She Used Our Son as Bait

I have two kidneys. I've given one of them to my wife, Teagan Holt. In just one year, Teagan and her childhood sweetheart, Morgan Backman, have gone through all 72 karmasutra positions in bed. They can't wait to experience them all over again. My other kidney is given to Morgan. They've used 365 condoms, and the water bill is more than five times its regular rate. Teagan can't even get out of bed every day from how sore she is. Two years later, when Morgan needs another kidney transplant in order to survive, Teagan steps into the manor on her own. She looks everywhere for me, only to see our nine-year-old son, Milo Shepherd, crouching at the doorway. "Milo, as long as you can convince your dad to donate his kidney to Mr. Backman, I'll allow you to come home with me." Milo just stares up at Teagan innocently. "But Mom, you have Dad's other kidney inside you." Chapter 1 Teagan Holt searched Holt Manor for a full hour, but still couldn't find me. She thought of her first love, Morgan Backman, lying weakly in the hospital bed and broke down the door in frustration. "All I'm asking is one of your kidneys, Adrian Shepherd!" she bellowed. "If you don't come out now, don't ever think about coming back to the Holt residence!" I stood before her. She couldn't see me, and I couldn't answer her because I had long been dead. I died on the operating table two years ago, when she took my last kidney for Morgan. Teagan stood there for a while longer, growing more impatient by the second. A sound came from behind her. Thinking it was me, she turned around. Instead, she saw our thin, frail son, Milo Shepherd, returning from outside. He was dressed in clothes so worn that they had faded pale from too many washes. When Teagan saw him, there was no joy on her face, none of the warmth of a mother seeing her child after a long time apart. Instead, there was only disgust. "Where's your dad?" she questioned. "Tell him to see me now!" Milo stared at her blankly. His eyes were dull—nothing like those of a lively nine-year-old—and they held none of the joy one would expect at the sight of his mother. His silence only made the disdain on her face deepen. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Say something!" Teagan barked, smacking the back of his head. His eyes shifted slightly. "Dad can't see you. He's dead." She froze for a moment, then said scornfully, "We've been apart for two years, and your dad is still as scheming as ever. Now, he's even asking you to lie about his death. Just tell me where he is! I don't have time for this!" Milo slowly looked up at Teagan. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Mom, are you here to take me home?" Two years ago, Morgan had deliberately fed Milo peanuts, knowing that he was allergic. I couldn't hold back my anger and punched him. Teagan, believing Morgan's lies, assumed I had started it and locked both Milo and me in Holt Manor to, in her words, make us reflect. For two whole years, she never came to see us once. At Milo's question, a flicker of guilt crossed Teagan's face. She crouched down, softening her tone. "Milo, if you just tell your dad to see me and have him donate a kidney to Mr. Backman, I'll take you home, alright?" Her tone was undoubtedly coaxing, but the instant Milo heard Morgan's name, his expression changed. He shoved her away with all his might and screamed, "No! He's an evil, bad guy! He killed Dad! I don't—" A crisp slap sounded in the air. I tried to stop Teagan, but her hand passed straight through me and struck Milo across the face. He fell to the floor, the skin on his palm scraped open. Half a bread roll slipped out of his pocket. None of that seemed to ease her anger. "It's been two years, yet you've only grown more ill-mannered! Is this how your dad raised you?" Milo clutched his swollen cheek. Tears glistened in his eyes, but his expression screamed defiance. Chapter 2 "You're on that bad guy's side!" Milo screamed, shoving Teagan toward the door. "I don't want to go home with you! Go away! You made me lose Dad! I don't want to see you here!" Livid, she grabbed his arm. "There's no way a menace like your dad would die!" Her gaze swept across the empty manor. "So, he's not coming out, is he? Trying to threaten me with this childish tantrum, huh? Fine!" She shouted into the manor, "Listen up, Adrian! If you don't come to me and apologize within a day, I'll give Morgan your precious son's kidney. How about that?" Teagan shoved Milo aside and slammed the door behind her as she left. Watching her figure disappear, Milo finally broke. He ran inside and curled up on the bed where I had died, tucking himself into a tight ball. "Dad, I miss you so much… Dad…" I wanted to cry, but ghosts had no tears. All I could do was helplessly hold him, whispering the same words he would never hear, over and over again. "It's okay, Milo. I'm always by your side…" My eyes burned, dry and aching. I felt extremely sorry for Milo. If I had held on a little longer back then, he wouldn't have been left alone in this world, with no one to rely on. "I'm sorry, Milo." … Teagan waited the whole day at the Holt residence, but I never showed up. So, she brought a group of people to Holt Manor and smashed everything in sight. Even the bed Milo slept on was not spared. It had snowed the night before. Dressed in thin clothes, Milo was forced to kneel in the snow, pinned down by a burly man. Teagan towered over him. "Your dad is cruel, isn't he? To avoid donating his kidney, he's even abandoned you." Milo trembled from the cold, but his reddened eyes still glared at her. "I won't let you talk about Dad like that! If it weren't for saving that evil man, Dad wouldn't have died!" She kicked him in the stomach. "How dare you spout that nonsense again? My patience is limited, Milo. Now, tell me, where the hell is your dad?" He doubled over from the impact, too hurt to get up for a long time. "I told you… Dad… is dead." Teagan yanked his hair, her expression vicious. "Morgan doesn't have much time left! Tell him to come out now, or I won't go easy on you just because you're my son!" My spirit lingered by Milo's side, watching all of this unfold. I gave up my life to save Morgan, so why wouldn't Teagan spare our child? "Let him go, Teagan! Let him go!" I screamed, but no one could hear me. Even when I swung my fists, I couldn't stir so much as a breath of wind. I could do nothing but watch as Milo dropped powerlessly to the icy ground and wailed. He grabbed Teagan's hand, pleading, "Just take my kidney! At least that way, I get to see Dad!" He firmly believed that I had passed because I lost my kidney, but that was far from the truth. Two years ago, Morgan had bribed the doctors at the hospital. During the kidney transplant, they didn't give me any anesthesia. I felt the entire procedure as it happened—the sharp intrusion, the tearing pain, all of it. I struggled and tried to resist, but I was no more capable than a wounded prey. By the time they dumped me back at Holt Manor, I didn't even get a chance to utter a word to Milo before I died. Maybe it was the despair in Milo's eyes that unsettled Teagan, but she ultimately released him. Chapter 3 Milo lay sprawled on the snowy ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Milo…" Teagan's expression softened with a trace of sympathy. She was just about to step forward when Morgan arrived at the manor. He looked pale, leaning weakly against her. "I'm sorry, Tea," he said. "If I hadn't gotten sick again, Adrian wouldn't be hiding from you until now." Her attention snapped to Morgan. She gently took his cold hand in hers. "Don't apologize. Adrian should consider it an honor to be able to donate a kidney to you! I promise you'll recover from this, Morgan. You'll be as good as new." Morgan's eyes glistened with tears as he hugged her. "Oh, Tea… Now that you've said that, even if I die tomorrow, I'll have no regrets." Teagan said nothing. She let him hold her, but her eyes stayed fixed on Milo on the ground. After a long moment, she took out her phone, snapped several pictures of him, and sent them to me. "I wouldn't even be looking for you if your kidney weren't the only compatible match for Morgan. I'm giving you one last chance. Come see me now, or I'll send Milo to the lab for testing." The message was met with no response. Finally, she lost her patience. She grumbled, "You're leaving me with no choice, Adrian! Send Milo to the lab! We'll stop testing him only when he decides to talk!" … Milo was taken to the laboratory. He was locked inside a clear glass chamber like a little lab animal, his hands shackled tightly. I stayed by his side, watching one experimental substance after another was injected into his body. At first, he whimpered in pain. Later, he curled up into a tight ball on the floor, refusing to move. The glass walls near him were streaked with blood from where he had pounded against them. I knelt on the floor, begging everyone in the lab to show mercy and spare Milo, but they couldn't hear me. Even if they could, they would only listen to Teagan. Watching Milo lie there, I felt as if my heart itself were bleeding. On the fifth day of the experiments, Teagan appeared. From outside the glass chamber, she looked at Milo, who barely looked human anymore. Only a flicker of emotion crossed her face. When she thought of Morgan, however, that emotion was replaced by a cruel resolve. "You've thrown your tantrums and suffered enough," Teagan said. "Now, are you ready to tell me where your dad is?" Milo lay on the cold, hard floor, barely able to move his fingers. "I know what he's worried about," she continued. "He's worried about death. But don't worry—even if he donates his kidney to Morgan, he won't die. I can assure you that the finest medical team will care for him. That should be enough for him to show himself." Milo summoned every ounce of strength to turn over. His face was covered in blood as he glared at Teagan. "But Mom, Dad doesn't have a kidney anymore. He already gave his first kidney to you." I stood beside him, my eyes wide in shock, just like Teagan's. I had never told anyone about donating a kidney to her. How did Milo find out? "I read Dad's diary," Milo said. "He said you needed a kidney, so he secretly gave you one." Chapter 4 Before Teagan and I got married, she had a serious kidney condition. I was the one who kept it from her and arranged the kidney transplant. At that time, I loved and treasured her as if she were my own life. At times, I had thought that even if I only had one kidney left, I would willingly give it to her. After we married, our love life had its high moments. She didn't want to become a stay-at-home wife, so I gave up my work to focus entirely on taking care of the household. She would kiss me again and again, saying marrying me was the single best decision she had ever made. Yet, all of that shattered the moment Morgan, her first love, returned to the country. She started staying out all night, sneering at me with cold sarcasm. She even drove Milo and me to Holt Manor and convinced me to get on that operating table. Teagan's eyes widened in shock. She stumbled backward until she bumped into the table behind her. "That's impossible. How could he make up such lies just to avoid giving Morgan a kidney? And you—how long are you going to side with him? "It's been days, and he hasn't replied to a single message! You think of him as your dad, but he doesn't care about you. He's given up on you, silly! Now, tell me—where is he?" It felt as if my heart were being ripped apart. I wanted to tell Milo that I loved him, that I cared about him more than anything. If I were still alive, I would've done everything to get him out of here. But here I was, dead and powerless. Milo lay on the floor, staring at the white ceiling. A single tear ran down his cheek. "No. I know Dad loved me." Teagan smashed the vials on the table, her fists clenched. "Fine! You forced my hand! Increase the dose! Keep going until he tells me everything!" At her command, another vial of clear medicine was injected into Milo's veins. This time, he could no longer hold back the pain. He writhed helplessly in the glass chamber, completely stripped of dignity. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were cloudy. He seemed to see me, reaching into the air for me. "Dad, help me… I'm in so much pain… Save me…" I held Milo, his fragile body trembling in my arms. I felt my eyes growing moist at last as a rage deeper than anything I had ever known churned inside me. I stared at Teagan's retreating figure, streams of blood and tears running down my pale face. Unable to get any information from Milo and failing to track me down through her people, she began having endless nightmares. At times, she saw me lying on a cold operating table, lifeless. Other times, she saw me—with my hands covered in blood, tears streaming down my face—questioning her, "I died for you, Teagan! What else do you want from me?" As a result, she grew restless and irritable, frowning almost all the time. Morgan stayed by her side, gently smoothing the furrow between her brows. "Relax, Tea. Even if we can't find Adrian, having you by my side in my last days is more than enough." Whether it was the insinuation of his death or some indescribable emotion, it struck a raw nerve deep within Teagan. Her gaze suddenly hardened, and she grabbed Morgan's hand as if she were facing a deadly threat. "No, you're not gonna die just yet! I won't allow it!" she shouted, her voice trembling with deep fear and worry. Chapter 5 Morgan chuckled, gently brushing Teagan's nose. "Alright, alright. I'll try my best to stay alive. Happy?" Still, seeing him put on that fake, relaxed expression didn't offer her an ounce of relief. Instead, her thoughts drifted involuntarily to the recurring nightmares that had been haunting her, the scenes flashing through her mind like phantoms. Though she was initially hesitant, she ultimately found the courage to probe. "Morgan, the doctor who performed the kidney transplant for you and Adrian—he's your friend, right? Did he mention anything about how many kidneys Adrian had? "How was he after the surgery? I hired a caretaker to look after him, but they—" Panic flashed across Morgan's face. He quickly interrupted her. "Why are you suddenly asking about this, Tea? You know, I was under anesthesia at the time, so I don't remember anything. If you want, I can call my friend and ask." "Oh, it's okay…" Teagan replied, trying hard to suppress the worry gnawing at her. Still, her thoughts drifted back to what Milo had said to her. "He's dead… You made me lose Dad… He already gave his first kidney to you." Teagan felt as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. She sprang to her feet, her eyes filled with a mix of determination and panic. "No, I have to ask Milo again. He said—" Suddenly, a lab attendant burst in frantically. "Bad news, Ms. Holt. Milo's in danger!" "What did you say?" It was as if all the strength left her body at once. She stumbled, instinctively gripping the nearest table for support. "H-how could that happen? That medicine was only supposed to amplify the pain. How could he be in any danger?" The attendant hesitated, his eyes flicking nervously toward Morgan. "Well…" Teagan didn't notice it. Panicking, she bolted toward the door. "Take me to the hospital now!" … On the way to the hospital, Teagan's mind went blank. All she could see were flashes of Milo coughing up blood. She clenched her fists, her nails digging hard into her palms, but the pain barely registered. When they finally arrived, she practically leaped from the car. She ran frantically toward the operating room, only to be stopped by a doctor. "Are you Milo Shepherd's mother?" the doctor asked. "The examination report shows that he's severely malnourished. His body contains—" "Malnourished?" Teagan froze for a moment, then her face twisted with anger and accusation. "What has Adrian been doing? How could he let his own son get malnourished? He's nothing but a brute! Where's his father? I want to see him now!" The doctor looked at her in confusion. "Ma'am, I think there must be some misunderstanding. When we were reviewing the patient's information, we noticed that his father is deceased."