Chapter 1

Ever since the Gaultier family's biological daughter was found ten years ago, I was kicked out of their residence, the place where I had lived for 16 years. Now, their precious daughter, Caitlyn Gaultier, had been diagnosed with acute kidney failure and desperately needed a kidney transplant. Cyrus Gaultier—the person I once trusted the most—had secretly used the blood sample taken from my medical examination to see if I was a match for Caitlyn. As soon as the results came in positive, he asked me at the Gaultier family's banquet to donate one of my kidneys. After all, every human has two of them. Having one less kidney would not be an issue. Everyone agreed, citing that I should repay the Gaultiers' kindness over the past 16 years. I stood rooted to the spot, shaking uncontrollably. In the next second, I had a complete meltdown, as if overcome by madness. In a single night, the media outlets painted me as an ungrateful villain. When my hospitalized father saw the news, he was instantly overcome with emotion. His heart condition relapsed, causing him to fall into a coma. With nowhere left to turn, I nodded in agreement to the request. One month after the transplant surgery, Cyrus stood outside my ward for the entire night, puffing on cigarettes endlessly. The smoke clouded his red-rimmed eyes, and cigarette ash fell from his trembling fingers onto a picture of us when we were kids. It was a picture of him giving me a piggyback while grinning from ear to ear. "I'm sorry, Susie. I was wrong. You'll never forgive me, will you?" Before arriving at the Gaultier family's banquet, I naively thought Cyrus had invited me out of sincerity. After all, he sounded like he meant it over the phone. "Come home, Sue. Mom and Dad missed you, too," he said. Just like that, his words shattered the defenses I had built over the past ten years. I fumbled through my wardrobe and put on the white dress I finally bought after saving up three months' salary. Then I spent a long time in front of the mirror, carefully applying makeup to look more presentable. At least, I must not let the Gaultiers think I had been living poorly ever since I left their home. Alas, after my meltdown at the banquet, the dress I carefully picked was ruined. Even the hair I had spent a long time putting up had turned into a mess. My heart ached, and an icy chill surged through me. Everything around me felt like a farce designed to humiliate me. "Susie Gaultier, how could you be so cruel? Is that how you repay our family?" Cyrus' stern voice snapped me back to my senses. After some time, I finally turned around and faced the person I was once closest to. All that screaming I let out uncontrollably made my throat hurt. "What about you?" I asked softly, unaware of the slight trembling in my voice. "Cyrus, do you even know what you're saying?" Of course, Cyrus did. Yet, all he did was stare at me with a cold gaze that was full of impatience. It was as if my meltdown and questions were just me being unreasonable. He began condescendingly, "That's enough. We're doing this for your sake, too. I know it was cruel of us to make you leave after finding Cait ten years ago. "But you can't change the fact that you grew up in our home for the past 16 years. We took care of you, too." I could not help but snort. "You guys took care of me? Then, I'd rather have never lived with you people! And don't call me Susie Gaultier—it's Susie Sloan now." Cyrus' expression went blank for a second, but he quickly snapped out of it, determined to make me return to their home. "Even if we hurt you ten years ago, our love for you in the past was real. Besides, isn't your father sick? I promise our family will pay for his bills if you donate your kidney. It's a life for a life—you're not losing anything." I stared at him in silence, my heart aching so hard that I could barely breathe. Suddenly, I said, "Cyrus, I was nothing but skin and bones when you and your family kicked me out. "When Caitlyn returned home unwell, your family blamed it on me. When she was ill, your family forced me to donate my blood. I endured all of it. "And now, your family wants me to donate my kidney. Did you ever think of me as your sister? Do you really not care about my health?" "Susie Sloan!" Cyrus took a deep breath and questioned grimly, "How could you say that? You and Caitlyn are both my sisters. What's so hard about giving her one of your kidneys when you have two?" I was dazed. Memories kept resurfacing, reminding me of countless trending articles I had read about what Cyrus did for Caitlyn. Cyrus spent extravagantly on her. He bought her the entire season's collections from a luxury store, reserved an entire amusement park for her birthday, and even paved a clear path for her in the entertainment industry. Back then, I would quietly scroll through the screen, sighing quietly to myself. Cyrus treated his biological sister so well that I almost forgot how much they doted on me before Caitlyn's return. I had naively believed that even without blood ties, the 16 years we spent together would mean something to him. When Cyrus nonchalantly announced the results of the blood test in front of all the guests and journalists, I finally understood the situation. The affectionate words over the phone and promises to get my father the best doctor were all for Caitlyn's sake. My father was my sole weakness. His life and my health had become Cyrus' tool to protect someone else. My life was already a mess. I had tried so hard to bury those memories, especially the icy stare Cyrus fixed on me from the second floor as the Gaultiers kicked me out of their home ten years ago. Now, the person in front of me had fused completely with the boy who had watched silently from the sidelines in the past. The trust I once placed in him felt like an invisible blade he had plunged into my heart. If Cyrus had made it clear that he wanted to trade my father's life for Caitlyn's, I probably would have agreed right away. However, Cyrus chose to hide his intentions and tried to manipulate me with affection. His hypocrisy was disgusting. "What are you crying about?" There was a trace of impatience in Cyrus's tone. "What else do you want? Just name it, and we'll do whatever we can to fulfill it." I wiped my face in a daze, surprised by the fact that I was crying. When I wandered through the pouring rain with my luggage after being thrown out of the Gaultier residence, I never shed a tear. Even when my biological father was diagnosed with severe heart disease, and I found out his surgery fee cost a vast sum, I did not cry. Not a single tear fell from my eyes even as I endured the public humiliation the Gaultiers put me through, and neither did I cry from curses from Helen Sinclair, my foster mother. Alas, tears rolled down my cheeks uncontrollably when I heard Cyrus utter those words as if they were nothing. Cyrus was always there to stand up for me when I got bullied. He would leave a light on for me because I was afraid of the dark. When I was sick, he would take me to the hospital on his back. I could not understand how he ended up becoming like that. Just then, a slender hand reached out to wipe my tears. I instinctively retreated as if something hot had touched my face. Cyrus's hand hung mid-air. A few seconds later, he put it away with a scowl. "You must really be heartless." I looked up at him in a daze—there was nothing but contempt in his eyes. It was as if I were a heartless monster. Cyrus' gaze shattered all hopes I had left of him. Staring calmly into his eyes, I uttered, "That's right. Your only sister, Caitlyn, is the one with a heart. You'd better pray that she'll continue to stay by your side with her beating heart."