Chapter 2

2、 When Chloe returned that day, she kicked my bedroom door open in a blind rage.

She slapped me so hard across the face that blood instantly seeped from the corner of my mouth.

"Did you spread those vicious rumors outside?"

I wiped the blood away, swallowed the ache, and answered without a hint of resentment.

"What rumors? I haven't even stepped out of the house."

Dylan stood right behind Chloe, sniffling with tears running down his cheeks.

To save this sickly boy, Chloe dragged him from hospital to hospital, searching desperately for a matching donor kidney.

The savings our parents left behind were nearly drained dry by his endless treatments.

I didn't care about the money at all. I knew in my heart that this was my debt to pay.

Under the crushing weight of our parents' death and Chloe's relentless hatred, my own health deteriorated rapidly.

I could feel that my days were numbered.

I had approached Chloe and Dylan on my own, offering to donate one of my kidneys to him.

All I wanted before I died was Chloe's forgiveness―a single warm smile so I could leave this world without regrets.

Chloe finally hit accept on the phone a second before the call dropped.

The familiar voice of my advisor echoed from the speaker.

"Hello, Chloe. Caleb hasn't shown up for class recently…"

Before the advisor could finish her sentence, Chloe hung up aggressively.

"Calling me every damn day with useless crap. Just like Caleb, absolutely infuriating."

Dr. Bennett couldn't hold back anymore.

"Chloe, Caleb is your biological brother. You two grew up together for eighteen years. Do you really still hate him that much?"

Chloe shoved her phone back into her pocket in irritation, trying her best to suppress her rising temper.

"Dr. Bennett, please don't mention his name again. I've heard it way too many times today, and it's driving me crazy."

She walked back to the ICU door, staring through the glass panel as if trying to bore a hole through it with her eyes.

I drifted over and stood beside her, looking in the same direction with an overwhelming sorrow in my chest.

"Dylan, I truly envy you. The moment you showed up, you got all of Chloe's love. Meanwhile, even offering my own kidney couldn't earn me a single gentle glance from her."

Chloe had followed in our parents' footsteps, firmly choosing medical school when applying for college.

I knew deep down that she never enjoyed medicine, so I once asked her why she didn't pursue her real passion.

She had ruffled my hair fondly back then, her eyes sparkling with warmth.

"Mom and Dad said at least one of us had to become a doctor. If I don't pick it, the burden falls on you!"

I had puffed out my cheeks in mock defiance. "I hate doctors the most! Hmph, I'm definitely never studying medicine!"

Chloe had burst into sweet laughter at my pouty face.

That was when our bond was at its strongest, the golden days I missed more than life itself.

Chloe had truly become a brilliant doctor, graduating at the top of her class with honors.

She used to volunteer for overtime in her clinic just to see one extra patient, often skipping meals entirely.

Yet now, for Dylan's sake, she abandoned all the professional reputation she had built through years of hard work.

Moments later, Dr. Bennett rushed out holding his phone, looking anxious.

He thrust the screen right in front of Chloe.

"A colleague from the hospital next door just sent me this patient list. He asked if this was the Harper family's younger son."

Chloe glanced sideways at the screen, her expression darkening as her voice raised abruptly.

"Why is he in a hospital again? Doesn't he know what day it is today?"

Dr. Bennett's tone turned sharp with disapproval.

"This is an inpatient registry! My colleague said the kid is in critical condition with no family beside him, which is why he reached out to me!"

"Ha, hospitalized? Sick again? He runs to the clinic every other week. How on earth did Mom and Dad raise such a fragile wimp?"

Dr. Bennett was visibly fed up with her callousness.

"He is still your parents' son! If they were alive, they would never leave him lying alone in a hospital bed! If you won't go check on him, I will!"

Just as Dr. Bennett turned to leave, Chloe shouted after him, her voice trembling with rage.

"Dr. Bennett, don't you think I know Caleb after all these years? He's definitely faking it again. Going there will only be a waste of your time; he's probably sitting there perfectly fine!"

Dr. Bennett was shaking with anger.

"Even if you harbor a grudge, how can you obsess over a stranger while leaving your own flesh and blood to rot in a ward? How can you face your deceased parents?"

Chloe completely lost her temper and screamed down the corridor.

"Stop bringing up the whole 'biological brother' guilt trip! If it weren't for him, Mom and Dad wouldn't be dead! I will never forgive him!"

Her words felt like heavy stones crushing my chest. I sank to the floor in my spirit form, sobbing helplessly.