Chapter 7 - Daniel’s Choice
Daniel should not have stepped out of isolation, but once he heard the truth, no one could stop him.
“I didn’t know,” he said again.
Clara looked at him carefully.
“You never asked where the money came from.”
“No.”
“You never asked why Lily’s fundraiser was still open.”
“No.”
“You accepted everything because accepting was easy.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“You’re right.”
Evelyn stood from the floor.
“Daniel, go back inside.”
He ignored her.
“How much of the trust paid for my house?”
“One hundred and twenty thousand,” Clara said.
Daniel leaned against the doorframe.
His face showed more pain than fear now.
“You told me the money came from an investment account.”
“It did,” Evelyn insisted.
“A trust is an investment account,” she added, looking toward Richard for support.
Richard remained silent.
Daniel turned to the nurse.
“Take the form away.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not letting Clara make this decision while you’re pressuring her.”
“You could die.”
“And Lily did.”
The sentence silenced the hallway.
Daniel looked at Clara.
“I want to live. I’m terrified. But I don’t want your body to become another thing this family believes it can take from you.”
Clara’s anger did not disappear. But something inside her shifted.
For the first time, Daniel was not hiding behind their mother.
“Are there other options?” he asked the nurse.
“The registry search is continuing,” she answered. “There are possible unrelated donors, but additional testing is needed.”
“Then continue.”
Evelyn grabbed his arm.
“Why would you risk that when your sister is standing here?”
Daniel pulled away.
“Because she is my sister, not spare medical equipment.”
Clara looked down.
She had prepared herself for blame, manipulation, and hatred. She had not prepared herself for Daniel to defend her.
Richard spoke quietly.
“I’ll cooperate with the investigation.”
Evelyn turned toward him.
“What investigation?”
Clara raised the folder.
“The one my attorney will begin tomorrow.”
“You would send your own parents to court while your brother is sick?”
May you like
Clara met her eyes.
“No. You sent yourselves there when you spent Lily’s trust.”
