Chapter 564 - 556: Countdown to the Finale (8)

Zeke Marshall turned and left the hospital room. A moment later, the doctor hurried over.

After checking on Ethan Ellsworth’s condition, he immediately decided to schedule the surgery for that evening.

Everyone was filled with a sense of anxiety.

They didn’t know if his body would reject the organ, and there were other unknown risks.

But the surgery had to be done.

Lillian Bancroft, who had already returned to Harrowin, was now boarding a plane.

His secretary-general tried to persuade him again and again. "Supreme Leader, perhaps there’s a more suitable kidney donor. You don’t have to personally..."

Lillian Bancroft looked out the window and replied somberly, "It’s not the same. I’ve wronged her, and I have to repay her. Besides, if Ethan Ellsworth has my organ inside him, it’s a way for me to be with her for a lifetime."

The secretary-general couldn’t say another word.

’How deep must one’s love be to willingly make such a sacrifice?’

’If someone is hidden in your heart, how could you ever find a replacement?’

’That person is the root, impossible to easily erase.’

’Let alone a love that has seeped into the very marrow of your bones.’

’It can never be removed.’

’Unless another woman appears whom you love even more, only then might it be possible to cover up such a profound love.’

’But someone like that doesn’t just appear so easily.’

That evening, the plane arrived on time at the Alveria airport.

Lillian Bancroft changed into a hospital gown and was already lying on the operating table in the operating room.

The attending physician was extremely anxious. "Mr. Bancroft, are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes, I’m sure."

"Very well. I will do my absolute best to prepare for your and Mr. Ellsworth’s surgery."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Not at all, not at all."

Then, Ethan Ellsworth’s hospital bed was wheeled in by a nurse.

The anesthetic was administered to both men.

When Ethan Ellsworth turned his head, all the blood rushed to his face.

The one donating the kidney... was him!

Ethan Ellsworth’s eyes grew moist. In that moment, he understood just how deep Lillian Bancroft’s love for Chloe was.

His vision gradually blurred. He finally closed his eyes, a tear escaping from the corner.

Lillian Bancroft looked back at him, the corners of his lips turning up in a smile.

The light above the operating room door lit up. The two words "In Surgery" made the group of people waiting in the hallway especially tense.

Two hours felt as long as twenty thousand years.

Lillian Bancroft’s subordinates and his secretary-general, guessing that the time was almost up, walked to the door.

Chloe Marshall recognized them.

"Is Mr. Bancroft here too?"

The secretary-general let out a long breath. "Ma’am, the Supreme Leader is here. He’s inside, in surgery."

This one sentence left everyone present utterly shocked.

"What!" Hearing this, Chloe Marshall’s mind went completely blank.

"Isn’t the donor a terminal cancer patient? How could it be him?!"

Quentin Grant spoke up. "When the donor was confirmed, he was the one who called me. He claimed he’d found a very healthy donor in Harrowin. I never imagined it would be him..."

One could only imagine what the Ellsworth family was feeling.

The secretary-general explained, "It was because we couldn’t find a suitable donor. Our Supreme Leader decided to provide the kidney himself, because..."

He hesitated, trailing off.

"Because of what?"

The secretary-general felt it would be a terrible shame if she didn’t know how much his Supreme Leader had sacrificed.

He thought for a moment and said, "Because the Supreme Leader feels he wronged you in the past. Also, he said this was a way for him to be with you forever, in a different sense."

Hearing this, everyone was both moved and grateful.

Chloe Marshall’s tears fell like rain. She felt her life was truly worthwhile. She had a husband she loved and who loved her back, a lovely daughter, and had married into a good family. Her in-laws treated her like their own flesh and blood, she got along well with her sister-in-law, and on top of all that, there was another man who loved her this deeply.

’What have I ever done to deserve all of this?’

At this moment, Chloe Marshall finally understood Lillian Bancroft’s past possessiveness. It was all because he loved her too much—a love so intense he had to resort to such methods just to keep her by his side.

The operating room doors opened, and the doctor came out.

"Doctor, how are they?"

"The surgery was a success. There are no signs of rejection for now, but we’ll need to observe them for a few days."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Ethan Ellsworth was wheeled out, followed closely by Lillian Bancroft.

They were taken into two adjacent hospital rooms.

Chloe Marshall went to check on Ethan Ellsworth first, then went to Lillian Bancroft’s room.

The secretary-general tactfully led his men out of the room to wait by the door.

The anesthetic hadn’t worn off yet, and he was still unconscious.

Chloe Marshall sat by the bed, looking at his face as he slept. A wave of sorrow washed over her, and her face was streaked with tears.

After she had been sitting there for some time, he slowly began to stir.

He heard her crying.

"Don’t cry." His voice was hoarse, his face pale.

Chloe Marshall looked at him. "Silly, you’re awake? How could you... Do you have any idea how awful I feel, knowing you were the one who donated a kidney to Ethan? It feels like a piece of my own flesh is being carved out. I feel wronged for you, I’m sad for you, and I hate myself. Why can’t I just split myself in two? That would solve everything."

He grabbed her hand. "The last thing I ever want to see is you crying, Chloe. I did this willingly. If something happened to him, you’d never be happy again. I once wanted to be with you so badly, and to this day, I still love you as much as ever. But I can’t be with you. So, isn’t this better...? COUGH, COUGH... As long as you’re living well, I can be happy."

"Silly, why don’t you let go of this obsession and find another good woman to spend your life with?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn’t love her. I won’t hurt another woman like that again. Isn’t Quinn a living example of that? A person can’t be so selfish."

Chloe Marshall didn’t know what else to say.

"You should go see him. He should be waking up soon. Chloe, really, you don’t need to feel guilty towards me. And neither does he. This is just me repaying my debt to you."

Chloe Marshall’s eyes were blurry with tears. "Okay."

Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth came in through the doorway. Chloe Marshall stood up and walked out.

The door was closed again. Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth bowed deeply. Mrs. Ellsworth spoke, "Mr. Bancroft, my husband and I want to express our deepest respect. You saved our son’s life."

"Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth, there’s no need for that. I only did this for Chloe, for her family of three. I have no other wish, except that in the days to come, Mrs. Ellsworth can continue to treat her as well as you always have. Chloe is a good woman. I can’t have her, so it’s wonderful that an outstanding man like Ethan Ellsworth can."

"Of course. I’ve been very fond of Chloe from the very beginning, and I will continue to treat her well. You can rest assured, Mr. Bancroft. We Ellsworths believe that a harmonious family brings prosperity. Chloe doesn’t have parents, so in our home, she is like a biological daughter to us."

"That’s for the best."

Chloe Marshall came in. Nora Ainsworth and Quentin Grant stood up and left the room, leaving the husband and wife alone.

Seeing her eyes were red and swollen, Ethan Ellsworth said, "What are you crying for? Don’t cry."

"I’m not crying anymore." Chloe Marshall sat by the bed and said, "I just went to see Silly."

"I never expected he would do this. I really didn’t."

"I didn’t either," Chloe Marshall said. "Now, I feel like I can’t even tell anymore if I owe him or he owes me. But what I owe him is just so much. He saved my life, and this time, he saved yours. It seems like ’thank you’ isn’t important to him. I think maybe the only thing that will make him happy is if I am doubly happy."

Ethan Ellsworth intertwined his fingers with hers. "Then I must make you doubly happy."

"Daddy! Mommy!" Dorothy Ellsworth pushed open the door to the hospital room, peeking her little head in as she called out.

Chloe Marshall turned. "Dorothy, come see Daddy."

Dorothy Ellsworth trotted in, stood by Chloe Marshall’s leg, and asked softly, "Daddy, are you in pain right now?"

"It doesn’t hurt," Ethan Ellsworth said. In reality, with such a large incision in his body and the anesthetic wearing off, how could it not hurt?

"Daddy, you have to get better quickly. I just came from Godfather’s room. Godfather is so noble. My heart aches for him, but it aches for you too, Daddy."

"Dorothy, you must be good to your godfather for the rest of your life. Go visit him often in the future."

"Of course, he’s my godfather!" Dorothy Ellsworth said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "This is great. Now Daddy can rest up and get better. Once you’re all healed, our family can be together and we’ll never be separated again."

Chloe Marshall and Ethan Ellsworth looked at each other, and a sense of peace settled in their hearts.

When Nora Ainsworth and Quentin Grant got home, they found their two little ones sitting in the living room, still awake.

"It’s past ten o’clock. Why aren’t you in bed yet?"

"Mommy, how’s Uncle?"

"The surgery was a success."

"Yay!" Elmer Grant shot up from the sofa. "My brother will be in a better mood now."

Quentin Grant deliberately teased him. "Your brother’s mood isn’t just about your uncle, is it?"

"Dorothy was sad, so my brother was sad too."

"At the hospital just now, I heard your aunt say that Dorothy is going to live in Harrowin for a long time and will rarely come back..." Quentin Grant said, watching his two boys’ expressions.

He saw Dylan Grant’s face immediately turn serious.

"Daddy, is that true?"

"Do you think I would lie?"

"Then I have to call Dorothy." Dylan Grant said, about to get off the sofa to make a call.

Nora Ainsworth quickly grabbed him. "Your daddy was lying. That’s not happening."

Dylan Grant looked at Quentin Grant. "Daddy, you’re horrible! That was so mean!"

Quentin Grant sat down and crossed his legs. "Look how scared you were. See, you kids don’t understand anything. Dylan, when you grow up, maybe you won’t like Dorothy anymore. Or by then, you might realize it’s just a crush, not love."

"Daddy, what is love?" Elmer Grant pressed.

Quentin Grant put his arm around Nora Ainsworth. "You little rascals, see this? Love is me and your mommy. Love has to be exclusive. It’s a deep, deep liking. Maybe you don’t understand now, but Daddy and Mommy want to tell you something: things you say when you’re little might be forgotten when you grow up. So, learn to control your actions."

"I like Dorothy. I want to protect her and make her happy now, and I will in the future, too. Anyway, I only like being with Dorothy."