Chapter 2

The next morning, an edited clip of my conversation with Chloe hit the internet.

Framed as a self-sacrificing donor being reported to the police by an ungrateful patient, the comments turned into a digital lynching.

"She volunteered her kidney to a stranger, and this is what she gets? Chloe is literally an angel!"

"She offered her own organ and got framed for attempted murder? I'm sick to my stomach."

"A flawless match! God literally sent her a savior, and she called the cops?"

"Why bother saving someone this ungrateful? It's a waste of medical resources!"

"She's clearly just jealous of a pretty younger girl and terrified her boyfriend will get stolen!"

"I hope the donor backs out. Let this snake suffer on her own!"

Staring at the screen, my stomach churned with nausea.

In my past life, I had listened to the internet and treated Chloe like a saint.

And what did it get me?

Endless delays for "poor health," and a lonely, agonizing death.

That afternoon, relatives from the Ward family arrived alongside several major board members of our company.

They crowded around my bed, not a single one asking how I felt.

Instead, the scolding started immediately:

"Natalie, you are way out of line!"

"Chloe is an angel. Why would you call the cops on her? Do you have any idea how bad this makes our family look?"

"If word spreads, the entire Ward Group's reputation will be ruined!"

My parents sat beside them with grim faces.

After a long silence, my father sighed heavily:

"Natalie, Eleanor and I have decided to officially adopt Chloe as our goddaughter."

"The girl comes from nothing. She took all this humiliation and still wants to save your life."

"Our family owes her security. We cannot let her feel unappreciated."

I refused immediately and flatly, earning only a look of profound disappointment from my parents.

"Natalie, you're an adult. Stop playing games with your own life."

Night fell, and the room grew quiet.

Julian walked in.

He tucked in my blanket and gently stroked my cheek.

"Natalie, still upset?"

"What am I going to do with you? All I want is for you to live."

My nose stung.

For a fleeting second, I wanted to confront him directly.

Julian, why did you do that to me in our past life?

Why did you stand by and watch me die?

Before I could open my mouth, his next words shoved me right back into an arctic chill.

"Post a public apology to Chloe tomorrow."

"Say your illness messed with your emotions and made you act on impulse."

He stroked my hair, talking to me like a petulant child.

"Trust me, Natalie. I'll make sure Chloe goes through with the surgery."

"But she's a good girl, and she's your savior. I have to look out for her, too."

I stared at the ceiling in complete silence.

He was the one whispering sweet promises right now.

And he was the exact same man who watched me rot in my past life.

The next day, I asked someone to look into the national organ registry.

When the report came back, my blood ran cold.

My parents had halted the expedited search on international organ banks.

Their reasoning?

"If Chloe finds out, she'll think we don't trust her. It would break her heart."

Julian had used his hospital connections to shelve every backup donor on my file.

He had personally instructed my primary care team:

"Natalie already has a match. Put the other options on hold."

My life had been pinned exclusively onto Chloe Miller.

Right on cue, the first postponement arrived.

Chloe clutched her chest, pale and tearful, as she spoke to my parents:

"Richard, Eleanor, I've... I've developed severe anemia lately."

"I want so badly to save Natalie, but the doctors said my body is too weak for the harvest right now."

"The second my counts recover, I promise I'll be the first on the table..."

Instead of blaming her, my parents panicked and immediately threw a lavish banquet to welcome her into the family.

At the party, Chloe officially became the Wards' goddaughter and moved into our family estate.

She wore a designer dress bought by my mother, clinging to Julian's arm the entire evening.

They looked just like a bride and groom.

Curled up in my hospital bed watching the livestream, a text from Julian lit up my screen:

"Natalie, Chloe is only resting so she can give you a healthier kidney."

"She has such a pure heart. She's your sister now. Don't be cold to her."

I typed back: "Is her kindness so pure that it requires an advance deposit from my family?"

Julian fired back several messages:

"Natalie, she's family now. Don't speak so vilely."

"Everything we do is for your own good. Why can't you see that?"

I didn't reply to a single word.

By dusk, my condition took a sharp turn.

Wave after wave of nausea battered me, and my entire body felt submerged in freezing water.