My father’s illegitimate daughter, Serena, needed a kidney transplant.
And out of our entire family, only I was a match for her.
Julian Sterling, my fiancé, usually so composed and refined, had a desperate plea etched across his face.
Astrid, the doctors say you’re her only hope. Serena… she’s fading fast. Please, save her. I’m begging you.
I chuckled softly. “Alright, I’m willing to donate a kidney to her. But I have conditions.”
“Our engagement is off. You marry her.”
A surge of wild ecstasy instantly bloomed across Serena’s pale face. Their eyes locked in a gaze brimming with affection.
I watched, cold and detached.
Take it. My kidney, my life, take it all.
Reborn into this life, I’d like to see if you’ll still thank me for my ‘generosity’ today.
…
I looked at Julian. A wave of immense relief washed over him.
“Astrid, thank you.”
My father let out a long breath, walking over to pat my shoulder, his voice filled with feigned comfort.
“Astrid, you’re finally understanding things. We are family, after all, and Serena will never forget this. Don’t worry, even if you and Julian break off your engagement, your father won’t treat you poorly.”
Family? I scoffed inwardly.
Ever since my mother passed away, and he brought that woman and her daughter into our home, I haven’t had a family.
From her hospital bed, Serena squeezed out a few timely tears, her voice weak as she spoke. “Sister, it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you and Julian never would have…”
“Stop!” I raised a hand to cut off her performance.
“Since a decision has been made, let’s skip the pointless theatrics. Julian, our engagement was set by our grandfathers. It needs to be formally dissolved with both families’ elders present.”
“Get that done before the surgery.”
Julian nodded quickly. “Okay, I’ll contact my grandfather right away.”
Watching the three of them, so visibly relieved, even beginning to discuss Julian and Serena’s future as if I were invisible, I turned and walked out of the hospital room, a bitter taste in my mouth.
In my previous life, I was trapped in the same moral bind.
But I refused. I clung desperately to the engagement, clinging to the title of “Miss [family name, removed to avoid Chinese surname implied]’s daughter,” a status that existed in name only.
Mom was gone, the family shattered, so I had to hold onto something, right?
Even if it was just a faint hope, a title.
How ridiculous.
I knew perfectly well that in my father’s eyes, I was nothing compared to his precious daughter by his ‘true love.’
Julian’s love was never mine, Serena was his true north, his distant star.
But I was stubbornly unwilling to let go…
The result? I lost everything.
They bribed the doctors, drugged me, stole my kidney, and the incision was crudely stitched.
Julian held my hand, hypocritically promising to compensate me for the rest of my life.
Later, I married him as I had wished.
After the wedding, my body, ravaged by the surgery, grew worse with each passing day.
Meanwhile, Serena, radiant and glowing, stood by Julian’s side. They were a picture of perfect harmony, a true power couple.
On my deathbed, Serena stood by my bed, smiling.
“Sister, just go peacefully. I’ll make sure to put the family’s assets to good use for you!”
Until the moment I closed my eyes, all I could think was, *Why?!*
Why do good, kind people meet such an end?
And why do the wicked, those who cause so much harm, live so comfortably in the sunlight?
Perhaps, there is no justice in this world.
If so, this time, I’ll forge my own path.
Everything Serena so desperately wants? I’ll give it to her.
2
Within three days, the elders of the Sterling and [Father’s family name, removed] families gathered.
Mr. Sterling looked at me, his face etched with guilt. “My dear, our Sterling family has wronged you.”
I offered a faint smile, placing the exquisite jade pendant—a family heirloom of emperor green jade, given as our engagement token—on the table.
“Mr. Sterling, it’s not your fault. A forced union never truly thrives. I wish Julian and Serena a lifetime of happiness.”
My father chimed in with a saccharine smile. “Yes, the children’s choice. As elders, we should simply bless them.”
He was practically salivating at the thought of Serena marrying into wealth.
From then on, his favorite daughter would live a life of comfort and privilege, and he would gain a powerful ally in his business dealings.
The engagement was smoothly dissolved.
The next day, I was wheeled into the operating room.
Just before the anesthesia took full effect, Serena was rolled in beside me.
She looked at me, her eyes gleaming with ill-concealed triumph and provocation.
Julian stood beyond the sterile glass, his gaze fixed on Serena, filled with tender concern and adoration.
I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift into the darkness.
In the darkness, I saw my mother.
She was as gentle as I remembered, swinging me on a swing, laughing.
She whispered to me, “My sweet girl, promise me you’ll always be happy.”
Mom, I’m sorry. I don’t think… I can do that anymore.
When I woke again, the dream shattered.
A searing pain from the incision violently yanked me back to reality. A wave of weakness washed over me.
From the doorway, I heard my father and Julian talking in hushed tones.
“Serena’s surgery was a success, the doctors say she’s recovering well,” Julian’s voice was filled with relief.
“That’s wonderful, truly wonderful!”
My father entrusted Serena to Julian. “Julian, I’m entrusting Serena to your care from now on!”
“Don’t worry, Richard, I will.”
Julian’s voice paused, a hint of hesitation. “By the way, Astrid… what about her?”
“Her? Just hire a nurse. Here’s my card, take it. The PIN is Serena’s birthday.”
“The money in there is my compensation to her.”
Footsteps receded, and the hospital room door gently pushed open.
It was Julian.
He walked to my bedside, silently placing the bank card on my nightstand.
I slowly opened my eyes, my blurred vision meeting his complex gaze.
“Astrid…”
I looked at the card, a weak, broken scoff escaping my lips.
“Take it away.” My voice was hoarse.
Julian’s brows furrowed. He reached out as if to check my forehead. “Don’t be childish, your health is what matters.”
I sharply turned my head, dodging his touch. The movement pulled at my incision, making me gasp in pain, cold sweat instantly beading on my forehead.
“Don’t touch me!” I gritted out.
“Julian, who is this act for?”
He froze, his hand suspended in mid-air.
“I’m not…”
“What you are, no longer matters.”
I closed my eyes, no longer looking at him, and said, exhausted, “Get out.”
After a long moment, I heard a faint sigh, then footsteps receding.
I picked up my phone and dialed a number I knew by heart.
“Uncle Arthur, my surgery is done.”
On the other end, a man’s steady, yet furious voice replied, “Send me your address, I’m coming right away. That scumbag, Richard!”
My uncle, Arthur, was my mother’s only brother, and one of the most respected and feared legal minds in the entire city.
After my mother’s death, he constantly tried to take me in, but I stubbornly stayed with my father’s family, clinging to that ridiculous obsession.
In my previous life, I never dared to contact him until I was dying, afraid of being a burden.
This time, I wouldn’t be so foolish.
3
Half an hour later, Uncle Arthur, accompanied by his assistant and two bodyguards, burst into my hospital room.
Seeing my pale face, his eyes immediately welled up, and his fists clenched, knuckles cracking.
“How dare they! How *dare* they do this to you!”
I offered a weak smile. “Uncle Arthur, don’t be angry. I volunteered.”
“You…” Uncle Arthur was too furious to speak, finally letting out a long sigh.
“You foolish child. Never mind. Come home with your uncle. No one will ever dare to bully you again!”
I nodded, handing him the bank card from my nightstand.
“Uncle Arthur, can you check how much money is on this card for me? Then help me get discharged. I don’t want to stay here for another minute.”
“Absolutely!”
My uncle’s efficiency was unmatched.
The card held exactly five million.
My father probably thought my kidney was worth precisely that much.
I had Uncle Arthur transfer all the money out, then anonymously donate it to a children’s education fund in a rural area.
Astrid, I don’t want his dirty money!
While processing my discharge, we ran into my father and Julian in the hallway, who were on their way to visit Serena.
Seeing Uncle Arthur, my father’s face immediately fell.
“Arthur? What are you doing here?”
My uncle snorted, shielding me behind him. “If I didn’t come, would I just watch you wolves devour my niece alive?!”
“Richard, my sister must have been blind to marry you! She shouldn’t have ‘lifted’ you from obscurity; trash belongs in the trash!”
Yes, Mom, you shouldn’t have.
My mother, once a vibrant socialite from a prominent family, lived a life of glittering indulgence, adored by all.
Yet she fell for my father, then a poor young man.
She painstakingly helped him rise to his current position, while she herself, through endless toil, ruined her health and lost her vivacity, her spark.
Her best years were spent on my father.
All she got in return was his betrayal; only then did she realize he had never loved her, only wanted to climb the social ladder using her.
My mother’s later years were spent in endless disappointment and illness, her life extinguished, like a flickering candle.
“You!” My father, hit where it hurt, trembled with rage.
Julian frowned, stepping forward, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. “Astrid, how can you be so reckless? The doctors said you need rest. How can you leave the hospital?”
I looked up at him, my gaze calm.
“Mr. Sterling, we have no connection anymore. My affairs are none of your concern. You should spend more time worrying about your fiancée, who is using *my* kidney.”
With that, I turned away from him and said to Uncle Arthur, “Uncle, let’s go.”
My uncle helped me, and surrounded by bodyguards, we walked out with our heads held high.
Leaving my father and Julian, their faces a mix of green and white.
It wasn’t until I arrived at the villa Uncle Arthur had prepared for me that I finally truly relaxed.
Every plant and tree here was identical to the old estate where my mother had lived.
“Astrid, focus on recovering. I’ll handle the company affairs for you,” Uncle Arthur said gravely, tucking me into bed.
“Uncle,” I took his hand, “I also need your help collecting some information.”
In my previous life, I only learned a crucial secret just before I died.
This time, I intended to strike first.
4
Soon, it was time for Serena and Julian’s engagement ceremony.
I walked arm-in-arm with Uncle Arthur, making a grand entrance into the banquet hall.
↓ ↓ Download the Novel Master app, Search 【 286563 】reads the whole book. ↓ ↓
NovelShort
