Chapter 2

Jacob looked pale, his panic evidently genuine.

Ruth grabbed me as well, yelling, "I'm begging you, Flynn. Please save Tyler!"

In that instant, the scene was filled with nonstop crying and shouting, drawing everyone's attention as they pointed and whispered.

I sighed and pinched my thigh, my eyes turning bloodshot. "It's not that I don't want to help. I simply can't. I mean, you've seen my medical report. What if I die on the operating table?"

Demi practically jumped out of her skin with rage. "He's your biological son, Flynn! How can you be so utterly heartless as a father?"

I rolled my eyes at Demi and asked, "Why can't Ruth step in when she's Tyler's mother? I already had breakfast earlier, so if you force me into that OR, you're basically asking for me to die on the operating table."

Backed into the corner by my remarks, Demi instantly retorted, "Who cares if you die? You're not half as important as my daughter and my grandson!"

She suddenly realized what she had just blurted out the moment I fixed my eyes on her. She immediately tried to salvage the situation, saying, "You agreed to do it in the first place, Flynn. How could you just back out now? You're clearly doing this on purpose!"

I hadn't even had the chance to speak when the doctor wheeled Tyler out of the OR. "His condition isn't good, and since there's currently no available kidney, we'll take him back to the regular room for the time being."

Tyler looked right at me as they wheeled him out, crying. "Why won't you save me, Dad? I'm going to die, aren't I? Please help me, Dad!"

His lips were pale as he clutched my hand and wept bitterly.

It was such a heartbreaking sight that anyone watching would have felt deeply sorry for him.

I had felt that exact same way once. I couldn't bear to see Tyler suffer in my past life, and seeing him in agony broke my heart. In the end, my health was ruined after the surgery, and he didn't even dare to enter my hospital room to visit me.

I looked back at it now and realized that everything had happened for a reason.

I gently patted the back of Tyler's hand and said, "I can't help you, Tyler. You still have your mother, though she refuses to give you her kidney."

I then turned to Ruth and said, "Tyler is not my child alone, Ruth. I might not be able to donate at the moment, but you certainly can. You can rest assured that I'll look after you once you've donated a kidney to Tyler."

I dragged Ruth to the doctor as I said that. "She's my wife, and all her health indicators are completely normal. She's also the child's biological mother, so she's definitely a viable candidate."

I started pushing Ruth toward the OR as I spoke, causing her to go completely pale. "I-I'm not the right person for this…"

I couldn't help but sneer after seeing her reaction, and right then, Keith's message arrived.

I released my grip, and Ruth instantly ducked behind Demi, glaring at me with pure malice.

I trembled all over as I read through the files Keith sent me. I realized then that that was the reason behind everything.

"Are you scared, Ruth?" I asked. "If you aren't willing to do it either, then leave me out of it! Tyler should return to his room first!"

Tyler kept a tight grip on my hand and wouldn't let go. "Am I going to die, Dad?"

I looked at how pale Tyler looked, and a shrewd gleam flickered in my eyes.

Just then, Demi broke down in tears. "What can we do when your father doesn't want to save you, Tyler? What did the Lister family do to deserve this? I told you not to marry Flynn from the very beginning, Ruth! We're not the same kind of people—he's completely heartless!"

Ruth dropped to her knees beside me and pulled Tyler into her arms. "You've been through so much, Tyler! It's all my fault for being so useless! I've failed you!"

Jacob suddenly yelled from the side, "Who the hell are you guys? Stop filming this!"

I turned and saw a few people pointing their phones right at me.

"Come take a look, everyone! Here's the heartless man who refuses to save a dying child!"

"What kind of person does that? He's a monster!"

"How can a man like that even call himself a human being?"

I could hear all kinds of nasty comments coming from all directions.