The next afternoon, the door to the hospital room swung open.

Willard walked in, and beside him clung a woman.

Kendra looked delicate and fragile yet almost ethereal. One of her hands was looped gently through Willard’s arm, her entire body leaning against his as if she couldn’t stand without him.

“Daisie,” Kendra spoke, her voice light and sweet. “How are you feeling?”

Daisie turned her head away, refusing to look at her.

Willard’s brows furrowed the moment he saw her reaction. His tone came out sharp with irritation.

“Hey. What kind of attitude is that? Kendra came here out of kindness to see you.”

Kendra quickly tugged on his sleeve, her voice gentle and coaxing.

“Willard, don’t be upset with her. She’s about to make such a big sacrifice for me. It’s only natural for her to feel resentful. It’s my fault. If my body weren’t so weak…”

Her voice trembled. Her eyes reddened, filling with unshed tears.

Willard’s expression immediately softened. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his voice low and dripping with affection.

“Don’t say that. None of this is your fault. It’s her debt. She owes you, and she owes me.”

When he turned back to Daisie, his warmth vanished, replaced by cold disdain.

“You should understand something, Daisie. Donating your kidney to Kendra is a blessing for you.”

Daisie didn’t want to hear another word. She fixed her eyes on him and asked through gritted teeth.

“My dad—how’s he? The surgery fee you promised me—did you pay it? Did he have the operation?”

Willard froze for a moment, caught off guard. Before he could answer, Kendra spoke first.

“I heard about Uncle Joe’s condition,” she said apologetically. “It’s truly heartbreaking. Coincidentally, I know a brilliant neurosurgeon from abroad—Dr. Wilson. He’s one of the best in the world. I can invite him here to perform the surgery, and I’ll cover all the expenses myself. Consider it… a small token of goodwill and compensation from me.”

Willard looked at her, admiration glowing in his eyes.

“See? Kendra is always thinking of others.”

Then, his gaze snapped back to Daisie, his tone dripping with contempt.

“She’s far better than your useless father. It’s settled, then. Dr. Wilson will handle the surgery.”

“No! I don’t want her help!” Daisie shouted before she could stop herself.

There was no way Kendra was doing this out of kindness; Daisie didn’t believe that for a second.

“My dad’s surgery doesn’t need her charity! Willard, you promised me. Give me the money. We’ll find our own doctor here!”

Kendra’s face crumpled with hurt, her tears spilling instantly.

“Daisie… are you still angry at me? I really just wanted to help. I mean no harm, I swear…”

The sight made Willard’s temper flare. He jabbed a finger at Daisie’s face, his voice roaring like thunder.

“Daisie! Don’t be so ungrateful! Kendra’s showing you nothing but kindness, and you throw it back in her face? You should be thankful that any doctor is even willing to touch someone like your father! You don’t get to choose, you hear me?! I’ve made my decision—Dr. Wilson will do the surgery!”

“Willard! That’s my dad we’re talking about!” Daisie exclaimed.

She struggled to sit up, but the nurse beside her pinned her back down.

Willard looked down at her, his eyes cold and pitiless.

“Whether your dad lives or dies depends on how you behave.”

With that, he turned away, holding Kendra close as he whispered comfort into her ear. Together, they walked out of the room.

Watching their silhouettes disappear down the hallway, Daisie felt her body trembling and the air around her freeze.

Before she knew it, the day of the surgery came.

They wheeled her into the operating room. As the anesthesia coursed through her veins, her consciousness began to fade.

The last thing she thought of was the tiny life she carried inside her—the one no one else knew about.

‘I’m sorry, baby… Mommy can’t protect you…’ she secretly cried.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before she woke again—only that the pain was unbearable.

The anesthesia had worn off, and a searing ache tore through her right side.

She lay weak and pale on the bed, too drained even to lift a hand.

Everything was silent except for the steady, mechanical ticking of the monitors.

Her heart felt as empty as the room around her.

Instinctively, she touched her lower abdomen, and to her astonishment, the baby was still there. For a moment, that made her heart swell with relief.

Her lips parted weakly as she turned to the nurse beside her.

“Excuse me… my dad… How’s my dad?”

The nurse didn’t look up from her clipboard. Her tone was flat and indifferent.

“Your dad? His surgery failed yesterday. He didn’t make it. He’s dead.”

Just then, the door to the hospital room swung open, and Kendra stepped inside.

“Well, look who’s awake.” Her red lips curved into a taunting smile. “How do you feel? Missing a piece of yourself—doesn’t it feel lighter?”

Daisie didn’t argue. She just glared at her, her eyes cold and sharp.

Kendra hummed lightly, setting a basket of fruit on the bedside table as if she were paying a friendly visit.

Then she leaned down, so close that her perfume stung Daisie’s nose, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

“I’ve got some good news for you—that useless father of yours is dead. Dr. Wilson—that doctor I hired… Wasn’t his technique impressive? I did spend quite a bit of money to make sure he got the job done.”

Her smile deepened. “Oh, and one more thing.”

She straightened slowly, taking a moment to admire the flicker of pain twisting Daisie’s face. Then she leaned back in again, her tone turning almost gleeful.

“Truth is… my kidney was perfectly fine. Never had a problem.”

Daisie’s pupils shrank.

Kendra laughed softly, savoring her shock, and brushed her hair back with deliberate grace.

“But what can you do? Willard believes me. He loves me. The moment I said I needed a transplant, he had everything arranged right away. Tell me—doesn’t that prove how much he adores me?”

Daisie shook her head in disbelief. “No… No, that’s impossible…”

If that was true, then all her suffering—signing that donation agreement, sacrificing a kidney just to save her father—had been nothing but a joke for someone’s fun.

Seeing the hatred rising in Daisie’s eyes, Kendra smiled even wider.

“That’s right. Hate me. It suits you,” she said with a sneer. “Trash like you deserves nothing better than to rot in hatred. Remember this well—you killed your father. If you hadn’t offended me, if you hadn’t stolen my man, Willard would never have agreed to let the doctor I bribed operate on him.”

She leaned forward again, her eyes glittering with twisted delight. “But don’t be too sad. Your father’s death wasn’t actually that painful.”

Her tone dropped to a whisper as she elaborated, “I made sure to tell Dr. Safman to use less anesthesia. That way, the ‘success rate’ would be higher. You know what that means, right? Your dear dad was fully conscious on the operating table.”

“Can you picture it?” she went on softly, savoring each word. “He could feel the scalpel slicing into his chest, cutting through skin and muscle, touching his organs… Poor thing—his eyes must’ve been wide open, bloodshot, his whole body shaking in agony. But he was strapped down, couldn’t even move.”

Kendra watched as Daisie began to tremble uncontrollably. The former reached out and patted the latter’s shoulder in mock sympathy.

“He kept calling your name till the very end,” she said with a sigh. “Such a touching father-daughter bond. I almost cried listening to it.”

Every word landed like a knife, cutting deep into Daisie’s chest.

Her body convulsed with rage, her wound tore open, and blood began seeping through her hospital gown.

“Oh, right,” Kendra said lightly, glancing down at her with a bright, almost cheerful tone. “I almost forgot. Willard said that once you’re all healed, I might still have use for you. Maybe your cornea next? Or your heart?”

She grinned. “So make sure you stay alive, my little… walking organ bank.”

Walking organ bank…

Those three words shattered what was left of Daisie’s strength.

Blood rushed up her throat, spilling from her lips. Soon, the world tilted and darkened before her eyes.

Then, she collapsed back into unconsciousness.

Nobody knew how long Daisie had been unconscious before the pain woke her again.

A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed from the wound on her right side, as if a blunt knife were twisting deep inside her flesh.

She barely shifted before a familiar voice broke the silence—low, tight, and edged with urgency.

“You’re awake?”

Turning her head, she saw Willard sitting beside her bed, his tall frame hunched slightly in the chair. His brows were drawn tight, his gaze fixed on her with what almost looked like… concern.

Her lips twitched into a stiff, bitter smile.

How ironic.

The man who had forced her onto the operating table, taken her kidney, and driven her father to his death now sat there pretending to care.

She closed her eyes, unwilling to even look at him.

“The doctor said your emotions got worked up and the stitches reopened,” Willard said with a sigh, sounding helpless. “Daisie, what exactly are you trying to do?”

‘Trying to do?’ she asked back inwardly.

Her eyes snapped open, burning with fury.

“My dad’s dead. You think I should be celebrating?” Her voice trembled with anger. “If it weren’t for Kendra, he wouldn’t have died at all!”

Willard’s frown deepened. He let out another sigh.

“Every surgery carries risk. Dr. Wilson is one of the best specialists in the field. No one wanted this outcome. You can’t blame Kendra for that. She was only trying to help.”

“Trying to help?” Daisie let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Willard, do you even realize? Kendra was never sick! Her kidney’s perfectly fine! She didn’t need mine at all!”

His expression darkened immediately. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m not making it up!” she shot back, her voice shaking with anger. “She faked her illness! She lied to you! She admitted it herself! She did it just to get back at me!”

“Enough!”

Willard shot to his feet, disappointment and disgust flashing in his eyes.

“Jeez, Daisie, I used to think you were just foolish. I didn’t realize you could be this cruel! Kendra went out of her way to bring in an expert from abroad to save your father. She’d just had her own transplant and was still weak, but she came to visit you anyway! And you? Instead of being grateful, you accuse her of faking her illness? Have you completely lost your conscience?”

Daisie trembled as she stared at him.

“Willard,” she said, her voice hoarse, “do you even dare to check the security footage? Right here, in this room, check what she did and said to me yesterday! Watch it yourself, and tell me if she looks sick! Tell me if she’s really not pretending!”

She pointed toward the security camera mounted in the corner.

Willard followed her gaze. For a fleeting moment, doubt flickered across his face.

Looking at how certain Daisie seemed, he contemplated, ‘Could it be… that Kendra really has been pretending after all?’