While my daughter, Adeline, awaited a kidney transplant, my husband, Paul, sat with Beatrix’s son during a checkup. Only thirty minutes before the operation, the kidney my daughter had been waiting for was taken from her.

When I confronted him in desperation, Paul’s response was chillingly simple. “Your life was saved by Beatrix, and she only has one son. Consider this repayment for the life you owe her.”

Beatrix’s son received the kidney, and my daughter died of organ failure.

From that moment, I swore I’d repay Beatrix. But when I tried to do so, Paul looked at me with horror, pressing down on my wound. “I was wrong! Please—don’t die!”

——

“Harith had a car accident. I’m waiting with Beatrix for the test results. I may not make it in time for Adeline’s surgery.” Paul’s voice carried Beatrix’s sobs as if they were his own.

I ended the call, fighting back tears. Forcing a smile, I kissed my daughter’s forehead. “Daddy ran into a little trouble on his way. But Adeline, you’re brave, right? I promise I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Adeline nodded, her eyes uncertain. “Mommy, please stay close. I’m scared.”

As the red light over the operating room turned on, I took a shaky breath, composing myself as I pulled the divorce papers from my bag. Once Adeline’s surgery succeeded, I’d be done. What she needed was a real father, not just a title.

Then, abruptly, the operating room light switched off. A doctor rushed out. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, “we’ve just been informed that the hospital received a car accident patient in critical need. The kidney we’d planned to use for Adeline has been reassigned.”

For a moment, my world went black. Desperately, I fought to stay calm. “Where is...the person who took Adeline’s kidney?”

At the other end of the hallway, I heard a woman’s quiet sobs. Even if he’d turned to ashes, I’d know that figure anywhere.

It took only a second for everything to click. Only Paul could redirect the kidney at the last minute as he is also one of Adeline’s guardians.

“Paul! That’s Adeline’s kidney—the one she’s waited for all year!” My voice quivered. As I bolted towards the operating room, I slapped Paul with all the anger that boiled inside me. Paul’s lip bled from my slap, but his face remained passive.

“Alice, calm down. Adeline will still get a kidney. Harith’s case is more urgent now. Beatrix only has this one son and we owe her our lives. Think of it as repayment.”

I fought against him, desperate to reach my daughter, but his grip tightened. “You heartless bastard! Adeline is your own daughter!” My voice broke, as helpless as I felt.

Paul only held me tighter until the light turned off in the operating room and a doctor emerged, mask in hand. “The operation was a success, the patient is stable.”

Stunned, I realized what this meant. The kidney was gone. My daughter, my Adeline, could not wait.

“Is Daddy still busy?” Adeline’s eyes flickered to the door before she looked away, defeated.

I spooned some chicken soup into her mouth, forcing a smile. “Daddy will come when he’s finished.”

At that moment, the door swung open. Adeline’s face lit up. “Daddy!”

Paul took her in his arms, his face the picture of a devoted father. I resisted the urge to tear down his facade and left the room in silence. He didn’t stay longer than five minutes.

“Feeling weak? Can’t keep pretending anymore?” I sneered.

“I’ll find a way to get Adeline a kidney. It was an emergency and Harith is just a child—I couldn’t just stand by and watch him die,” Paul replied, furrowing his brow at me. His expression suggested I was the cold-blooded one. Then, he noticed the lunchbox in my hand.

“By the way, Beatrix’s been sick the past few days. Harith doesn’t have anyone else to take care of him, and I don’t trust Auntie alone. Why don’t you go check on him? When you make soup, prepare some extra portions for Harith and Beatrix. They both need to build up their strength.”

I clenched the lunchbox tightly.

“No. Adeline’s condition is worsening. She needs someone with her all the time.”

“You’re not a doctor. What good does it do for you to be here constantly?” He frowned, dismissive. “Besides, it’s not like you can find her a kidney by staying here. If you push me, I may be too distracted to arrange it myself.”

A chill swept over me. I could barely believe that Paul, her own father, would threaten me with Adeline’s life.

He softened his tone slightly. “I’m only saying this to avoid wasting time on unnecessary arguments. I’ll get Adeline a kidney as soon as possible; she’s my daughter too.” The apology held no sincerity.

I laughed bitterly, trying to stay composed. “Fine. I’ll go make the soup.”

But as I turned, a wave of dizziness overcame me. My vision blurred, and I stumbled. Paul caught me, a crack forming in his calm exterior.

“You haven’t rested since that day, have you? I’ll take you to get checked out.”

I struggled out of his grasp. “I don’t want to trouble you. Don’t worry—I’ll take care of Beatrix and Harith.”

His face darkened and he called for a nurse. “Alice, must you punish yourself to spite me?”

I fought against the vertigo. “Think whatever you want. Just save Adeline.”

Paul’s calm facade crumbled as he raised his voice in frustration. “You’d better pray you don’t collapse first, or who will take care of Adeline?”

I closed my eyes, feeling a hollow laugh rise. In the past, I’d lost myself in Paul’s shifting affections, but now, his false concern only left me empty.

Later, the nurse handed me my test report, her face tense. “It’s a tumor,” she said softly.

I accepted the report, calmly placing it in a drawer. “Please don’t tell my husband.”

“But it’s serious…”

“Don’t worry. He has other concerns now. I’ll tell him eventually. This is my responsibility.”

After making the soup, I took it to Beatrix’s hospital room. As I entered, Beatrix’s frail face lit up with a mocking smile.

“Look at Mrs. Alice herself, making soup for me and my precious son,” she said scornfully.

Ignoring her jab, I placed the soup down, prepared to leave. Her voice cut through the air, sharp and venomous.

“How long does your precious daughter have left? A month, without a proper kidney? My son has a strong sense of timing—don’t you think it was fortunate he needed a kidney when he did?”

My fists clenched. “When Adeline recovers, I’ll be done with you.”

Beatrix laughed darkly. “Recover? I took it once; I can take it again. You should be preparing your daughter’s farewell.”

I slapped her. Before I could strike again, Paul grabbed my wrist, forcing me aside.

“Alice! What’s gotten into you? Beatrix saved your life and you repay her by treating her like this?”

Beatrix’s voice softened to a pitiful whimper. “I chose to help Alice. If she’s anxious over Adeline, don’t blame her. It’s my fault—I’m just useless.”

Paul pointed to the door, his voice cold. “Get out. I should never have let you come here. You’re both mothers—can’t you be more understanding? Is Adeline the only child who matters?”

I leaned against the wall, feeling a weight press down on me. For the first time, I could admit the truth: the most helpless person here was me.

Since I was nineteen, my life had been trapped in the shadow cast by Beatrix. And I had never managed to escape.

Paul once told me that I helped him turn his life around. After he found hope, he wanted to share it with others. Among the people he helped, Beatrix was the most special.

When Beatrix was nineteen, she insisted on going alone to pick up my birthday cake and ended up surrounded by a gang of punks. Paul reminded me, “She’s doing this for you; one day, you should protect her a little.” My heart ached for Beatrix—so vulnerable, so alone. Ignoring an odd feeling I couldn’t quite place, I agreed.

At twenty-two, Beatrix went alone to pick up my wedding ring, only to be attacked on her way back, casting a shadow over our wedding day. Paul told me, “She’s pregnant now and wants to keep the child. She met us because of you. You should take care of her.” I sympathized with her and didn’t question his words. I simply did my best to support her.

When I was twenty-three, after a difficult labor, I finally delivered Adeline. When I woke up, the first face I saw was Beatrix’s, looking pale and worn. Paul explained, “Beatrix passed out from donating blood to save you. We owe her our lives now.”

I’d just narrowly escaped death, yet a chill ran through me as if I were bound by something unseen. After Paul left, Beatrix’s weak smile turned sharp. “Alice, from today onward, you owe me a life. Remember that debt.”

I lost the right to celebrate my own wedding anniversary. “It’s too painful for Beatrix,” Paul said. “It’s cruel to celebrate when she has suffered so much for us.”

And Adeline has never had a birthday celebration since she was born. “Her birth almost cost me you and nearly killed Beatrix,” he’d say. “It’s better not to make a fuss over birthdays.”

Beatrix. Her name hung over me like a shadow, a nightmare I couldn’t shake.

I still didn’t understand how doing one good deed led to a lifetime of debts to Beatrix. I didn't know how my life became burdened by obligations I never asked for.

I made Adeline’s fifth birthday cake with my own hands. She no longer asked why Daddy wasn’t there. She just kissed me with a bright, joyful smile.

“What’s your birthday wish, Sweetie?” I asked, curious.

I thought she’d wish for health, to recover quickly, so she could go to school and play like other children.

"Mom, I wish you to be healthy and happy from now on," Adeline said without hesitation.

I was stunned. "Why do you wish for that?"

She looked at me, her little hand gently brushing my cheek. “Mommy, you've lost so much weight since I got sick,” she said softly, warm and fuzzy.

I kissed the palm of her hand, feeling a surge of love. "I want to get better soon so I can stay with Mommy all the time."

Adeline laughed. "Since I didn’t get a birthday last year, let’s make two wishes! I wish for Mommy to be healthy and happy and for Adeline to get well soon."

I pushed the cake in front of her. "Blow out the candles, and your wishes will definitely come true."

Suddenly, the door to the hospital room flew open. Paul stood there, his voice hard and cold as he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room. The cake toppled over, but he couldn’t care less.

"Beatrix fainted on her way here after rushing to make a cake for Adeline. Go take care of Harith," he ordered.

I shook his hand off, unable to hold back anymore. "Did I force her to do that? Did I make her come here? She should be responsible for her own actions!"

"Today is Adeline's birthday! No one asked for her hypocritical cake. If she had died in a car accident on the way here, would you have blamed me and asked me to pay her back with my life?”

Paul’s expression turned icy. “Alice, how did you become so cold-blooded? Do you regret marrying me?”

I laughed bitterly, a cruel idea flashing through my mind. "Then let’s end this. We’ll get a divorce, you can marry Beatrix, and we can call it even for her so-called life-saving debt. Just beg her to let me go from now on, okay?"

He grabbed my chin roughly, his voice like ice. “Take it back. Don’t even think about divorce.”

His grip tightened, as if reminding me of something I could not escape. "Today is Adeline's birthday, but whether or not she lives to see another one depends on what you do."

I stared at him, my shoulders gradually sagging as I surrendered to the numbness. "Fine. I’ll go."