My Love for You Broke Me

Chapter 85

Ever since Nicholas told me that he had asked Clair about me last night, I knew that I could no longer avoid this matter. I knew that Clair was definitely coming to Bryxton just to drag me back to Sundew. "I remember," I uttered with a sigh.

"Why didn't you give me a call, then?" Clair's expression was stern and grim.

"I only completed the surgery a few months ago, and I won't buy myself a lot of time even if things work out this time! My illness is more serious than we thought it was, Clair. There's no way of completely healing it." I told him about my greatest worries.

"So, are you going to give up on yourself just like that?" He turned around to sit on my office chair while speaking in a firm tone. "I won't allow you to ruin yourself like that, Renee."

"You should spend more effort on your woman, Clair," I replied.

He glared at me speechlessly, whereupon I muttered, "I don't want to just lie on the surgical table while waiting to die."

Hearing that, he frowned in disagreement. "That's how we're going to save your life," he protested.

"But there's only a 5% chance of survival," I said. He didn't have any words to counter my point after that.

…

In the end, I managed to convince Clair to leave Bryxton. During that time, I was shocked at how easy it was to convince him. I had no idea about the little plan that Clair and Nicholas had in mind. That day, I stayed in the office until I felt tired, then I left early and headed back to Felix's Villa. I was in a good mood, so I made myself a bowl of porridge.

After the meal, constant pain developed in my abdomen, and painkillers didn't seem to do anything for me. I could even feel myself bleeding from the bottom. It seems like I'm not going to last for too long, I thought to myself. My face was pale as I went to take a shower. I insisted on putting on some light makeup—I wanted to look good no matter what.

That night, Nicholas came home earlier than usual. He came over to cuddle with me when he saw me on the couch, and he rubbed his soft lips against my cheek. I didn't feel too comfortable with it, so I pushed him away while asking, "Are you tired?"

"Nope," he replied with a smile.

My vision turned rather blurry as I gazed at him and pressed a palm against his face. "I love you," I said with a smile.

His body stiffened immediately. "Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

I continued smiling. "I love you, Nicholas." I fell in love with you during the best years of my life, I thought. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested against his chest. "Are you tired?" he wrapped his arms around my body as well.

"Yeah. I'm a little sleepy," I replied. I had no idea how I fell asleep in his arms, but I woke up to realize

that it was daytime and that he was no longer beside me. I grabbed my phone to see a text from Quinn. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm feeling pretty good,' I replied. Then, I lowered my phone to head to the shower. When I came out, I saw a sticky note on my dressing table. 'Don't forget to take your medication,' it wrote. I sat down and took my pills. After I was done with my makeup, I decided that I didn't feel like going into the office. Instead, I spent the rest of the day laying around at home, feeling more tired than usual. The pain in my lower abdomen seemed to grow as the day went by.

At some point in the day, I stood up to pour myself a glass of hot water. When I picked my phone up again, I saw another text from Quinn.

'I'll treat you, Renee. Come out. I'm bringing you to the hospital,' it said.

'Will you still need my kidney?' I asked.

'Yes. You'll have to return my kidney,' Quinn replied.

'Your kidney?' I was confused. What does she mean by her kidney? How could my kidney be hers?!

'A rich and treasured child like you doesn't know anything about the world at all, Renee. You sure are lucky to live in a fairytale crafted by the adults of this world,' Quinn's text said.

What's up with this odd tone of hers?! I wondered. 'What do you mean?' I texted her.

'I'll answer you when we meet tomorrow,' Quinn's last text revealed.

It began to rain in Bryxton that night, and my lower abdomen hurt even more than usual. I wouldn't stop bleeding from my lower area. I really wanted Nicholas to be with me then, so I gave him a call. However, his phone had been turned off, and it remained off no matter how many times I tried calling him. I had never been in such a situation, and so I began to panic.

I immediately tried calling Nicholas' assistant, but my calls couldn't get through either. It was almost as if they had blocked my number.

The rain went on for the whole night, and Nicholas didn't come home at all. I sat on the couch helplessly. The next morning, Quinn sent me the address to meet at 9.00AM. I knew that she wanted me to hurry over, so I hesitated for a moment as I contemplated whether to give Leon a call. Eventually, I decided that there were probably some things that Quinn wanted to talk about privately.

So, I drove over to the café, where I found Quinn sitting by the window. Her face was pale, and she looked extremely sick. When I sat down opposite her, she smiled at the sight of my makeup and outfit. "You look really good," she complimented.

"Why do you want to see me?" I asked with a frown.

Quinn tilted her head to gaze at the cloudy skies outside the window. "I don't really like Bryxton. This place is too rainy and wet, and the people here are too selfish and pessimistic," she uttered. I stared at her wordlessly.

"Do you want to know the truth, Renee? Do you want to know where my kidney is?" she asked.

I clenched my fists. "What are you trying to say?" I wasn't dumb—I could tell what she was trying to

say. However, I couldn't accept the truth; I couldn't believe it at all! All of a sudden, Quinn held onto my hand. Her icy cold fingers sent chills down my spine. I had to force myself not to pull away from her as she turned her ghastly pale face to stare at me. "It's inside you," she uttered with a smile.

Tears streamed down my face as Quinn continued to speak with a smile. "You were the one who was suffering from kidney failure back then, Renee. Your mother… Hah. I was just a replacement product they needed to save you. I always knew my place in the family. I really wanted to save you back then— I wanted to save you so badly that I didn't even mind being a replacement in the family!" Quinn was smiling the whole time—she didn't reveal the slightest hint of sadness.

I stood up in a panic. "Stop talking."

"I thought that I would never resent you for anything, Renee. However, when they took away my kidney at the age of 13, when they sent me abroad like I was just an unwanted piece of trash, when they kept me away from Leon, when I survived each day with a weak body that threatened to collapse at any point… I realized that I do resent you after all! I hate the Felix Family so, so much. I hate you guys for taking my kidney and my right to love someone. You guys ruined my already miserable life," Quinn muttered quietly. Whenever she called my name, she sounded like she was reciting a curse, haunting me.

I shuddered when I heard her questioning me. "Why do you have the right to keep my kidney? You should return it to me!" she hissed. I felt like I couldn't breathe at that point. From what I knew and what Leon had heard, this wasn't what the truth was like. How did things turn out like this? "You must be lying!" I mumbled helplessly.

"You think I'm lying?" She stood up and walked over to me before tightening her grip around my neck. She was like a demon that was trying to stop me from breathing while she continued speaking in her

flat tone. "Since when have I ever lied to you?"

I froze as my hands fell to my sides. She's right. She has never lied to me in the past. But why don't I remember anything? While I was trying to dig deep into the troughs of my memory, Quinn gave me a reminder.

"Do you remember getting appendicitis when you were 11? Do you remember how your mother told you that everything would be fine after you took some anesthesia?" she asked me.

My appendicitis surgery… I do remember that happening. I had a scar on my belly from it, and I had used some medical techniques to get rid of it after that… I sank onto the ground weakly, and Quinn squatted down to meet my gaze. Her eyes were filled with peace, which made me feel more horrible than ever.

"How could that have been appendicitis? Your kidney was failing back then, and your mother forced me to give you my kidney! In order to hide this, your parents had lied to everyone—Leon included—to let them think that she was the one with the kidney failure!" Quinn laughed before continuing in a sarcastic tone, "You're the only one who gets your parents' love and care. What about me? I'm just your replacement and your portable source of organs! You, on the other hand, grew up in such a trouble- free environment, and you turned into one of the most powerful women in Bryxton. Even your husband has the same outstanding qualities!"

"Quinn…" I wailed weakly. I couldn't handle everything that she was telling me. She had to be lying! But Quinn… I pressed my palms against my face as I began to sob.

She felt for the spot on my body where my kidney was before she scoffed. "Look at you. Look at how great your life is! You're enjoying yourself under all the glam and glitter, yet I'm thrown aside like trash.

I'm left all alone and I have to keep myself alive. How is that fair?!"

Quinn pulled her hand away all of a sudden. "Let's go to the hospital," she uttered.

"What for?" I asked instinctively.

"I'll treat your illness," she uttered flatly.

"But why would you…" I had to swallow my sobs as I spoke.

"There's no specific reason. I made a deal with Nicholas—he would get married to Alice if I could treat your illness. Alice… is my friend and she supported me throughout all these years. She wants to marry Nicholas, so I figured I'd matchmake them to repay her for all that she has done," Quinn explained. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

So, Alice is the one who wants to get married to Nicholas! No wonder she has the guts to bully me! I tried my best to steady my voice as I spoke, "You're trying to convince Nicholas to marry Alice, while at the same time, you're getting me to return you your kidney. Aren't you afraid that something's going to go wrong with the conflicting deals on both ends?" I asked.

She continued to gaze at me calmly. "Are you coming to the hospital?" she asked.

"No. I'd rather die than head there!" I rejected her and got up to leave.

"If you don't want to do it, I won't force you into anything either. However, he would rather have you alive and hating him than for you to be gone forever! Also, the wedding is today," Quinn uttered flatly.

This shocking news had me pulling my phone out to call Nicholas, but his phone was still turned off. I

tried calling his assistant, and his assistant finally picked up.

"Where are you?" I uttered in an icy tone.

"We're at the church, Mrs. Forger." The assistant still referred to me as Mrs. Forger, as he did when we first met three years ago. I was once Mrs. Forger, but I no longer was the holder of that title. "Send me the address," I ordered.

I was just about to leave after ending the call when Quinn grabbed onto my arm once more. "You're not going to survive if you continue to delay treatment for your illness! I've spent more than eight years researching this anticancer drug and I was lucky enough to succeed, Renee. I'm glad to be able to save you, and I'm glad to be able to do one more thing for you!" she cried.

I knew that she was trying to repay my sins with her kindness. I knew that she was the evilest of them all. Her heart was filled with hatred and resentment, and she was the one person who would love to watch me suffer! She wanted to get revenge!

I quickly flicked her hand off of me and yelled, "No!" I didn't need her 'kind' intentions. I never wanted her to help from the start. I'm going to return her kidney to her, as long as it's actually hers!

I hurried over to the church, but I saw that the doors were shut when I arrived. I could see a line of words through the rain. 'Celebrating the union of Nicholas and Alice' was written on it. I was fuming at this point. Did Nicholas just ignore everything that I told him? How can he be so stubborn? Does he think I'm going to accept his kindness? No. I'll only resent and hate him even more! He's going against my wishes! I slammed my palms against the door, but no one opened the door from inside.

I was utterly devastated, and my body was soaked in rainwater after a while. I couldn't contain my

sorrows, and I had just spat some blood on the ground when the church doors were flung open. Clair was the first person I saw. So, he knew about this too. He came over to carry me when he saw me soaking wet, but I used all my might to push him away before I fell onto the ground.

I glared at Nicholas, who was standing in the church. "Would you still marry her even if I refused to go to the hospital?" I asked in a bare whisper. His gaze was blank and slightly icy. "Yes," he mouthed.

I spread my lips into a bitter laugh. "Do you think I would appreciate your selfish kindness? Are you sure you want her as Mrs. Forger?"

"Yeah." His answer was firm.

"Even if I die in front of you?" I asked through gritted teeth. The woman beside him was pretty, but she was still not a match for Nicholas. She was too dumb—she was no different from Maria. She was probably extremely happy at that moment. I had just dropped a bomb on her last night, but I was now in a total mess in front of the church, so she must have assumed that she had won. Either way, that didn't matter. What mattered was that Nicholas didn't want to marry her.

"I want you to follow Clair to the hospital, Renee." Nicholas' voice was calm. He was still trying to send me to the hospital at this point. I shoved Clair away when he tried to carry me, and I spoke in a hoarse and shaky voice. "Don't marry her, Nicholas! You're not going to be happy! Please don't marry her! I don't need you to sacrifice anything for me! I don't need it at all!"

There were a lot of guests in the church, and many of them were influential people, including Benedict Yates. The almighty Renee probably looked extremely pathetic in their eyes right then, which made me feel horrible about myself. The metallic taste of blood in my throat was especially strong right then, and I felt like my life was coming to an end! I spat another mouthful of blood onto the ground before I looked

up to meet Nicholas' dark gaze. "Send her away now," I heard him say to Clair.

Clair insisted on lifting me into his arms, so I bit onto his arm. I felt like a madwoman as I threw a tantrum outside the church. In the public's eyes, I probably looked like I was doing all of this to stop the man from marrying someone else, to keep him by my side. Clair didn't let go of me even as I bit onto his arm.

Alice spoke up right then. "Isn't this the well-known President Felix of Bryxton? Why are you sitting on the ground like a beggar? Did you come to attend my wedding, Renee? I don't recall inviting you!" she uttered in a sarcastic tone.

This woman never learns her lesson, huh? I stopped biting Clair before I turned to give Nicholas a pitiful gaze. "I'm begging you not to marry her. Just bring me home, okay?" Nicholas didn't say anything upon hearing my words—his expression remained blank as ever.

Alice continued to jeer at me. "You're such a shameless woman, Renee! You should watch out. From today onward, Nicholas will be my husband!"

"Shut up!" I spat at her.

"Say that again!" Alice was so furious that her face had turned pale. I furrowed my brows before threatening her in a forbidding tone, "You never learn your lesson, Alice. Do you think of yourself as a fearless woman? Do you think I'd be afraid to—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Benedict walked over to resolve the situation. "Stop talking nonsense, Alice. You could've just told me if you wanted to attend the wedding, President Felix. I'll get my assistant to bring you to the changing room immediately."

I sighed as I gazed at the old man. "This has nothing to do with you. I'm only here for Nicholas!" Alice had dragged Nicholas' arm to go over to the doorway at that point. He didn't seem willing to move at first, but she whispered something into his ear after that. I kneeled on the ground and reached over to tug on the bottom of his pants. "Let's go home, okay? I don't need anyone to save me, Nicholas. I can take full responsibility for my own life," I uttered in a meek voice.

When Nicholas continued to ignore me, I began to sob while kneeling on the ground. "Just bring me home, Nicholas. I'll never forgive you otherwise! Even if I survive… No, I won't survive, because I won't take Quinn's treatment. You have no idea how we…" We are separated by a chasm too huge to be crossed.

All of a sudden, Nicholas kicked me on my shoulder. I stumbled backward as his icy voice filled my ears. "I'll have to get married and have kids someday, Renee. I can't waste the rest of my life with you! You know what's the issue—you can't even have kids!"

I glared at him dumbfoundedly. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and I could barely open my eyes. I could barely recognize this man in front of me! What did he just say? Did he say that I can't give birth? But he was the one who…

I understood what was going on then. Every man had an innate wish to pass down their genes—no matter how much he loved me, he would still end up picking a woman who could bear him children. Alice was a perfect match for what he needed, so he wouldn't lose anything if he chose her. He'd be able to cure my illness, and he'd be able to have a healthy wife.

I finally comprehended what Quinn told me a few nights ago. "I don't have the right to be loved because I don't have the ability to give birth," she said. Oh, Nicholas. You sure know how to say the things that

hurt me the most! I must have overestimated the love we had.

I felt like a joke as I sat in the rain. A heavy feeling pressed against my chest, and it made it hard for me to breathe. I felt the urge to leave the church and find a quiet spot where I could just die. Why did I come all the way here just to embarrass myself? I wanted to leave right there and then, but my entire body was shaking too much for me to stand up. At the same time, I didn't want to rely on Clair, who had been keeping a secret from me.

I had just turned around with a helpless look on my face when I saw a man walking over to me in the rain… He had a large figure and broad shoulders, and his footsteps seemed extremely firm and sturdy. He looked like some angelic creature who had just descended to witness this scene. Meanwhile, the man's assistant, Waylen, trailed along behind the man while holding a black umbrella up for him. The rain had made my vision blurry, yet I could see the man's face as clear as day. I could hear everyone crying his name out in surprise.

"I can't believe it's Shawn!" one of the people exclaimed.

"What's he doing here?!" someone asked.

…

Shawn. The man who had vowed to protect me his whole life, and the man who had told me to treat him as my biological brother. I crawled over to him while everyone was still gaping at his presence. I was sobbing as I made my way to him and opened my arms out wide for a hug. "I'm so sad, Shawn."