Chapter 4

I did well at school.

Nobody knew my family background. I could finally be a normal student.

Good grades, a few friends I could talk to, and sometimes I'd even dream about the future—

I'd go to college far, far away from here. Get away from this place completely.

Get away from Damian completely.

When I came home for winter break in tenth grade, I noticed Damian had lost a lot of weight.

"It's nothing, just work stress." He brushed it off.

But Vivian seemed unusually anxious, snapping at everything.

One night I got up for water and heard them arguing in the master bedroom.

"...You have to be hospitalized! How long do you think you can keep dragging this out?!"

"Vivian, just wait a bit longer, the factory's been..."

"The factory, the factory! Do you have a death wish?!"

I quietly retreated to my room, an ominous feeling settling in my chest.

After New Year's, Damian collapsed on the factory floor.

The diagnosis: End-stage kidney failure. He needed a transplant.

In the hospital corridor, the smell of disinfectant was pungent.

I looked at Damian unconscious in the bed. He was so thin he looked skeletal, his hands covered in needle marks.

Vivian sobbed into her hands, shoulders shaking.

The attending physician was a family friend of the Palmers, Dr. Harrison, and he was blunt:

"It's best to have a close family member donate. Highest success rate, lowest rejection risk."

I almost blurted out: "Use mine."

Vivian's head snapped up, eyes bloodshot. "No!"

"Why not?" I was confused. "I'm his sister. The match rate would be high."

"I said no!" Her voice was shrill. "Claire, this isn't your concern!"

When Damian woke up, I brought it up again.

His reaction was extreme. He nearly jumped out of the hospital bed:

"Absolutely not! Claire, don't even think about it!"

"Why? You're my br—"

"Because I'm your brother!" He grabbed my hand with frightening strength. "Listen to me. Study hard, go to college. My situation...I'll handle it myself."

"How will you handle it? Waiting for a donor could take forever! The doctor said your condition—"

"Then I'll wait!" He cut me off, his eyes more severe than I'd ever seen. "Claire, if you dare go behind my back to get tested, I will never forgive you. Ever."

I was scared by the determination in his eyes.

What confused me more was Vivian's attitude.

Someone who hated me so much should be thrilled at the idea of me trading a kidney for her husband's life.

But this time, she stood firmly with Damian.

I went to find Dr. Harrison, wanting to secretly get tested for compatibility.

Dr. Harrison looked at me, hesitating:

"Claire, your brother specifically told me...not to use you as a match."

"Why?"

"He said..." Dr. Harrison sighed. "He said you're not suitable."

"We haven't even tested yet. How does he know I'm not suitable?"

Dr. Harrison avoided my eyes. "Your brother said you were injured as a child. Your health isn't good."

The excuse was too flimsy.

I didn't know anything about being unhealthy. I rarely even caught colds.

But I was helpless.

Damian and Vivian were like two walls, blocking me completely from the truth.