Unrequited Love

The doctor came out.

He pulled my parents aside.

Zoey went straight into the ward.

She collapsed in front of the bed.

I saw her crying.

It made me feel a bit uneasy.

I leaned against the hospital's cold wall.

The conversation between the doctor and my parents drifted into my ears.

"Find a kidney donor as soon as possible, otherwise his condition will deteriorate rapidly."

Rose almost fainted from crying.

She leaned on my father.

I should have known why they called me back home.

Why had I dared to hope for something more from them?

No one had ever expected me to exist in the first place.

Suddenly, I missed my grandmother.

She had departed this world in such a desolate place.

"Alright, go and see the patient."

My father helped Rose walk to me.

There was hesitation on his face.

He was about to say something.

But Rose clenched her fists and struck my shoulders.

"You should be the one dying! It's all your fault for taking away Samuel's luck. Go die for him!"

Her hits made me stagger.

My father supported Rose.

He had a troubled expression.

"Emmett, you’ve heard it. The doctor said if your brother doesn't get a kidney transplant, he won't survive.

"I hope you can do this as a way of repaying us for all these years of raising you."

I lowered my gaze and fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, I felt a stinging sensation on my face.

"Emmett Grayson, that's your older brother. Don't be so selfish."

It was Zoey.

I was stunned by her slap.

The disgust in Zoey's eyes pierced me deeply.

My heart tightened suddenly.

And that feeling continued to worsen.

I struggled to breathe.

Eventually, I smiled in resignation.

Was it all my fault? They were blaming me for being so selfish. How ridiculous.

Did I want to come to this world against my parents’ will and to be abandoned later?

Did I want to be alone with my grandmother while my parents were still alive?

Did I want to see my grandmother die due to a lack of money for medical treatment?

Did I want to be a stand-in for my girlfriend's true love?

Did I want to be forced to hand in my kidney by my girlfriend and my family?

I was so selfish.

I was so selfish that I wanted to end my life at that time.

I blinked hard to hold back the tears.

In a hoarse voice, I said, "Okay."

I agreed.

My parents immediately arranged for me to be tested for compatibility.

It was like they had scheduled it all in advance.

Just as they had expected, I was found to be a match for Samuel.

The surgery was scheduled for the end of next month.

Time was ticking.

But I wondered if I could even live until then.

Maybe I could.

I asked my doctor to keep my illness a secret.

They were happy that the compatibility was perfect.

But at that moment, I didn't want them to know I was sick.

My cancer cells had not yet spread.

"Just give my most valuable thing to Samuel." I thought.

It might be the last proof of my existence in this world.

The test was over.

Rose's emotions finally stabilized.

She relaxed, looking at me suspiciously.

"Don't go anywhere these days. Take care of yourself and wait for the transplant."

She was probably afraid that I would run away.

She even wanted to keep an eye on me if she could.

I smiled faintly.

"I won't."

I wouldn't be like them, making empty promises.

When I was a child, my grandmother often called them to come home and see me.

They always gave her the same excuses.

"Alright, mom. We'll go back in a few days. We've been busy lately."

But I waited for them, day after day, year after year.

They never came back.

Maybe Zoey felt guilty that night.

She went home with me.

We didn't talk along the way.

Eventually, I compromised.

I asked her, "Will you stay in the hospital in the following days?"

She replied coldly, "Mhmm."

She left me speechless.

I didn't know what to say.

"I'm just going home to get some stuff and then leave," she said.

I nodded silently.

I looked out the window.

Before I realized it, my eyes became moist.