CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
HE THREW HIS STEPFATHER OUT OF THE HOSPITAL...
...WITHOUT KNOWING THE OLD MAN WAS ABOUT TO SAVE HIS MOTHER'S LIFE.
"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!"
A shout echoed through the luxurious hospital lobby, causing everyone to turn their heads.
A man in an expensive blue suit pointed directly at a silver-haired old man's chest.
"He's not a family member!"
The previously quiet atmosphere of the transplant ward instantly froze.
The nurses pushing the stretchers stopped.
The security guard hurried forward.
Those waiting for their relatives all looked up towards the argument.
Connor Vance stood tall, his face full of contempt.
Facing him was Robert Hale.
A man in his sixties.
An old coat.
Silver hair.
His eyes were weary from many sleepless nights.
In his hands he held only a small travel bag and a sealed file.
He didn't respond.
He wasn't angry.
He just calmly looked at Connor, as if he were all too familiar with that attitude.
Connor laughed sarcastically.
"I'm saying this for the last time."
"Get out of here."
"My mother doesn't need an outsider."
Robert spoke softly.
"Connor..."
"Your mother is waiting for you both."
"Don't call me by my name!"
Connor interrupted.
"You're just the second husband."
"Never think you're part of our family."
Those words were like daggers.
But Robert remained silent.
He was used to it.
For the past twenty-two years...
He had always been the one in the background.
The roofer.
He was the driver who took Margaret to her dialysis treatments.
He was the one who stayed up all night whenever she was in pain.
But in Connor's eyes...
He was never family.
Connor took another step forward.
His eyes filled with hatred.
"I know the kind of person you are."
"Marrying a widow."
"Pretending to be kind."
"Waiting for the day to take all the assets."
Some people around began to whisper.
Some frowned.
Some shook their heads.
Robert only tightened his grip on the file.
"Don't make a big deal out of it."
"Today is a very important day for your mother."
Connor sneered.
"Important?"
"Do you think you have the right to talk about my mother?"
Immediately...
He snatched the bag from Robert's shoulder.
The bag fell heavily onto the marble floor.
Everything inside spilled out.
A toothbrush.
Clothes.
An old photograph.
The photograph slid across the polished floor.
It stopped right at Connor's feet.
It was a picture of Margaret and Robert smiling happily on a trip many years ago.
Connor looked down.
Then...
He deliberately stepped on the edge of the photograph.
Just a very light step.
But enough for everyone to understand...
It wasn't accidental.
Robert bent down.
Gently picked up the photograph.
He brushed off the dust.
His hands trembled slightly.
Not from anger.
But from heartbreak.
A woman standing nearby whispered softly.
"That's outrageous..."
Connor heard it.
He spoke louder.
"He's pretending to be pitiful."
"Don't be fooled."
Then Connor turned to the security guard.
"I demand that he be removed from this area."
"He's not family."
The security guard looked at Robert awkwardly.
Just then...
The operating room door slowly opened...
And the chief doctor emerged, his face icy cold.
He didn't look at Connor.
He walked straight toward Robert.
The entire hall fell silent...
No one knew...
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In just a few seconds...
A secret capable of destroying all of Connor's pride would be revealed.
