Dead Two Years, He Wants My Kidney

Chapter 1

Two years after I died, my husband showed up at my door again. He wanted me to give his precious first love one of my kidneys.

Fiona Sterling, get out here right now! If you hadn't stolen Jade's identity back then, we wouldn't have been apart for so long!

Now I'm just asking you to donate an organ as an apology. You have no right to refuse!

My husband, Gideon Sterling, banged on the door so hard it shook the frame. The noise drew the attention of the neighbors.

Just as he was about to demand my whereabouts, a neighbor spoke up.

"Stop banging. The person who lived there is long gone. She's dead."

"I heard she had a massive hemorrhage after donating part of her liver. She didn't even last two days after the surgery."

Gideon looked stunned for a second, but then his face twisted with disbelief. He assumed the neighbor was part of a scam I'd set up to trick him.

He scoffed, his expression darkening with annoyance.

"She only gave up a piece of her liver, and now she's playing dead? Tell her she's not fooling anyone."

"You tell her she has three days to show her face. If she doesn't, I'm cutting off all financial support for her parents. I'll let them rot!"

Gideon turned and stormed off, leaving the neighbor staring at his back, shaking her head in pity.

"What a tragedy. Her parents died shortly after her, passed away from the sheer grief of losing their only child..."

Outside the door, Gideon's pounding was so violent the windows rattled. I listened to his frantic demands, my heart feeling like it was submerged in ice water.

"Fiona! Stop hiding in there like a coward! Open this door!"

His voice was harsh and grating, dripping with an unfiltered hatred he never tried to hide.

"If you hadn't faked being Jade and tricked me into marriage, we wouldn't have wasted all those years!"

"Now she needs a kidney. Giving yours up is only fair! It's your penance. Don't you dare play dumb with me!"

I tried to drift closer to him, wanting him to see my transparent, ghostly form. But he couldn't see me.

After all, I had been dead for two years.

"You think hiding behind a locked door will save you? Think again."

Gideon pounded a few more times. When there was still no response, he pulled out his phone and dialed my number.

The mechanical voice of a service operator filled the hallway. "The number you have dialed is no longer in service..."

"Fine! You even disconnected your phone? You're pathetic, Fiona! It's just a kidney. It's not like it'll kill you. Are you really that scared?"

I stood beside him, wanting to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Just a kidney. To him, my liver was a small thing, and my kidney was even smaller.

Even my death was an inconvenience to him. Nothing was ever more important than his precious Jade Hancox.

The shouting continued until Mrs. Gable from next door peeked her head out.

The elderly woman tried to stop him. "Young man, stop that. Fiona hasn't been here for a long time. She's gone."

Gideon froze, turning to glare at Mrs. Gable. "Gone? Who are you trying to kid?"

"It's the truth. Why would I lie?" Mrs. Gable sighed. "Last year, she donated her liver to someone. There were complications, a massive bleed. She passed away two days later. Everyone in this building knows."

Mrs. Gable's voice was heavy with sincerity. For a moment, Gideon looked genuinely rattled.

His lips parted as if to ask for details, but then his phone chimed. It was a message from Jade.

It read: "Gideon, don't look for her anymore. I'll figure something else out for the kidney. Don't make things hard for Fiona."

If Gideon had any lingering doubts about my death, that one sentence erased them completely.

Jade's supposed kindness made my apparent refusal look even more malicious. Gideon clicked his screen shut and let out a cold snort.

"Dead from a liver donation? What a joke! Last time she barely helped Jade, she complained the whole time. She's obviously paid you off to lie for her!"

"You tell her she has three days to contact me. If she doesn't, I'm stopping the payments for her parents' medical care. They'll be left with nothing!"

Mrs. Gable's pity turned into pure sadness as she looked at him.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Gideon was already walking away in a rage.

"Fiona, you wait. I'll dig you out if I have to! I won't let anything happen to Jade!"

He left so quickly he didn't hear Mrs. Gable's final whisper about my parents being dead too...

I felt a strange pull, forced to follow Gideon as he got into his car and called Jade.

The moment she picked up, his voice turned incredibly soft.

"Jade, stop defending her. Did she think about you when she used those dirty tricks to marry me? You're just too kind, always thinking about people like her."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure Fiona shows up. She owes us this. She has to pay us back!"

The person on the other end seemed to be trying to talk him down, but Gideon wasn't listening.

"You're too soft-hearted! A liar like her deserves to pay the price. If it weren't for her, we would have been married years ago."

"Anyway, just leave this to me. Rest easy."

Listening to his promises, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

During our five years of marriage, I had given him everything. In the end, he couldn't even give me a decent look.

I donated my liver because he had begged me in tears, saying Jade desperately needed a donor.

I loved him, so I wanted to help him fulfill his wish. But he never even bothered to ask if I survived the surgery.

Now that I'd been dead for two years, the only reason he was looking for me was to harvest another organ for his mistress.

The most hilarious part was that he was trying to use my parents as leverage.

He had no idea they had both passed away shortly after I did, unable to bear the shock of losing their daughter.

2.

Gideon was desperate, but work demanded his attention as a major project ran into trouble.

He had to rush to the office. Once the meeting ended, a group of executives followed him out.

He barked orders at his subordinates, his mind already back on the hunt for me.

As he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the lobby.

"Jade! What are you doing here?"

He rushed over, his voice so tender it could make anyone sick.

He reached out to touch her forehead, checking her temperature with extreme care.

"You're not well. You should be in your hospital bed. Why are you out here?"

Jade stood there, her face as pale as a ghost, leaning heavily against the railing.

"I... I was worried about you. I wanted to see if you found Fiona yet."

Floating beside them, I watched the tenderness in Gideon's eyes. My non-existent heart felt like it was being shredded.

Years ago, his company was just a tiny start-up.

To land a big contract, I went to every business dinner with him, drinking until my stomach bled.

When I ended up in the hospital, he stayed by my bed for three days and nights without closing his eyes.

He looked at me back then exactly how he was looking at Jade now.

But ever since Jade reappeared, that look had vanished. All I ever got from him was resentment and disgust.

It was pathetic.

"I haven't found her," Gideon sighed. "Her phone is disconnected, and her place is empty. She's hiding somewhere."

Jade seemed to let out a subtle sigh of relief.

"But..." Gideon added, his tone shifting.

Jade immediately tensed up, leaning forward. "But what?"

"I went to her place earlier. A neighbor claimed she was dead."

Gideon let out a mocking laugh. "Claimed she died from complications after the liver donation. What a load of crap!"

"Fiona is too much of a coward to die. She's just using that as an excuse to avoid the surgery!"

At those words, Jade's expression became incredibly forced.

Her eyes flickered with unease. "Gideon, maybe we should stop looking. I'll find another donor."

"Things are critical! What other choice do we have?!"

Gideon frowned and patted her hand gently.

"Jade, you're just too good for this world."

"She faked your identity to trick me into marriage. Of course she'd fake her own death to skip a surgery. She owes us this!"

I stood there, laughing internally.

Gideon still thought Jade was an angel. Only I knew she was terrified of my death being confirmed.

After I donated my liver, I was incredibly weak.

Jade had gone to the doctors privately, threatening them not to give me proper care.

She knew if I died, her secret would stay buried forever. She could step into my life without any loose ends.

The doctors, afraid of her influence, neglected me. I bled out in agony, alone in that cold room.

"Gideon, forget it." Jade's voice carried a hint of panic. "What if she's really having a hard time..."

"What hard time could she possibly have?!" Gideon was adamant. "I don't care. I'm finding her within three days!"

"Jade, trust me. I will get you that kidney. I won't let anything happen to you."

He helped her sit down and turned to his assistant.

"Track down all of Fiona's relatives, friends, and former workplaces. Dig through every hole she might be hiding in!"

The assistant nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

Jade sat there with her head down. No one saw the flash of malice in her eyes.

Watching Gideon work himself into a frenzy for Jade made me feel cold.

He had no idea that the woman he was protecting was my murderer.

And the woman he hated, the one he was hunting for a kidney, was the one who once would have died for him.

Life really was a sick joke.

3.

However, the search didn't go as smoothly as Gideon expected.

The three-day deadline arrived, and he hadn't found a single trace of me.

In his office, he was throwing files around in a rage. His assistant stood by, terrified.

"Keep looking! Find her elementary school classmates, her high school teachers, even the coffee shops where she used to work!"

The assistant wiped sweat from his brow. "Sir, we've contacted everyone. They all say they haven't seen her in ages."

"Useless!" Gideon grit his teeth, sweeping everything off his desk. "Double the pay! Hire private investigators. I want her found!"

For the past few days, Gideon had put everything on hold to find me.

His obsession was making Jade anxious. She was constantly terrified the truth would come out.

She lay in her hospital bed, looking worse by the hour.

When Gideon visited, she couldn't even look him in the eye.

"Gideon, please... stop looking. I'm scared..."

"Scared of what?" Gideon held her hand. "Scared she won't donate? Don't worry, I have a way to make her show up."

His tone was grim. I knew his 'way' involved my parents.

Sure enough, back at the office, he called his secretary.

"Stop the pension payments and the allowance for Fiona's parents. Let's see if she can watch them starve!"

The secretary hesitated. "Sir, are you sure about this?"

Gideon paused for a second. A flicker of conflict crossed his face.

I saw it clearly. For a moment, my heart felt a strange mix of emotions.

My parents had truly loved Gideon like their own son.

He grew up an orphan, raised by his grandmother. He had no other family.

After we married, my parents cooked for him every day, worried he wasn't eating well.

When he worked late, my mother would always make me bring him homemade soup.

I remembered when he got his first big paycheck. My parents bought him a small gold bar, calling it his coming-of-age gift.

Even when I complained about him coming home late, my parents would scold me for not being more supportive.

Their love for him was deep and genuine.

But as soon as Jade came back with her 'true identity,' he cut us off completely.

My parents called, but he never answered.

My mom cooked his favorite meals, but he had security block me at the gate, saying he wanted nothing to do with us.

He took his hatred for me out on my parents, treating them like strangers.

But we were all just victims of a lie...

"Sir?" the secretary's voice snapped him out of it.

Gideon took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

"...Never mind. I'll go talk to them first. Maybe they know where she is."

He grabbed his keys and headed out.

I followed him to the modest suburban neighborhood where my parents used to live.

He parked the car and stared up at the building, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions.

"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad," he whispered before heading up the stairs.

My heart tightened. I floated after him.

The apartment had been empty since they died. The keys were kept with the building manager.

He had clearly arranged things beforehand and opened the door easily.

A musty, stale smell hit him as the door swung open.

The furniture was exactly as it was before I died. My mother's half-finished knitting was still on the sofa.

And in the most prominent spot in the living room, there was a framed black-and-white photo of me.

The frame was wiped clean. A small vase of dried flowers sat beside it.

Gideon froze. His gaze locked onto my photo, and his face turned deathly pale.

He was one step away from the truth.

If he just took two more steps, he would see the death certificate tucked under the frame.

He would know I was really dead.

He would realize how pathetic his threats against my parents were.

But right then, his phone erupted. The screen flashed with the words "Lead Surgeon."

I couldn't hear the doctor's words clearly, but the tone was frantic.

Gideon's face went white. He nearly collapsed.

"What? Jade collapsed? She needs surgery now?!"

"I'm on my way!"

He hung up, forgetting everything in the room.

He didn't even look at my photo again as he bolted out the door.

He was in such a rush he didn't even bother to close the door behind him.

Watching him run away, I felt a void in my chest.

As always, nothing was more important than Jade.

Family, truth, and loyalty meant nothing when she was in trouble.

4.

Gideon drove like a madman, turning a thirty-minute trip into fifteen.

He practically threw himself into the hospital's intensive care unit.

A doctor stopped him. "Mr. Sterling, please, calm down!"

"The patient is critical. We've stabilized her for now, but we need a donor within twenty-four hours, or else..."

"Or else what?" Gideon grabbed the doctor's arm, his voice trembling. "Save her! I'll find the donor. I'll find Fiona!"

The doctor sighed. "We're doing our best, but time is running out."

"I know, I know..."

Gideon let go and turned to his men, screaming.

"What are you waiting for?! Keep looking! Check every place Fiona has ever been!"

"And the pension! Cut it now! Not a single cent for her parents until she shows up!"

His men scrambled to make the calls.

Once they left, Gideon slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

He buried his face in his hands, tears streaming down his face.

"Jade, please hold on. I'll find her. I'll save you..."

I thought I was numb to Gideon's actions.

But seeing him cry so desperately for another woman still felt like a dull knife twisting in my soul.

It had been so long since he cried for me.

Even when I was dying after the liver donation, he just looked at me with cold eyes.

While he sobbed, his assistant continued the search.

Suddenly, one of them made a confused sound.

"Sir..."

Gideon looked up sharply. "Did you find her? Is it Fiona?"

"Not exactly..." The assistant handed him a laptop. "Look at this. When I tried to freeze the parents' accounts, the system flagged them. Their social security numbers... they've been deactivated."

"Deactivated?" Gideon frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means... according to the records, they're both deceased."

The assistant's voice dropped to a whisper. Gideon's fingers froze on the keyboard.

He scrolled through the data again and again, his face losing every bit of color.

"Impossible... how? They were fine. How could they be dead?"

I watched his shock with a sense of bitter irony.

When was the last time he even checked on them?

Ever since he got back with Jade, he'd erased us from his life. He didn't even send a card, and now he was shocked?

I remembered my parents' final days. They were still talking about him.

They wondered if he was eating well, if they should send him some of his favorite snacks.

They waited for a call that never came until the day they died.

Tears welled up in Gideon's eyes again.

This time, they weren't for Jade. They were full of guilt and regret.

He covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking violently.

"They were so good to me... How did I not know? How did I miss their deaths?"

"I didn't even say goodbye. I didn't even attend the funeral... and I tried to use them to threaten Fiona..."

He looked utterly broken, sobbing on the hospital floor.

People passing by stared at the successful businessman falling apart.

He didn't care. He was drowning in his own remorse.

I watched him coldly. I felt no sympathy, only a profound sense of exhaustion.

Why did it take this much to make him feel something?

He had been so cruel to my family. Now he wanted to play the grieving son?

Gideon's sobs were interrupted by another assistant running toward him.

A man in a suit followedDthe private investigator Gideon had hired.

Gideon looked up, a tiny spark of hope returning to his eyes.

"Well? Did you find her? Where is Fiona?!"

The detective hesitated, looking at Gideon's tear-stained face.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Mr. Sterling, we found information on Fiona Sterling."

"Really?! Where is she? Tell me!"

The detective's expression was grim. He looked Gideon straight in the eye.

"Fiona Sterling... she's dead."