After that, Zoey didn't come home for several days.

She didn't go to work, either.

Neither did I.

My stomachache became increasingly unbearable.

I took leave and remained at home.

Not even a single call came.

On one particular day, Zoey's secretary called me.

She asked for help in retrieving a document.

She said it was in Zoey's study.

That was the first time I entered Zoey's study.

She didn't like other people touching her personal belongings.

She even did the cleaning by herself.

I found the document the secretary needed.

I was about to leave.

But I caught a glimpse of a photo in the corner of my eye.

My rational brain told me not to touch it.

But I couldn't resist.

I walked over and picked up the photo.

In the photo, Zoey and Samuel stood side by side under a tree.

The shadows of the trees cast a heavy veil over the two of them.

They were such a perfect match.

But my heart ached with every beat.

Beneath the photo was an iron box.

It must be an old box.

Its surface was already rusted.

I picked it up and slowly opened it.

My curiosity grew, but I was afraid to find the answer I least desired to know.

Inside the box, I saw plenty of photos capturing Zoey and Samuel together throughout the years. There were also some small objects.

Only then did I believe the rumors that had circulated among those who knew us.

It was true all the time.

I was the only one kept in the dark.

Now I finally figured it out.

I finally understood the look in Zoey's eyes when she looked at me.

Why was it always so melancholic?

Why, with just one glance, did she help me cover my grandmother's medical expenses?

Why did it have to be me...?

I carefully returned the photos to their original place.

It was the last shred of dignity I left for myself.

Zoey never returned home.

There was no need for speculation.

She was undoubtedly staying at the hospital.

In this way, she could take better care of Samuel.

I learned this information from her secretary.

She hadn't been to the company, and she was handling her work in the hospital these days.

I listened to the secretary's report.

Then I couldn't help but mock myself.

I was supposed to be her closest partner.

Now I found myself learning about Zoey's life through someone else.

I believed it was time for this charade to end.

Early in the morning, my mother, Rose Grayson, called me.

She asked me to come home by myself.

But I didn't expect what happened next.

Upon my arrival, my parents received a call from the hospital.

We rushed to the hospital in a frenzy.

The doctor engaged in emergency treatment for Samuel.

Zoey was there too.

She avoided my gaze when she saw me.

I pursed my lips and chose to remain silent.

Rose wept inconsolably.

"Why does my son have to endure such suffering?

"What did I do wrong?"

Then, she turned her gaze towards me, her eyes filled with anger and resentment.

"Why isn't it you who's dying, Emmett?"

I weakly managed a smile, tugging at the corner of my mouth.

Yes.

I too wondered why I hadn't perished sooner.

I tentatively glanced at Zoey.

She was looking worriedly at Samuel in the ward.

She didn't spare a single glance for me.

I laughed at myself.

But my eyes were a bit moist.

I thought she was my redemption in my limited lifetime.

However, I was nothing more than a replacement.

By looking at me, she was seeing someone else.

The doctor came out.

He pulled my parents aside.

Zoey went straight into the ward.

She collapsed in front of the bed.

I saw her crying.

It made me feel a bit uneasy.

I leaned against the hospital's cold wall.

The conversation between the doctor and my parents drifted into my ears.

"Find a kidney donor as soon as possible, otherwise his condition will deteriorate rapidly."

Rose almost fainted from crying.

She leaned on my father.

I should have known why they called me back home.

Why had I dared to hope for something more from them?

No one had ever expected me to exist in the first place.

Suddenly, I missed my grandmother.

She had departed this world in such a desolate place.

"Alright, go and see the patient."

My father helped Rose walk to me.

There was hesitation on his face.

He was about to say something.

But Rose clenched her fists and struck my shoulders.

"You should be the one dying! It's all your fault for taking away Samuel's luck. Go die for him!"

Her hits made me stagger.

My father supported Rose.

He had a troubled expression.

"Emmett, you’ve heard it. The doctor said if your brother doesn't get a kidney transplant, he won't survive.

"I hope you can do this as a way of repaying us for all these years of raising you."

I lowered my gaze and fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, I felt a stinging sensation on my face.

"Emmett Grayson, that's your older brother. Don't be so selfish."

It was Zoey.

I was stunned by her slap.

The disgust in Zoey's eyes pierced me deeply.

My heart tightened suddenly.

And that feeling continued to worsen.

I struggled to breathe.

Eventually, I smiled in resignation.

Was it all my fault? They were blaming me for being so selfish. How ridiculous.

Did I want to come to this world against my parents’ will and to be abandoned later?

Did I want to be alone with my grandmother while my parents were still alive?

Did I want to see my grandmother die due to a lack of money for medical treatment?

Did I want to be a stand-in for my girlfriend's true love?

Did I want to be forced to hand in my kidney by my girlfriend and my family?

I was so selfish.

I was so selfish that I wanted to end my life at that time.

I blinked hard to hold back the tears.

In a hoarse voice, I said, "Okay."

I agreed.

My parents immediately arranged for me to be tested for compatibility.

It was like they had scheduled it all in advance.

Just as they had expected, I was found to be a match for Samuel.

The surgery was scheduled for the end of next month.

Time was ticking.

But I wondered if I could even live until then.

Maybe I could.

I asked my doctor to keep my illness a secret.

They were happy that the compatibility was perfect.

But at that moment, I didn't want them to know I was sick.

My cancer cells had not yet spread.

"Just give my most valuable thing to Samuel." I thought.

It might be the last proof of my existence in this world.

The test was over.

Rose's emotions finally stabilized.

She relaxed, looking at me suspiciously.

"Don't go anywhere these days. Take care of yourself and wait for the transplant."

She was probably afraid that I would run away.

She even wanted to keep an eye on me if she could.

I smiled faintly.

"I won't."

I wouldn't be like them, making empty promises.

When I was a child, my grandmother often called them to come home and see me.

They always gave her the same excuses.

"Alright, mom. We'll go back in a few days. We've been busy lately."

But I waited for them, day after day, year after year.

They never came back.

Maybe Zoey felt guilty that night.

She went home with me.

We didn't talk along the way.

Eventually, I compromised.

I asked her, "Will you stay in the hospital in the following days?"

She replied coldly, "Mhmm."

She left me speechless.

I didn't know what to say.

"I'm just going home to get some stuff and then leave," she said.

I nodded silently.

I looked out the window.

Before I realized it, my eyes became moist.