chapter187

"Just one kidney? And you're saying it won't affect me at all?"

Sandy let out a short, bitter laugh. She honestly couldn't believe her mother was saying this. A kidney wasn't just some blood or a bit of bone marrow. Once it was gone, she'd never be whole again. She'd lose her health, maybe get sick all the time, maybe even never recover. She could die.

How could they talk about it like it was nothing? Was their son the only one who mattered? Did they even see her as a person?

All this time, she thought they really loved her. They'd brought her home, handed her a credit card with a huge balance, spoiled her with designer bags and expensive clothes and jewelry. For the first time in her life, she'd felt truly happy.

She'd worked so hard to fit in, trying her best to be a good daughter. Even when Lydia made things difficult, she'd taken the blame just to protect her parents' dignity and pride.

And for what? Just so they could take her kidney.

It felt like a giant joke. Lydia must be so smug right now, thinking Sandy was the biggest fool.

Milana was running out of patience, but she kept trying to explain. From her perspective, it was just one kidney, not both. She thought she was already being thoughtful as a mother. She'd begged her mother-in-law to find the miracle doctor. She'd even swallowed her pride and apologized to Lydia, just to give Sandy a chance.

In Milana's mind, everything she'd done was to give Sandy a chance to live, wasn't it?

"Sandy, I know this is a shock. But trust me, donating a kidney won't affect your life. If you don't, your brother... he'll die. If you say yes, your father and I will make it up

to you. I promise. You're our daughter too. If there was any other way, do you really think we'd ask you to do this?"

Milana's words faded into quiet sobs.

Sandy stared at her, her voice sharp. "So you went through all that trouble to find me, just to take my kidney?"

Suddenly, everything made sense. When she first came back, Luke was already in the ICU. The excitement in her parents' eyes wasn't because their daughter had come home. It was because their son finally had a chance.

"It's not like that, Sandy. You're our daughter. No matter what, we would have found you," Milana said, desperate to calm her down.

"Why did you only find out Lydia wasn't your real daughter now?" Sandy asked, her voice quiet but steady.

The answer hit her. Luke must have had his accident. When they needed a kidney donor, they went to Lydia and found out she wasn't their biological daughter. That's when they started searching for Sandy, and now everything was clear.

She finally understood why Lydia always stared at her in that silent, knowing way. Lydia already knew the truth. She knew Sandy was only brought back to save Luke.

Milana went silent. She couldn't deny it. At first, they had only wanted to save their

son.

"Sandy, when we learned Lydia wasn't our daughter, all we could think about was, where is our real daughter? We were so happy to find you Not just because of Luke, but because you really are our daughter, Milana said, crying harder as she spoke.

Sandy's face didn't change. She just sat there, silent and unmoved. Milana's crying grew more desperate. "Sandy, I know it's

sudden and hard to accept. BLuke Is your real brother Didn't you say you wanted to take care of him?"