Chapter 2

I fell in love with Irene during our university years. Back then, she was burdened with an enormous debt of sixty thousand dollars left behind by her parents. She spent her days hiding in a small rented room, surviving on nothing but boiled cabbage.

I used my scholarship money and part-time job savings to help her, and together, we paid off the debt over three years.

After graduation, we both landed jobs at prestigious companies thanks to our excellent academic performance. A year into our careers, I bought an engagement ring, prepared our new home, and proposed to her.

Irene was moved to tears, and shortly after we got married, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

Irene put a lot of thought into naming our daughter, poring over dictionaries for the perfect choice. She would often curl up in my arms, reciting the names she had picked out for the baby in her belly.

I teased her for being overly sentimental, but she just smiled and said it was only the beginning. She dreamed of reading bedtime stories, sharing fairy tales, and telling our love story to the baby once she was born.

When our daughter arrived, life threw us a curveball. The company we worked for began downsizing.

To support Irene’s ambitions, I decided to quit my job and stay home as a full-time dad. Irene would bring me a small gift after work every day, and although our life was simple, it was filled with warmth.

I truly believed that this happiness would last forever—until Robert reappeared.

I had known about Robert for a long time. He was Irene’s first love, her "ideal man” who always held a special place in her heart.

Once, I heard her murmuring his name in her sleep.

They grew up together as childhood sweethearts and even planned to get married. But everything changed when tragedy struck her family—her parents died in a car accident, leaving behind a mountain of debt.

When Robert called off their engagement, he moved his entire family to another city to start over.

“Thank you, Hubert, for giving me a new home,” Irene said, tears streaming down her face on our wedding day.

I held her close, my heart aching for her.

Back then, I only saw how her hardships had forged her resilience. What I didn’t see was the past she couldn’t let go of, especially Robert.

The first time I met Robert was at the hospital.

It was pouring rain, and he was kneeling in the hospital lobby with a little girl, desperately pleading with the doctors to save his child.

Irene froze in her tracks at the sound of his familiar voice. She instinctively turned toward him, and in just one glance, her composure crumbled.

I remember her hesitation, her unease, and how she eventually insisted on giving up our appointment for his daughter, claiming the girl’s situation was more urgent.

His daughter was born with a congenital heart defect. She needed a transplant to survive, but finding a suitable donor wasn’t easy. In the meantime, her life depended on medication.

From that day on, Irene’s trips to the hospital became more frequent, and her relationship with Robert and his daughter grew closer.

Over time, the hours she spent with them eclipsed the time we spent together as a family. She constantly mentioned Yuki, always calling her name, even comparing her to Lily. Her smiles toward me and our daughter became fewer and fewer.

I told myself that once Lily grew older, Irene would come to her senses and embrace her role as a mother.

Now, I realize how foolish I was. It took the loss of our daughter for me to see the truth.

Nine years of marriage—all those years together—reduced to nothing more than a divorce agreement.

When it was time to say goodbye to my daughter, my hands trembled as I signed the donation consent form.

Organ donation was a race against time.

Lily was always kind and thoughtful. Two years ago, after unintentionally watching a news segment about organ donation, she told me that when her time came, she wanted to do her part to help others.

By signing this form, I was honoring her wish.

But seeing her lying there all alone, my heart felt as though it was being ripped apart.

"Lily, are you frowning because the wound from the steel rod still hurts? Rest now, sweetheart. I promise to make those who hurt you pay."

After harvesting the donated organs, the hospital would arrange her appearance, and then transport her body for cremation.

Not long after Irene left, I received the cremation notice—and a call from the hospital director.

I suppose they hadn’t expected a donor’s family member to back out after the paperwork had already been processed.

“Mr. Gunner, we understand your feelings, but the child’s heart has already been removed.”

“I said, we’re not donating.”

“To be honest, there’s a heart transplant surgery scheduled for today, but…”

“Is the recipient named Yuki Easton?” I interrupted him coldly.

“Well… um… I’m sorry, but we can’t disclose patient information due to privacy policies. Please take some time to reconsider.”

The voice on the other end stammered before hurriedly hanging up.

I forced myself to calm down.

“Lily, look. Daddy bought this for you—it’s the Elsa doll you wanted.”

I gently shook the newly purchased doll, forcing a bitter smile as I looked at the urn in my hands.

The sun was shining brightly outside, but every step I took carrying her ashes felt like walking on the edge of a blade. The pain was bone-deep, the chill cutting to my soul.

I thought I couldn’t feel colder until I reached home and heard Irene screaming hysterically at the top of her lungs, “That damn Hubert Gunner! How dare he change the password? Robert, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get an explanation today! I won’t cover for him!”

Robert let out a sigh. “Let it go, Irene. I’m sure Lily didn’t mean it.”

He said to let it go, but the look on his face showed nothing but grievance.

Irene’s anger flared even higher. She turned to the security guard near the door and barked, “Break it open!”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I strode up quickly, and Irene turned to glare at me as soon as she noticed my arrival.

She grabbed my collar with a vice-like grip, dragging me toward the door.

“Tell me, where did Lily hide it? She’s stealing things at such a young age! What a disgrace! It’s embarrassing to have a daughter like her!”

Stealing?

I stared at the woman in disbelief. She didn’t even know our daughter was gone, and yet here she was, accusing her of theft.

“Has she ever been mistreated or wronged? And now she’s stealing Yuki’s Elsa doll!”

"Do you realize how upset Yuki is over this? She’s so distraught she won’t even go through with the surgery! How could Lily be so cruel at such a young age?"

"Don’t say that, Irene," Robert interjected, his tone gentle. "She’s just a child who doesn’t know any better. It’s just a doll; as long as we find it, everything will be fine."

I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh, my heart bleeding.

The surgery had been postponed because they couldn’t find a donor, yet she chose to blame my daughter for it.

"What proof do you have? How dare you slander Lily like this? Why don’t we check the security footage right now?"

Robert froze, at a loss for words.

Instead, he tugged lightly on Irene’s sleeve, shaking his head with a magnanimous expression as if to say he wouldn’t pursue the matter.

Irene patted his hand gently, soothing him before turning to glare at me.

"Yuki told us herself. Yuki is such a well-behaved child; do you think she’d lie?"

I laughed coldly, my heart growing colder still.

She hadn’t even bothered to check the surveillance footage. She was willing to doubt her own daughter based solely on the words of another child.