Every one of those so-called jokes had been nothing more than an excuse to run down the clock.
A dull, crushing ache spread through my chest, reminding me that I was running out of time.
Fine, then.
Once this surgery was over, there were certain things I would no longer bother protecting them from.
Perhaps the only person in that room who truly ached for me was my mother—the one who'd been kept in the dark all along.
She murmured the same words over and over, like a prayer.
"That's impossible... my son would never do something like that!"
Every pair of eyes in the room converged on me.
This time, I was certain.
All that remained in those stares was pure, bone-deep revulsion.
"Tch. And this guy's a CEO? Probably slept his way to the top."
"Wouldn't surprise me. Did you hear him moaning in that video? Guy became a CEO just so he could have his fun."
"Disgusting! An animal like him doesn't deserve a kidney. He deserves to die!"
In the face of all that venom crashing over me, I no longer cared.
I watched the triumph gleaming in their eyes—my father and my sister, standing side by side—and pulled out my phone.
I played a video of my own.
The footage from that night. Camila, down on one knee, proposing to Joshua.
I never could have imagined that a video I'd recorded out of pride and genuine happiness for my sister would become my lifeline.
"Dr. Cobb, please watch this."
"The timestamp on my video overlaps exactly with the timestamp on that footage. That video was clearly fabricated."
Faced with my proof, the attending physician scoffed and turned on his heel.
"Seems like your whole family enjoys playing games!" He didn't look back. "I don't care whether you're infected or not. I won't perform this surgery. I can't perform it."
He walked out.
I looked at Dr. Cobb, who had stayed behind.
I pulled up the electronic agreement I'd had my lawyer draft before any of this started.
"Dr. Cobb, I know that nothing I say carries weight anymore."
I glanced at Camila and my father. Not a second of hesitation.
"I'm willing to put up half the shares of my company as collateral. If the post-operative results show any trace of infection, half of Harmony Corp is yours."
The moment the words left my mouth, the smugness drained from my father's face.
I knew that expression all too well.
Whenever his little jokes failed to achieve their purpose, the mask slipped, and what remained underneath was bone-deep hatred.
He glared at me.
Then at the agreement on the screen.
Dr. Cobb let out a long breath and nodded.
"I'll do the surgery."
But when the nurse opened the cooler that was supposed to hold the donor kidney, she screamed.
She stumbled backward, nearly falling over herself as she scrambled toward the doctor. Her face was white as paper, and her voice wouldn't stop shaking.
"D-Dr. Cobb..."
"The kidney is gone!"
