When I was in the terminal stage of renal disease, my wife gave the kidney that was most compatible with me to my brother.

I rejected the doctor’s suggestion to continue waiting for a new kidney and got discharged early.

My heart had frozen over. There was no point in holding on anymore.

I gave the wealth that I had accumulated over the years to my brother, and my parents finally smiled at me.

My wife tirelessly wanted to take good care of my brother. I did not get angry. Instead, I even asked her to be more attentive to his needs.

Even when my daughter wanted my brother to be her father, I agreed with a smile.

Everything had turned out exactly as they had hoped. Why were they feeling regret?

“Mr. Lehman, you should still wait for a new kidney…”

When I heard the doctor’s advice, I slowly shook my head.

I no longer saw the point in waiting.

Everything I had once fought for had become nothing more than fleeting memories.

Right after I finished the discharge procedures, my phone rang.

“Zane, go to South City and buy some chicken soup.

“Declan just woke up. He wants to drink some soup now.”

Before I said anything, Dad hung up.

If this had happened in the past, I would have argued with him.

But I would not do that anymore.

I entered Declan’s ward with a bowl of chicken soup.

Mom sat by the bed and carefully coaxed Declan to have some water. Dad stared at him as if he were worried that Declan was uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, I, their biological son, was the eyesore in this ward.

In the end, it was Declan who realized my presence first.

“Zane, you’re here…”

When Dad heard Declan’s voice, he raised his head, fiercely glared at me, and quickly grabbed the chicken soup I was holding.

“You took so long. Do you mean for Declan to starve?”

Mom unpacked the chicken soup while she grumbled at me.

“Zane, why are you so useless?

“The soup has spilled out. How can Declan still eat it?”

While Mom was speaking, she disposed of the chicken soup.

Even though I had decided not to care about this anymore, my heart clenched. I was having trouble breathing.

My face turned paler. Even so, no one cared.

“Oh yeah, Mom and I have talked about it. We decided to give your shares to Declan as compensation.”

After Dad spoke, they passed me a waiver of inheritance.

“If it weren’t for you, would Declan need to suffer like this?

“If you want to redeem yourself, sign it now!”

I looked at the waiver form and chuckled.

“Sure. I’ll do as you say!”

I signed the form with a flick of my wrist and handed the signed waiver to Dad.

When Dad saw my signature, his dark expression relaxed slightly.

“Since I’ve already given up my wealth and shares, I’ll also give him the company and the property that I’ve invested in for years!”

Dad and Mom broke into big smiles at that.

Mom, who usually hated to even touch me, held my hands.

“Zane, you’re finally being considerate!

“When Declan is discharged, we’ll live well as a family.”

I felt the warmth of Mom’s palms and the irony of the situation.

It was only when I gave in to Declan that I could see her smile.

I was a little curious. If they found out that everything Declan did was just an act, how would they react?

Would they regret treating me like that?

When Declan saw Mom holding my hands, he felt threatened. He immediately coughed lightly.

My parents immediately went back to the hospital bed.

When night fell, I went back home, feeling tired.

Before I could even grab a glass of water, I heard the voice of my wife, Yelena Quinn.

“When Declan recovers and is discharged, I’m going to bring him home and take care of him.”

If I heard Yelena’s suggestion in the past, I would have made a big fuss about it with her.

She also knew about my temper. After she said her decision, she also mentioned my parents.

“Your parents are old now. They don’t have enough energy to take care of Declan.

“At this time, we should also put in some effort…”

Before Yelena finished speaking, our daughter ran to me in a hurry. She kept swinging my arm, and her tone was adorable.

“Daddy, let Uncle Declan stay in our house!

“If you don’t like him staying with you, I can give up my room.

“Daddy, just say yes to Mommy…”

I had never seen Rainie acting like this before.

She had always worn a cold expression like Yelena, and she usually just gave me a perfunctory response when I showed her concern.

Yet, she was willing to give up her own room for Declan.

My nails dug into my palms, and they left deep red marks.

I took a deep breath and quietly moved Rainie’s hand away.

“I agree with your suggestion!

“If there’s nothing else, I will rest now.”

I turned around and went back to my bedroom.

In a daze, I sensed someone opening the bedroom door, and some cold wind blew in.

With a thud, I felt that something was put on the bedside.

But I was too exhausted to open my eyes.

In a daze, I heard Yelena’s voice.

“Zane? Zane Lehman!”

When Yelena saw that I did not respond, she pushed my arm hard.

A wave of pain surged through me, and I had to open my eyes. I gazed at Yelena.

“What is it?”

Yelena paid no attention to my hoarse voice. Instead, she scolded me.

“There are tons of things happening in the family. How could you still be in the mood to sleep?

“I made some nourishing soup for Declan, so I will bring Rainie to send it over. Remember to clean up the kitchen.”

What a joke!

Yelena and I had been married for so many years, but I never knew that she could cook.

Over the years, it was always me who served her, and she even often felt unsatisfied.

I sighed internally, and Yelena spoke with urgency again.

“Why are you still lying in bed? Move now!”

I knew Yelena’s character.

She showed particular determination in the matter about Declan. I did not want to waste time arguing with her, so I got out of bed.

When she saw me move, she left with Rainie, likely feeling at ease.

When I saw that they had disappeared, I lay back in bed again.

The next morning, I woke up because of the noise outside.

Right when I stepped out of the bedroom, I heard Yelena’s anxious voice.

“There’s an emergency concerning the company. After you send Rainie off, take the breakfast to Declan.”

She stormed out and slammed the door.

The noisy house became silent again.

When I was about to put the lunchbox on the table at the side, a strong wave of dizziness came over me.

Everything went black before my eyes, and I could only see Rainie running toward me anxiously.

Could it be that…

They actually still cared about me?

However, I was overthinking it.

When I opened my eyes again, I was still lying on the floor. A chill ran through my body and penetrated my bones.

“Mommy, if I didn’t move quickly enough, Uncle Declan’s breakfast would have fallen into the trash bin.”

Yelena caressed Rainie’s head and complimented her.

“Rainie, you’re so smart! If Declan finds out, he will be very happy.”

The mother and daughter talked only about Declan, and they did not care that I was still lying on the floor.

I felt a twinge in my heart, and the metallic taste of blood lingered on my tongue.

I forced myself up and staggered.

My movements were small, but that got their attention.

When Yelena saw me stand, she threw a cold glance at me.

“What is it? Are you finally done pretending? Ready to get up now?

“Zane, if you don’t want to deliver the food, you can just tell me. You don’t have to act like this.”

Rainie, who stood off to one side, also chimed in. “Daddy, since I was small, you’ve taught me to be honest.

“But why are you lying and acting like this?”

At her age, anything she said should sound innocent. However, what Rainie said chilled me to the bone.

“Alright. Since you’re fine, we’ll head to the hospital now.”

In an instant, I was the only one left in the huge house.

Earlier, I had fainted suddenly, which left my head feeling heavy. The dull pain flared up once again.

I only felt better after drinking an entire bottle of painkillers.

A wave of dizziness overcame me, and I collapsed onto the couch.

“Mommy, does Uncle Declan like roses? Should we decorate our home like a garden?”

I heard Rainie’s childish and excited voice. I opened my eyes.

The sky was still bright.

I had actually slept on the couch for the rest of the day and night.

It looked like Yelena and Rainie did not come back last night.

I forced myself up, wanting to make some food. However, Rainie stopped me.

“Daddy, did you forget? Today is the day Uncle Declan will get discharged. We’re going to celebrate!”

Celebrate?

I was not aware of this. No one had told me.

When Yelena heard what Rainie said, her expression turned cold. It was only after she glanced at Rainie that she looked at me.

“The celebration is at Golden Scales Grand Hotel. I’ll be picking Declan up later, so you make your way there on your own!”

Then, Yelena and Rainie continued decorating our home.

I had never known that Yelena, who was usually not romantic, could create such a warm atmosphere.

Indeed, I was not the right man for her.

I was not willing to join their family party, so I refused to go.

“I’m not feeling well, so I’m not going.”

Yelena also did not want me to ruin the happy atmosphere, so she just nodded.

After I had breakfast, I lay on the bed again.

I was feeling worse. Only lying down eased my discomfort.

I was starting to get sleepy when my phone rang.

I answered the call in a daze, and Yelena’s voice came through.

She said something, but I did not hear a word. I just reflexively hung up on her.

After some time, I heard a loud thud in the quiet space.

It woke me up.

I looked at the bedroom door with bloodshot eyes.

Yelena looked livid. When she saw me struggling to get up, she stormed over and yanked the blanket off me.

“Zane, just how arrogant are you? The whole family is waiting for you, yet you’re sleeping here?

“If you’re unhappy, just say it. Why do you need to act so pretentiously?

“Do you know that because of you, Declan got hospitalized again?”

Her words confused me.

Acting pretentiously?

Did I not refuse to go to the celebration?

What was Yelena playing at?

However, before I snapped out of it, she grabbed my wrist and yanked me with all her strength.

Days of physical and mental torture had left me so weak that she could even drag me from the bed to the floor.

In an instant, the pain multiplied a hundredfold, and a burning sensation spread across my back.

A hot wetness soaked my back, and my pale skin was beaded with blood.