Chapter 3
“Caleb, I’m sorry. I have no choice. If Aiden doesn’t get a kidney, he won’t survive.”
Serena took out a toolkit.
The cold light from the operating lamp hit my eyelids.
Her voice was soft, but to me, she sounded like an executioner wielding a scalpel, sending shivers down my spine.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you the strongest dose of anesthetic. Your soul won’t feel any pain.”
Serena said, pulling out a vial of liquid.
A sharp sting, and something entered my body.
All I felt was mockery.
Should I thank her for this?
She’s the one doing this, and she’s trying to earn good karma from it.
It’s too late for me to turn back now.
Ever since that photography competition accident years ago, I’ve been utterly destroyed by Serena and Aiden.
The sensation of my skin being cut open was incredibly clear.
Intense pain engulfed me like fire.
Wait, didn’t she say she’d give me anesthetic?
Why was the pain more intense?
I wanted to struggle, but my disabled body couldn’t move.
Like a fish on a chopping block, helpless, subjected to torture.
Every second stretched into an eternity.
Dimly, I heard footsteps.
“Sister, you’ve been operating for so long, you must be tired. Take a break.”
“No, this is a critical kidney transplant for you. I’m afraid of something going wrong.”
“Sister, actually, I found a suitable kidney a few days ago. I just forgot to tell you.”
Aiden’s voice was light and cheerful.
But those words struck me like a bolt of lightning.
What? He already found a kidney source?
Then why was she operating on me?!
The bone-deep pain I’d endured felt like a cruel joke.
I couldn’t stop myself from convulsing.
“Oh, is that so? Caleb truly suffered.”
The woman’s voice held a touch of pity.
A glimmer of hope flickered in my heart.
Since there was already a suitable kidney.
Would Serena, out of consideration for our past, spare me?
But the very next second, she shattered my illusion.
“Having an extra backup kidney source will make you safer. Caleb has already passed away, so what I’m doing isn’t murder.”
Saying that, Serena cut another incision into my body.
But I couldn’t feel it anymore.
The excruciating, soul-crushing pain in my heart was a hundred times worse than the physical pain.
So, the beautiful illusion I had built my life upon was nothing but deceit!
My entire life was worthless.
The last thread of my sanity snapped with a sharp crack.
My past flashed before my eyes like a dizzying carousel.
Dimly, I saw Serena caring for me in the past.
All these years I’d been paralyzed in bed, she would boil water daily, wait for it to cool, then carefully use a towel to wipe my body.
It was troublesome, but she persisted for seven years.
Feeding me food and medicine was also a challenge. Serena would bring spoonfuls to my lips, patiently waiting for my subtle swallowing reactions.
Her arms would ache so much she couldn’t lift them, her muscles throbbing, but she’d only gasp softly, afraid I might hear.
At night, afraid I wouldn’t sleep well, she would stay by my bedside all night, reading my favorite poetry collections.
At that time, I was so moved I wished I could die for her.
But now, all of it had become sharp knives stabbing into me.
My flesh was peeled back layer by layer.
Cold instruments pulverized my blood vessels and tissues.
The pain grew more and more intense.
My consciousness became increasingly blurry.
I was in a daze, barely able to tell if I was suffering torture in the human world or in hell itself.
A sickening rip –
One of my organs detached.
My consciousness suddenly grew faint.
Even Serena’s voice wasn’t very clear.
I only vaguely heard her say something about “it’s done.”
After some more time, I felt myself being lifted and placed into something.
My vision suddenly darkened, and I knew something was wrong.
“Caleb, followers believe that when a person dies, they return to dust, and then their soul doesn’t wander aimlessly.”
Serena’s voice remained gentle.
“Early cremation is also good for you.”
But I wasn’t dead yet!
The feeling of blood loss made my entire body cold.
Hearing her words, I felt like I’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
I desperately tried to muster every last ounce of strength in my body, wanting to make some noise.
But no matter how hard I tried, it was useless.
I heard Serena close the cremation oven door.
Her hand pressed the cremation button.
No, don’t!!!
Every cell in my body screamed in silent agony.
Why did my life have to end at the hands of the person I once loved?!