been. I desperately needed to know some truth. I found my phone on the bedside table. The moment the screen lit up, the lock screen photo of Emily’s radiant smile stabbed at my eyes. That child who I thought needed a kidney transplant to save her life. Now it seemed utterly ironic. I opened the chat history with the contact labeled “BFF”. It was full of mundane conversations. Then I instinctively checked Rachel’s social media profile. Most of it was just daily life updates, nothing unusual. Until I saw Rachel’s last post from three days ago. “In a few days, I will welcome my new life.” The photo showed her in the hospital. But in the corner was a familiar deep black suit jacket. That was the one-of-a-kind custom-made jacket I had specially ordered for him!! I stared at the screen, my fingertips trembling uncontrollably. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a boulder, even breathing became difficult. Tears kept falling from the corners of my eyes. Why? We were all familiar with each other, all known each other for over a decade. One was my best friend, the other my husband of 11 years. I never imagined that the man who once revolved around me, keeping me warm and comfortable, and the daughter I was so proud of would one day deceive and betray me. We were once the couple everyone envied from college. I always thought we would walk hand in hand through life, growing old together. But I never expected that after so many years of trust and companionship, it would all turn to ashes in the face of reality. Now, he had crushed my future with his own hands. Seeing this suit, I was almost certain Jack had cheated on me. There was no need to torture each other anymore. I wiped away the tears I had unknowingly shed for him all night. I wanted a divorce from Jack. As for Emily, I was willing to give her one more chance! Perhaps she had only been manipulated by Rachel. 0
The next morning, Jack entered pushing a breakfast cart. He was wearing that light blue shirt I loved most, carrying a small bouquet of yellow lilies. The flower meaning: Get well soon. To me, it felt bitingly cold. “Wendy, are you feeling better?” His voice was still so gentle, but now it made me nauseous. “I bought the rice porridge you like.” I forced myself to squeeze out a smile. “Much better, just the incision still hurts a bit.” Jack set down the flowers and naturally adjusted my pillow height. This practiced feeling, as if he had done it countless times. “Where’s Emily?” I asked casually. “Oh, she went for a follow-up check. Dr. Zhang said the transplant was very successful, she’s recovering faster than expected.” I stared at him intently. He remained outwardly calm! Even now, he was still lying to me. If I hadn’t accidentally overheard Emily’s conversation with you last night, would I have been kept in the dark forever? When he leaned in close to me, a familiar perfume scent suddenly assaulted my nostrils. It was the fragrance Rachel always wore. After being around her for so many years, I couldn’t mistake it. “When did you change your cologne?” Jack visibly stiffened. Then he nonchalantly pulled away, raising his hand to rub his shirt collar. This motion fully exposed the faint red mark on the side of his neck. A hickey. In all these years, he never allowed me to kiss his neck, saying he wasn’t used to it. Later, I carefully avoided it. “I felt like I’d gotten used to the scent of the cologne you gave me before,” he said, avoiding my gaze. “I switched to a different fragrance, I think it smells nice. I’ll let you try it next time.” My gaze was fixed on his neck. That glaring mark felt like a slap across my face. No wonder he suddenly wore such strong cologne, it was to cover this up. “Is that so?” I said softly, my nails digging deep into my palm. “What brand is it? I’ve been wanting to change my perfume too.” Jack’s eyes began to dart around. “It’s just… something I bought at a regular mall. I don’t remember the name.” I almost laughed coldly. He had grown tired of our relationship of over a decade, just like he’d grown tired of that bottle of cologne I gave him. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, each beat bringing pain. The spoonful of hot porridge in my mouth, no matter how I tried to swallow, wouldn’t go down. Noticing my discomfort, he frowned slightly. “What’s wrong? Is it not to your taste? I specially went to that place you liked in South Bridge to buy it.” I suddenly gave a bitter smile. My smile made him look at me with a hint of confusion. You probably bought it out of convenience. Then, I shook my head at him. “It’s nothing, I just feel like you’re so good to me! If only it could always be like this!” He looked at me adoringly, raising his hand to stroke my head as usual. “It will be. Don’t think too much, your only job now is to rest well.” I subtly dodged that hand. That hand that had touched who knows how many people. I turned over, pulling up the blanket. “I’m tired, I want to rest. You should go check on Emily.” “Alright… you sleep for a bit then.” “Oh, could you bring me a fresh set of clothes from home later? I’m not used to the hospital gowns.” “Sure, I’ll be back soon.” That hand hovering in mid-air finally stroked my head a few times. I instantly widened my eyes, my scalp tingling. 0
When the door slammed shut, fighting the urge to vomit, I reached for the call button by the bed, summoning a nurse. When the nurse entered, I was vigorously wiping the hair Jack had touched with disinfectant wipes. I only stopped when my scalp was burning with pain. “Hello, could I see Emily Leaf’s medical report and my kidney transplant report?” I asked, forcing a weak smile. “I’m the patient’s mother.” The nurse didn’t suspect anything and gave me the two authentic hospital reports. Both were ones I, the person involved, had never seen before. The reports showed — Patient diagnosed with acute respiratory infection, otherwise normal. What a “normal” diagnosis. And my report at the end — signed by Rachel Song. I took out my phone and quickly snapped a few photos for evidence. By the time I had everything prepared, it was already evening. Jack still hadn’t returned. Home was less than 20 minutes from the hospital!! I gripped my phone tightly, my fingertips almost turning white. Where had he gone? The answer was obvious. I still masochistically dialed that familiar number. The call was answered after just a few rings. Laughter could be heard on the other end, mixed with a soft woman’s voice. “Wendy.” Jack’s voice suddenly became guilty. The background noise instantly went quiet. “Jack, when exactly are you going to bring me the clothes I asked for? I need them tonight.” My voice was frighteningly calm. “Emily was just clamoring to go out and buy some things. I lost track of time!” I stared at the ceiling, my fingertips digging into my palm. Inwardly, I laughed coldly. This one little thing I asked you to do, you still can’t manage for me now. “Didn’t Dr. Zhang say Emily needed to rest? How can she go out?” Jack was momentarily speechless. Until our daughter’s sweet voice came through. “Mom’s the best, don’t blame Dad. I was the one who asked Dad to take me out.” My nails dug deep crescents into my palm. I took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the anger and desolation welling up inside. “Emily, don’t lie to Mom. I’ll ask you one more time, did you want to go out or did Dad make you go?” I still held a glimmer of hope for my daughter. The other end of the line suddenly went quiet. Then, Emily’s voice became shrill. “Mom, you don’t believe me now? I’m telling you, I asked Dad to take me out!! I—” “…….” One sentence was enough to shatter my illusions. Before she could finish, I abruptly hung up and threw the phone forcefully onto the bed. I lowered my head, laughing bitterly as I muttered. “Why? I gave everything for this family. Jack is one thing, but why is even my daughter the same?!” At this moment, I felt like a failure in marriage. My husband, cheating midway through. And with my best friend, no less. My daughter, now breaking my heart. If that’s how it is, I no longer hold any illusions about them. There’s no point in wasting my breath. I raised my hand and forwarded those “evidence” that didn’t quite look like evidence to my alternate social media account. Though it didn’t have many followers, it was enough to reach internet celebrity Rachel’s eyes. Along with a caption: “Shocking! Husband conspires with daughter to fake illness, tricks wife into donating kidney to mistress!”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297028”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply