I Gave Them My Kidneys, They Gave Me Hatred

Chapter 1

The night before our divorce, Winston Jones and I went at it like mad. From the bathroom and living room to the balcony—we left traces of our love everywhere.

When we were done, he cried in desperation, “Can we not divorce, darling?”

Our three-year-old son, Asher Jones, got on his knees as he took my hand. “Please don’t leave, Mommy!”

I slowly packed up my belongings. “I’m going to live the good life now. Stop trying to drag me down, you losers!”

Five years later, Winston became the richest man in Hesperia, and Asher became a world-renowned genius.

During a television interview, they sat together and looked into the camera. “We’re rich now. Can you please come back?”

The next moment, I was pushed onto the stage by the host, looking gaunt and disheveled.

I calmly smiled as I looked at Winston and Asher, who looked worked up. “Would you like to sponsor me? I’m cheap.”

The live stream was abruptly cut off. Winston took Asher’s hand and said icily, “You’ve got the wrong person. My wife would never sell herself like that.”

“Not everyone is worthy to be my mother,” Asher continued.

Five years ago, they both had kidney failures. They had no idea I donated both of mine to them in secret.

…

After leaving the live stream, I ran into Winston and Asher downstairs in the studio building. Winston saw me as well and reached out to stop me.

As his suit sleeve shifted up, I noticed a leather bracelet on his wrist—the one I had braided for him five years ago.

“Is this the good life you’ve mentioned, Seraphina?” Winston’s piercing gaze swept over my frail body as he coldly said, “It looks like the patron who bought you over isn’t treating you too well, either.”

His blunt, mocking words crushed my dignity, yet I feigned ignorance and smiled at him. “Are you feeling sorry for me now? Why don’t you sponsor me instead? I’m well-trained now. I can definitely keep you satisfied as long as the price is right.”

Winston’s chest heaved sharply. “Have you no shame, Seraphina? Do you only have eyes for money and nothing else?”

He stared at me intensely. However, his eyebrows relaxed as if recalling something amusing. “Sure. I’ll pay 100,000 dollars for you to be my secret lover.”

Winston dug out a bank card from his pocket and casually tossed it over to my feet. “However, don’t make the assumption that I still harbor any feelings for you. I’m sponsoring you just because you’re shameless—you’d come wagging your tail anytime I give you money.”

He would never say such harsh words to me back then. Even when I insisted on a divorce, he had only begged for me not to leave with reddening eyes. However, there was nothing but resentment on his face when he looked at me now.

I looked down to conceal the sadness in my eyes.

…

Winston and I met in our college years. Back then, he wasn’t yet a trillionaire, and I wasn’t plagued by illness like I was now.

Our love story was never dramatic—from dating to marriage, our relationship had always been slow and steady.

In the second year of our marriage, I gave birth to the fruit of our love.

Wilson sat by the bedside, looking happy as he sweetly said, “Your name symbolizes blessings, while mine symbolizes happiness. Let’s call our son Asher, which means ‘happy’ and ‘blessed.’”

Back then, I held Asher in my arms as Wilson hugged me. The bedside mirror reflected our hopes for the future.

However, the good times didn’t last. Five years ago, when Asher was three years old, both he and Winston were diagnosed with kidney failures. We sold everything off just to cover the medical expenses.

To save money, I juggled multiple jobs, eating only one meal per day just so I could stretch every penny as far as it would go. I worked myself to the bones, all just to scrape together enough for their medicine. Even then, we had to settle for the cheapest, low-quality generic drugs.

However, we still couldn’t wait for matching kidneys to come.

I watched as Winston and Asher grew thinner by the day, their bodies wasting away.

Just then, my doctor finally brought news—a match had been found, and the perfect donor was me.

Chapter 2

My thoughts snapped back to the present.

When Asher saw how I was silent, his expression darkened. “Could someone as heartless as you actually feel sad?”

He stared at me coldly before exclaiming, “How ridiculous!”

I shivered slightly, carefully turning my downcast gaze toward Asher.

A quick glance from the live stream had made me feel that he looked more and more like Winston. Upon a closer look now, it wasn’t just their appearances. The way Asher held his back straight and the slight tilt of his chin—he carried the same arrogant defiance as Winston.

And just like Winston, Asher despised me.

I suppressed my tears and tried to school my expression to a look of greed. “Why wouldn’t I feel sad? You’re suggesting 100,000 dollars to sponsor me as your secret lover—am I just worth this price?”

I looked at Winston and said, “I want 500,000 dollars.”

No one knew him better than I did, and no one was better at pushing his buttons.

As expected, anger flashed in Winston’s gaze as he gritted, “I’m disgusted at how despicable you’ve become, Seraphina.”

I smiled and replied, “Well, what an honor. But since Mr. Jones is reluctant to part with the money, I’ll be taking my leave now. What a shame, though—I never get to experience what a Maybach feels like.”

I stepped around Winston and Asher, ready to leave the suffocating scene, but two bank cards were then tossed at me.

“I hope your skills as a secret lover are worth 500,000 dollars, Seraphina.”

“You could be bought with just the price of a pair of shoes—how cheap of you!”

Their insults stopped me in my tracks. I stared in shock at the bank cards on the ground before looking up at the both of them. They were wearing similar expressions of fury and hatred toward me.

I took a deep breath before asking, “Do you really want me to stay by your side that badly?”

Winston scoffed. “Stay by our side? Do you think you’re worthy of that, Seraphina? Back then, you left me and Asher when we were sickly and chose enjoyment instead.”

He spoke decisively, “You should’ve known since then that we would never forgive you even if you die!”

A sharp pain shot through my chest as I saw the intense hatred in both Winston’s and Asher’s eyes. I ran my fingers over the long scars on each side of my waist and smiled.

They were unaware that I had given both my kidneys away to them five years ago. Now, my doctor had already issued my critical condition notice—I was about to die soon.

…

I dragged my weary body back to my rented apartment. It was small, damp, and cramped—freezing in winter, stifling in summer. But at least it was cheap.

Winston and I stayed here in the first few years after our graduation.

This was where we shared our first intimacy, beginning our journey into marriage and parenthood. It was also where we ended our last moment of passion.

After finding out that my kidneys were a match for Winston and Asher, I pretended to have found a patron and asked Winston for a divorce.

However, as much as I could read him, he also knew me very well.

I had always stayed by Winston’s side no matter how hard things had been. He refused to believe that I would leave Asher and him at such a time. He hugged me, asked me to tell him what was wrong, and pleaded with me not to degrade myself like that.

Asher had also collapsed by my side, tugging at my pants. “Please don’t leave, Mommy. I can’t live without you!”

My heart broke seeing them in tears, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch them suffer in pain as they waited for death to come.

I broke free from Winston’s embrace and pried open Asher’s fingers. “Why should I suffer with you guys? Why should I spend my life tied to two people who are on the brink of death?

“Can’t I ask for a better life? Was I born to be miserable in your eyes? Tell me. Am I meant to spend the rest of my life in this rented apartment, living off plain bread and cold water?”

I asked slowly, “How could the two of you be so selfish?”

Even until now, I could still remember how Winston had picked Asher up from the ground. He hung his head low as his gaunt hand signed the divorce agreement.

I could still hear Asher’s heart-wrenching sobs coming from the rented apartment even when I had gone far with my suitcase.

…

At some point, it started to rain, mixing with the tears on my face.

With trembling hands, I pushed open the door to my rented apartment. My best friend, Selene Lundell, was already waiting for me inside.

She had seen clips of the broadcast online. Knowing how I was, she was sure I would do anything to keep the secret from five years ago—even if it meant clashing with Winston.

Selene worriedly linked arms with me. “Are you alright?”

I didn’t realize my face was as pale and despairing as it was five years ago, when she carried me back from the hospital.

I shook my head and brought up the bank cards Winston and Asher had thrown to me. “I now have the money to live for longer, Sel.”

All these years, I’ve collected scraps, worked as a waitress, and delivered food. I struggled to cover the overwhelming costs of dialysis.

It wasn’t that I was afraid of dying—I only wanted to live a little longer, just so I could see Winston and Asher live happily with my own eyes.

Selene stared at me in shock. Suddenly, tears rolled down her cheeks. “Why put yourself through this, Sera?”

She held me tightly, as if she had many things to say, but the chime of a text interrupted her.

Winston’s number on the screen was painfully familiar. It turned out neither of us had changed our numbers after five years.

I clicked into the text. It read, “Come to Yarrow Residence in 30 minutes.”

I declined Selene’s offer to accompany me and went to the address Winston provided on my own.

Chapter 3

The five-story villa was brightly lit at night. This was where Winston and Asher were staying now.

A sense of relief washed over me. At least Asher and Winston were living the good life Winston had once promised me.

The housekeeper led me into the villa.

Winston stood waiting for me at the door. He handed me a set of clothes and said, “Go get a bath—you’re filthy.”

He slowly wiped his hands, as if I was some kind of contagious disease. I didn’t bother arguing and took the clothes.

In the steam-filled bathroom, I stared at my pale body, covered in tiny pinpricks. The two four-inch surgical scars on the sides of my waist were burning.

After some time, the door to the bathroom burst open suddenly. Winston coldly chuckled as he leaned against the door. “You’ve been taking a 40-minute-long bath—are you waiting for me to tend to you?”

His contemptuous gaze swept over my body, finally stopping at the scars on my waist. His gaze widened. “This is—”

“Appendix surgery,” I replied quickly, as water droplets dripped onto Winston’s suit shoulder.

I reached out to grab his arm, deliberately leaning in as I asked, “Are you going to exercise your power as a patron, Mr. Jones?”

Winston recoiled, as if my touch burned him.

“Hurry and come out if you’re done!” His voice was sharp. However, it shifted to a mocking tone shortly after. “Many are waiting for you.”

…

After getting changed and stepping into the living room, I finally understood what Winston meant when he said many were waiting for me.

Standing under the crystal chandelier were the impeccably dressed family members of the Jones. They were all looking at me with keen interest.

Mrs. Jones was the only person whose expression fell when she saw me. “Is that you, Seraphina?”

She staggered over to me and gave me a slap on the face. “Aren’t you causing enough problems for Winston and Asher already? What exactly do you want, coming back now?”

Mrs. Jones grabbed my hair and shoved me to the ground.

Winston’s cousin, Emily Jones, made her way over holding a glass of red wine. She looked at me condescendingly. “I heard she offered to be Winston’s secret lover, Aunt Laura.

“He’s too kind—how is she even worth 500,000 dollars? I wouldn’t even want to pay her 50 dollars—she’s just too filthy! She’d rather be someone else’s secret lover than live an easy and reputable life. How cheap could she be?”

The sound of constant mockery echoed.

Emily lifted her wine glass up and slowly poured wine over my head. The smell of alcohol filled my nostrils, and my stomach got twisted in knots as I gagged.

Yet, she only exclaimed, “Oh, these shoes are the latest work of an exclusive LV designer. They’re worth two million dollars.”

Emily’s slender heels dug into my hand as she exerted some strength and leaned in. “How are you going to pay for it?”

Winston and Asher wore similar cold expressions as they stood among the crowd. However, they seemed to be smiling, as if satisfied with this whole public shaming act.

I struggled to retrieve my hand, staggering to my feet. “I don’t have money.”

“You don’t have money?” Emily’s tone went sharp as a bottle of red wine was smashed onto the ground by my feet.

Shards of shattered glass cut my calves, causing blood to trickle down, mixing with the spilled red wine.

Emily said, “Fine. You can get on your knees and lick up every drop of wine, then. I might be kind enough to forgive you then.”

All eyes turned toward me, eagerly watching everything that was happening.

Winston and Asher walked over to me. Winston glanced at my bleeding calf and mocked, “It must’ve hurt, right?”

Of course it hurt.

Ever since I was a child, pain had always been my biggest fear. Back then, even getting a shot would make me cry for hours.

However, someone like me had had my body cut open in order to donate both my kidneys to them. Over the course of five years, I allowed countless needles to enter my body and endured the pain of dialysis every single time.

I smiled bitterly and said, “You arranged for this and asked me to come. Was it all just so you could take your revenge on me, Winston?”

Winston smiled disdainfully. “I’ve told you you’re not even worth my time. It was Ash’s idea for you to come over.”

My eyes widened as I looked at Asher in disbelief.

He looked cold as he handed a bottle of red wine to me. “I only wanted to let everyone know that my mommy had died five years ago.”

Winston took Asher’s hand and said. “You’ve always wanted money, right? Drink it, and I’ll cover the 200,000 dollars for you.”

Everyone in the living room wore cold, mocking expressions as they waited for the drama to unfold.

Without my kidneys, my body had long been pushed beyond its limits. My doctor had repeatedly warned me against drinking alcohol.

However, as I looked at Winston’s and Asher’s hate-filled gazes, I grabbed the still-full wine bottle. It wasn’t heavy, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that my hand might slip.

I looked up at the two of them and smiled. Finally, I said, “That doesn’t include the 500,000 dollars I was promised as your secret lover, right?”

Shocked, Winston was soon overwhelmed by fury. “I wouldn’t stoop so low as to cheat off a hooker’s money!”

He threw a handful of bills onto the ground, their colors striking against the spilled wine.

After hearing Winston’s answer, I smiled, grabbed the wine bottle, and started pouring wine into my mouth. The sharp burn of alcohol raced down my throat and into my stomach, and the spot where my kidneys used to be throbbed with intense pain.

Halfway through the bottle, I could feel blood rising from my throat. I ignored the discomfort and forced the blood down with alcohol. My chest heaved as I doubled down to catch my breath.

Everyone else had treated this as a spectacle. However, Winston’s and Asher’s expressions grew darker as time passed.

As I continued to drink, Winston finally grabbed my arm. “Will you die without money, Seraphina?”

I looked at his reddening eyes and nodded. “That’s right. I’ll die without money.”

Asher paled, and Winston pushed me away angrily. “How despicable! Since you loved money so much, you should’ve died five years ago! Why are you still alive now?”

Although he didn’t push me away hard enough, my body could no longer take it anymore. I collapsed onto the ground. Tiny shards of glass pierced my skin, and my blood seeped out onto the floor.

The first thing Selene saw when she barged in was me lying among glass shards, coughing out blood.

She anxiously collected me into her arms and shouted at Winston and Asher, “Sera donated both her kidneys to you! She can’t be drinking alcohol when she has no kidney now! Do you know she might actually die from this?”