Chapter 2

I raised my eyes to look at the man in front of me. The concern in his eyes was genuine, almost identical to every day of the past month.

I lowered my gaze, afraid he would notice something was off.

"It's nothing, I'm just worried about Melody. She's so young, what will happen to her in the future?"

Hearing my words, Dashiell let out a sigh of relief and carefully helped me up from the ground.

"It's okay, Lavender. Medical technology is advancing so rapidly nowadays. There will surely be a way. I promise I'll find suitable kidney and heart donors for you and Melody. You two are my everything."

"Even if we can't find donors, it doesn't matter. I'll protect you both for life, be your sky, be your support."

Listening to Dashiell's words, I inwardly mocked myself.

If I hadn't just overheard his conversation with his secretary, I would have believed one hundred percent that everything he said was true.

But now, all that remained in my heart was hatred, a tidal wave of hatred.

"Let's go to sleep, Dashiell. I'm a bit tired. Don't wake Melody."

Dashiell didn't suspect anything.

"Alright, sleep well."

After a while, Dashiell's sleep-talk echoed in the darkness.

"Serenity... Serenity..."I stepped out of bed, suppressing the bitterness in my heart, and made my way to the study on the first floor.

Earlier, when Dashiell was talking to his secretary, his eyes tenderly rested on the wooden box on the desk. I rarely entered his study before, and I had never opened this box.

But just now, my instinct told me that this box held the answers I was looking for.

The moment I opened the box, the tears I had been holding back all night finally burst forth.

Inside this box was a thick stack of love letters. The handwriting evolved from messy scribbles to neat and orderly, then to an elaborate flourish. Every word, every sentence was evidence of Dashiell's love for Serenity.

"A little guest came to our house today. Mom says she's only six years old. She's so beautiful, like a little princess."

"Serenity started middle school. She seems to have grown taller again. She follows me around all day calling me 'big brother', but I don't want to be her brother."

"Serenity is eighteen now. I can finally confess my feelings to her, but she seems to only see me as a brother."

"Serenity got married today. She looks so beautiful in her wedding dress, just as beautiful as she was at six years old."

"Serenity got divorced. But I have my own family now. Lavender is great. I don't know what to do."Once upon a time, I only knew that Dashiell had someone else in his heart.

But when these words were truly laid out before my eyes, I realized that his love for Serenity was far more enduring and profound than I had ever imagined.

I wiped my tears away fiercely and continued searching through the study.

Now wasn't the time to be upset; I had more important things to do.

Finally, in the bottom drawer of the desk, I found a file folder containing the organ donation surgery certificates for Melody and me.

With trembling hands, I could barely hold these two thin sheets of paper.

So it was true, my heart and Melody's kidney weren't injured in the car accident at all—it was Dashiell!

Dashiell had taken our organs under the pretext of the car accident.

Remembering how Melody cried in embarrassment because she couldn't hold her pee, my heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a large hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Apparently, even an artificial heart can feel pain.

I took photos of these two certificates with my phone, then dialed my brother who was abroad.

"Bro, please help me. Please save Melody and me."