Nathan's gaze darkened as he looked at me, his voice filled with disappointment. "Tegan, I never thought you'd be this kind of person. I'm the one who found the kidney donors. You don't get to make that decision!"

I couldn't help but find it ridiculous.

This was the man who had been with me for eight years, the man who had once said he loved me more than life itself.

My expression turned cold, and for the first time, I spoke to Nathan with complete indifference. "She cries, and suddenly everything's my fault? Are you her fiancé or mine? Nathan, get this straight. She wants both kidneys! Who's really the one trying to kill someone here?"

Nathan's expression flickered for a moment before he softened his tone, coaxing me gently, "Tegan, just give both kidneys to Trinny. I'll find another donor for you as soon as possible."

I was stunned and looked at Nathan in disbelief.

So, he knew. He knew that Trinity wanted not one but both kidneys.

Then, I turned to Mom. She had a self-righteous look on her face, as if the kidneys had always belonged to Trinity.

The whole situation was so absurd that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Nathan, I've been with you for eight years. I thought I knew you, but I never realized when you and Trinity started being together.

"If I told you that the doctor said my condition has worsened and that if I don't get this transplant now, I'll die, would you still insist on giving both kidneys to Trinity?"

Nathan immediately grabbed my hand, about to say something, but Trinity's sobs cut him off.

"Tegan, you've misunderstood me and Nate. Even if you don't want to give me a kidney, you shouldn't lie about something like this just to make Nate worry."

Mom chimed in from the side, "I asked the doctor just yesterday. He said your condition is stable. You could wait another ten years for a donor if you had to."

Nathan's eyes suddenly turned sharp. "Tegan, you've really changed. What happened to the kind and innocent girl I used to know? Or maybe Mrs. Bartlett was right all along. You've been manipulative since you were a kid, always lying, always bullying your sick sister."

I didn't answer him. Instead, I pushed him aside and headed straight for the door.

"One kidney is enough to survive. Even if I refuse the transplant, the hospital would never give both kidneys to Trinity. All of you need to stop dreaming."

Mom's face darkened instantly. She blocked my path, refusing to let me leave.

In the struggle, I had no idea what Nathan did to me, but my vision suddenly went black, and I collapsed.

…

When I woke up again, I was in a secluded house in the countryside.

Nathan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, speaking softly on the phone. "Just rest up and get ready for the surgery. I'll have someone watch over Tegan.

"Trinity, you're too kind. That's why Tegan always takes advantage of you. If you hadn't risked your life to save me back then, I wouldn't even be alive today. I…"

Before he could finish, he heard me stirring and turned to look at me. His voice instantly lost its warmth. "I have something to take care of. I'll call you later."

I only realized I was crying when the cold tears slid down my face and into my mouth.

Nathan, the man who used to feel heartbroken every time I cried, now looked at me with indifference and impatience.

"You're going to stay here quietly until Trinny's surgery is done. Then, you can go back to the hospital."

I wiped my face roughly and demanded, "You love her, don't you? You won't care even if I die, right?"

Nathan frowned slightly and said flatly, "Tegan, don't think that just because I've spoiled you, you can use death to threaten me. You know I hate being threatened the most."

He leaned down, one hand braced against the bed while the other gripped my chin. His voice was low, filled with warning. "You haven't been sick as long as your sister. She just wants to live like a normal person. Why are you so selfish? Can't you just wait for the next donor?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Nathan, how many times do I have to say it? I'm dying. I don't have time to wait for another donor!"

Nathan snapped. He shoved me hard onto the bed. "All this over a kidney? Are you serious? If you keep saying you're dying, then just go ahead and die!"

With those words, he stormed out of the room without a second glance.

A few moments later, I heard the sound of an engine revving outside. Nathan had left the house.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. Blood surged up my throat, and I coughed it out. The sheets were stained dark red before I passed out.

…

I had no idea how much time had passed when the ringing of a phone jolted me awake.

Groggily, I opened my eyes. I wanted to ignore it, but the landline by my bed kept ringing, relentless and sharp.

The moment I picked up, Trinity's mocking voice came through the receiver. "Tegan, how does it feel being locked up all alone in that fancy little house?"

I stayed silent. She continued, her tone dripping with smugness, "Nate told me he had this phone specially set up. You can only receive calls, not make them. So, don't even think about calling for help."

A sharp pain spread through my heart, like needles piercing straight into it.

Nathan had locked me up just to stop me from interfering with Trinity's surgery. He had cut me off from the outside world entirely.

I must have been blind to have loved that man for eight years.

"Tegan, I bet you didn't know, huh? When you were in the ICU, Nate wasn't by your side. He was with me. If I cry, he would give me the world, including your life—"

I hung up abruptly, my nose stinging as tears welled up in my eyes.

I quickly lowered my head, but the tears still fell, soaking into the sheets, leaving behind a dark stain.

That ICU stay had been the closest I had ever come to death.

I had only found out through a nurse's casual conversation that Mom had rushed over to sign my critical condition paperwork and then left just as quickly.

The nurses had pitied me. "That poor woman. Not a single family member came to see her while she was in the ICU."

"The doctor asked her mom to stay, but she said she had another daughter at home who had broken her leg and needed her more. So, she told the hospital to hire a nurse for this one. Can you believe that? A broken leg versus being in the ICU?"

"And from what I heard, her sister has some rich boyfriend taking care of her. She doesn't even need her mom's help."

Lying there, hooked up to an oxygen mask with my eyes closed, I had felt the weight of their words crush me. Silent tears slipped down my face.

It felt like a piece of my heart had been carved out, leaving behind nothing but suffocating pain.

I had been confused back then, wondering when Trinity had started dating someone.

Two days after I had been transferred out of the ICU, Nathan had finally shown up.

He had waltzed in like nothing had happened and upgraded me to a VIP hospital suite. He had then told me he had been on a business trip overseas and couldn't make it back in time.

I had believed him.

The moment I had fallen into his arms, all the pain and resentment I had bottled up disappeared.

"Nate, I thought I was going to die without seeing you one last time. If I'd left this world without saying goodbye, I wouldn't have been able to rest, even in the afterlife."

Nathan had held me tightly, kissed my forehead, and whispered, "Tegan, don't say things like that. I won't let anything happen to you. I'll always be here for you."

Now, staring at the bloodstain on the bed, I let out a bitter laugh.

"Nathan, you promised you would always be by my side. But I'm dying now. Where are you?"