Born As Kidney Donor For My Sister

After I married Elijah, I rented out my own apartment.

For a while, I had nowhere to go.

My father passed away when I was young, and my mother aged rapidly after I lost my hearing. When she learned about my marriage to Elijah, she stared at our marriage certificate for a long time, then sighed deeply and said:

“Ashie, now Mom can finally have a peaceful sleep.”

Her voice was weary, her smile even more so.

At that time, I didn’t understand what she meant.

That night, she went to bed and never woke up again.

By the time I rushed her to the hospital, the

doctors declared her brain dead.

But I couldn’t bring myself to let go, so, at my insistence, she was kept alive on life support for two months before she passed away naturally.

Perhaps she just didn’t want to suffer any longer.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The cold wind at the street corner snapped me back to reality. I took out my phone and called my college best friend, Mina.

I could only stay with her for the time being.

Points

She came to pick me up immediately, and when she saw me sitting miserably by the roadside, she asked with concern, “Did you and Elijah have a fight?”

Seeing her was like seeing family–I let all my defenses down, stood up, and hugged her tightly, bursting into tears.

I told her everything that had happened over the past two days.

After listening, she took my suitcase and said, “Come on, let’s go home.”

On the way, she ordered a whole table’s worth of takeout. By the time we got back to her place, I had taken a shower, and the food had arrived.

After we finished eating, she told me to get a good night’s sleep.

I have to say, it was the most restful sleep I’d had in a long time.

When I woke up, it was almost five, but Mina wasn’t home.

I called her to ask where she was, and she said she was out running errands.

But I heard Hallie’s voice in the background.

And then, the sound of someone ordering: “One cup of ‘Forget Me Not,‘ please.”

I guessed they were at the Café on Melrose Avenue, a place known for its flower–themed coffee.

So I quickly freshened up, changed clothes, and took a taxi.

As I approached the café, I heard Mina’s voice.

She was angrily yelling:

“So what if you’re Elijah’s first love? Ashley is Mrs. Terry now–what are you even doing here?”

“Your innocent act might work on Elijah, but it won’t fool me!”

“What’s meant to be yours will always be yours. If it’s not, you won’t get it no matter how hard you try. Even if Ashley wasn’t in the picture, you and Elijah would never end up together!”

Hallie chuckled nonchalantly and replied slowly:

“And who are you, exactly?”

“Let’s be real–Ashley’s deaf now.”

“What normal man would want a deaf woman?”

I listened quietly, stunned that those words came from Hallie’s mouth.

In a daze, I saw Elijah rushing over. Quickly, I found a corner to hide in.

As I had expected, when he came in, he didn’t notice me at all.

I stood by the door, continuing to eavesdrop.

“Hallie, you have no shame!” Mina, with her blunt nature, seemed at a loss on how to deal with Hallie. So, she picked up the coffee on the table and flung it toward her.

But it ended up splashing all over Elijah, who had hurried over.

Elijah immediately shielded Hallie behind him.

“Oh, Elijah, you really do care for her, huh?” Mina scoffed coldly.

Elijah frowned, trying to stay calm. “Mina, this has nothing to do with her.”

Seeing him so protective, Mina grew even

angrier. She picked up Hallie’s coffee and threw it at Elijah.

“Elijah, what do you take Ashley for? You marry her on a whim, and now you’re ready to just throw her away?”

Elijah tried to explain, “I didn’t abandon her. She’s the one who asked for a divorce.”

Mina laughed bitterly, pointing at Hallie. “Ashley loves you so much. If it wasn’t for her meddling, would she have been so heartbroken to ask for a divorce?”

“You two really are a shameless couple!” With that, she stormed off through another door.

I stayed where I was, watching as Hallie pulled out a tissue and gently dabbed the coffee off Elijah.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked at him tenderly for a long moment before speaking softly:

“Eli, when I chose my college, I was just being stubborn.”

“When I heard you were attending the same school as Ashley, I regretted it so much.”

“If it hadn’t been for my childish tantrum, we wouldn’t have fought, and you wouldn’t have accidentally called Ashley.”

“If that hadn’t happened, then it would be us who were married now, wouldn’t it?”

“For six years, I’ve silently watched your life from afar.”

‘Eli, I’m waiting for you to get divorced, so we can get back together. Will you come back to me?”

Elijah looked at her thoughtfully. I braced myself, expecting him to agree.

But then, Elijah refused. “Hallie, there’s no chance for us anymore.”