On New Year’s Eve, my husband, Daniel, personally handled the kidney transplant for me, his wife, who he claimed was suffering from uremia. As I was slowly regaining consciousness, I overheard the anesthesiologist and nurse talking. “Dr. Daniel was truly ruthless this time. He personally removed his wife’s healthy kidney to transplant into his mistress.” “I heard Audrey wasn’t sick at all; Dr. Daniel forged her medical records. The one truly in late-stage uremia was Holly.” “So now, what’s inside Audrey’s body is…” “Holly’s failing kidney. Dr. Daniel personally sewed it in.” I simply couldn’t believe my ears. The moment I opened my eyes, I struggled to prop myself up, a tearing pain erupting in my abdomen. “Daniel, I’m asking you, was I ever sick?!” My voice was hoarse. “Not before, but now you are.” He walked to my bedside. “Holly’s kidney, stage four uremia. I personally put it in you.” After saying that, Daniel turned and left. Watching his retreating back, my heart turned to ash. I sent a message to a phone number I hadn’t contacted in ten years: “I want to leave Daniel, and go with you. But before I go, Daniel has to pay!”
Holly and I were in the same room, with only three meters separating our beds. But the difference between us was worlds apart. My husband Daniel, my mother, and even a few familiar nurses, all hovered around Holly as if she were the center of the universe. “Holly, does it still hurt?” Daniel held her hand, his voice filled with tenderness. “Daniel, I’m fine…” Holly’s eyes were teary, but she forced a smile. “I just feel bad for Audrey, she must be in so much pain, right?” “What pain could she be in?” My mother said without turning her head, as she spoon-fed Holly soup. “Audrey’s always been healthy; losing a kidney is nothing. But you, you’ve always been weak since childhood. Now that you have a healthy kidney, you must take good care of yourself.” Holly saw that I was awake and suddenly burst into tears: “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have accepted this kidney… but Daniel said if I didn’t, he would never speak to me again…” She struggled to get out of bed, pulling at her incision, and her face turned ghostly pale from the pain. “Holly!” Daniel and my mother exclaimed in unison. Daniel immediately pressed her back down. When he turned to look at me, his eyes were terrifyingly cold. “Audrey, can you please stop making a scene?” I turned my head away, not wanting to see any of them. My mom brought over a plate of freshly baked cookies. “Audrey, have some too. You used to love them when you were little.” I looked at the almonds on the cookies and suddenly burst out laughing. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. “Mom,” I said softly, “I’m allergic to almonds. Have you forgotten?” My mom’s hand trembled slightly. Daniel impatiently snatched the bowl. “If you’re not going to eat it, then don’t! Holly had good intentions, do you have to be so ungrateful?” “Daniel,” I looked up, at this man I had loved with all my heart for ten years. “If you love her so much, why don’t you give her your own kidney?” Slap— A loud slap. I turned my head, a metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. Daniel grabbed my hospital gown, dragged me off the bed, and pulled me towards the door of the ward. “Go outside and clear your head!” He pulled open the ward door, and the cold wind rushed in. “Daniel! Audrey just had surgery!” My mom finally cried out. Daniel paused for a moment. Holly’s weak voice chimed in, perfectly timed: “Daniel… don’t be like that to her… it’s all my fault…” Daniel’s hand loosened. Then, he pushed me out the door. Bang— The door closed behind me. I stood barefoot in the hallway, dressed in a thin hospital gown. Outside the window at the end of the corridor, fireworks exploded one after another, illuminating the city’s night sky. New Year’s Eve. Families everywhere were gathered. My husband was in the ward with another woman. My mother was making cookies for that mistress. And I, who had just had a healthy kidney removed and replaced with a failing one, was thrown into the hallway like a dog.
I don’t know how long I stood there. Until my legs went numb, and the pain from my incision became unbearable, almost numb itself. The door opened. Daniel walked out, and when he saw me still standing there, he froze. “You’re still here?” There was a hint of panic in his voice, quickly overshadowed by disgust. “Who are you trying to get sympathy from? Holly has been crying ever since because of you.” I turned my head and looked at him. “Daniel,” I said, “you will regret this.” He scoffed, “Regret? My biggest regret was marrying you. If it wasn’t for the pressure from your family back then, I would have already—” “Married Holly already?” I finished his sentence. His expression changed. “Daniel! The car’s here!” My mom’s voice came from the ward. “Holly said she wants to go home for the holiday, hurry and carry her downstairs!” Daniel gave me a long, deep look. “Do you want to come back with us?” I didn’t say anything. He took my silence as agreement. Daniel carefully carried Holly into the back seat, and my mom quickly got in after her. I stood by the car, looking at the seats, which were already full. “Audrey,” Daniel said, a hint of awkwardness in his voice, “How about… you make do and sit in the trunk? It’s only a ten-minute drive.” Before I could answer, Holly softly said, “Audrey, you really should come home with us. We’re family.” Family. How ironic. My mom also said, “Audrey, just make do. Holly is a patient, she can’t be out in the cold.” So, on the first day of the New Year, in the freezing ten-degree Fahrenheit night, I, fresh from kidney transplant surgery, was shoved into the car trunk by my husband and mother. Thud. The lid slammed shut. Darkness and bone-chilling cold enveloped me. My incision tore open with every bump, and I curled up in pain, biting my wrist to keep from crying out. Through the thin car wall, I could hear their cheerful chatter. “Daniel, drive slower, I feel a little dizzy.” “Okay, I’ll drive slower.” “Holly said she wants shrimp,” my mom’s voice faintly drifted in, “Let’s buy some fresh ones.” “You’re both so good to me…” They leisurely picked out items in the market. I was in the trunk, my body temperature slowly draining away. Three hours. I endured three hours in the darkness and cold. When the trunk finally opened again, I was so frozen I couldn’t speak. Daniel saw my pale face and paused. “Audrey… I’m sorry, I forgot you were still in here.” He reached out to help me, but my mom called from a distance, “Daniel! Come get the seafood!” He hesitated for a second. Then turned and walked away. “Audrey,” he said, looking back, “If you’re cold, just get out and walk around. We’ll call you when we’re done shopping.” I dragged my almost rigid body out. I stood by the roadside, watching them, a family of three. My husband, my mother, and the woman who now carried my kidney, walking towards the parking lot, laughing and chatting, loaded with bags of seafood. I stood there for ten minutes. Then, I saw that familiar black sedan slowly drive out of the parking lot. It didn’t stop. It didn’t look back. It just drove straight away.
It would take thirty minutes to walk home from the seafood market. This was the same road Daniel and I had walked countless times, hand-in-hand, when we first got married. He didn’t like takeout, so I learned to cook. He didn’t like vegetables, so I’d find creative ways to hide them in meat. He loved seafood, so I’d endure my allergies and accompany him to the market countless times, noting down the names and cooking methods of every type of fish and shrimp. He used to say, “Audrey, having you in my life is my greatest blessing.” Now, that blessing belonged to Holly. By the time I reached my building, the sky was already beginning to lighten. The house was brightly lit, and I could hear fierce arguing. I pushed open the door. Holly was pulling a suitcase, sobbing dramatically: “Audrey must hate me, I shouldn’t have come back!” My mom clung to her tightly, “Holly, don’t talk nonsense! This is your home!” Daniel saw me, clinging to me like a drowning man grasping at a straw: “Audrey! Quick, tell Holly you didn’t get lost on purpose!” I looked at them. Suddenly, I felt so tired. “Daniel,” I said, “didn’t you tell me to get out and walk? I walked back.” He froze. “Do you know I just had surgery?” I asked softly. “Do you know what it means for someone who just had a kidney removed to walk for thirty minutes in ten-degree Fahrenheit weather?” “I…” Daniel’s mouth opened, but no words came out. “You don’t know,” I finished for him. “Because your heart is only for Holly.” Holly suddenly rushed forward and dropped to her knees before me with a thud. “Audrey, I’ll give you back your kidney! I’ll give it back right now!” She tore at her hospital gown, revealing an incision in the exact same spot as mine. “Holly!” Daniel and my mom exclaimed in unison. Daniel immediately picked her up, then turned and roared at me, “Audrey! Are you only satisfied if you drive her to her death?!” I laughed. Laughed until tears streamed down my face. “Daniel,” I said, “take a closer look at her incision.” He froze. “A kidney transplant incision is usually in the mid-abdomen, at least fifteen centimeters long.” I slowly lifted my hospital gown, revealing the bandage-wrapped incision. “But hers…” Everyone’s gaze fell on Holly’s side. There was a bandage there, but it was only half the size of mine. Daniel’s mouth opened, but no words came out. “You all conspired to deceive me,” I said, each word deliberate. “You forged my medical records, tricked me into signing the surgical consent form, and took my healthy kidney. Daniel, you’re a doctor; you’ve committed aggravated assault.” Daniel finally panicked. “Audrey, let me explain…” “Explain what?” I cut him off. “Explain how you fell in love with Holly? Explain how you gradually plotted to make me ‘voluntarily’ give up my kidney? Explain how you convinced my mom to lie to me?” I turned to my mom. “Mom,” I asked, “Why?” She wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Holly… Holly saved my life…” Her voice trembled. “That year, in the car accident, she pulled me out of the wreckage…” “So you repay your debt using your daughter’s kidney?” I laughed, tears streaming down my face. “Mom, that year, in that car accident, I called 911. I gave you 500 milliliters of blood. How could you forget that?” My mother collapsed to the floor, covering her face and crying. Seeing this, Holly also cried and suddenly ran out the door. “Holly!” Daniel chased after her. My mom also scrambled up and stumbled out after them.
Only I remained in the house, along with a table full of now-cold seafood. Just then, I received a text message: “Happy New Year. Do you like this gift? Your kidney, your husband, your mother, they’re all mine now.” I put down my phone. I walked to the mirror. The person in the mirror had a ghastly pale face, red rashes all over, thick bandages wrapped around her abdomen, like a ridiculous monster. I looked for a long time. Then, I picked up my phone and dialed Alexander’s number. The call connected. “Three years ago, you asked me if I would leave Daniel and go with you. Now, I agree.” On the other end of the line, Alexander’s deep voice came through: “Location.” “Come to my place.” The call ended. I walked into the bedroom, retrieved my passport and a bank card from the safe. The bank card was secretly given to me by my dad before he passed away. He said, “Audrey, don’t let Daniel know about this money. Men can’t be trusted; you need to have a backup plan for yourself.” Back then, I laughed at him for being overly cautious. Now I know he was right. After packing a small bag, I returned to the living room and left a note on the dining table: “Daniel, I’ll send you the divorce papers. From today on, we’re both free.” “Mom, the debt of raising me, I’ve repaid with a kidney. From now on, we’re even.” As soon as I finished writing, the doorbell rang. I pulled open the door. Outside stood Alexander, tall and imposing, with a stern gaze. Behind him was a black Porsche. He took off his coat, wrapped it around me, and lifted me into his arms. “Alexander,” I asked, “where will you take me?” He opened the car door, gently placed me in the passenger seat, and leaned over to fasten my seatbelt. Then, he looked into my eyes and said, “Somewhere he’ll never find you.”
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