Chapter 2
20:12
2
One billion dollars, exact to the cent – precisely the entire debt Caleb owed her.
“Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!” Her lips trembled, her face ashen. “Where did he get that much money?”
The gallery buzzed with activity, guests holding champagne flutes, admiring Jasper’s paintings, their praises ringing out. But in Valerie’s ears, it all turned into a piercing cacophony. Her mind reeled, flashes of Caleb’s resolute gaze as he last walked away replaying endlessly. Valerie suddenly stood up, blurting out, “I need to find Caleb Thorne.”
”
“Now?” Jasper’s smile froze. “The exhibition just started. You’re the host, how can you just-
“Shut up!” Valerie snapped, her voice so loud that several guests nearby turned their heads. She took a deep breath, lowering her
voice. “I said, I need to find Caleb Thorne.”
A
a
A shadow of malice flickered in Jasper’s eyes, but it quickly melted into gentle expression. “Alright, I’ll go with you. But at least wait until the exhibition is over, okay? All these investors are here…” Valerie ignored him, grabbing her handbag and rushing out. Her heels clacked a frantic rhythm on the marble floor. Her mind was a chaotic mess. That money, that cursed money, where had it come from? Caleb had been penniless, unable to even afford his son’s urn
Outside the gallery, a cold wind hit her face. Valerie’s hands trembled as she dialed Caleb’s number. Still, the message played: the
phone was off. She was so furious she almost threw her phone, then she called her assistant instead. “Find Caleb Thorne’s where-
abouts immediately! I need to know where he’s been for the past seven days, and who he’s met!” Her voice was so sharp it sound-
ed alien to her own ears.
After hanging up, Valerie stood by the roadside, a sudden wave of dizziness washing over her. She gripped a lamppost for support,
Caleb’s bloody image flashing before her eyes. He’d left with a knife still in his abdomen that day… “No, he wouldn’t dare…” Valerie
mumbled to herself. “That coward wouldn’t dare, would he?”
www
A taxi pulled up in front of her. The driver leaned out. “Ma’am, do you need a ride?” Valerie mechanically got in, giving the address
of the apartment she and Caleb had once shared. It was the house they bought when they got married, but later, because Jasper
said he didn’t like the decor, she had moved to a villa in the suburbs.
The car moved through the night, Valerie’s temples throbbing. She kept refreshing her phone, waiting for news from her assistant. Suddenly, a news alert popped up: Organ Donation Center Receives Rare Full Organ Donation Today, Donor Identity Confidential.
Valerie’s fingers froze. A terrifying thought flashed in her mind. She immediately dialed the hospital. “Is this the city hospital’s org-
an donation center? I’d like to inquire about a donor… last name Thorne…”
“I apologize, donor information is confidential,” the voice on the other end replied formally.
“I’m his wife!” Valerie practically screamed. “Caleb Thorne is my husband! I have a right to know!”
The line was silent for a few seconds. “Please provide your ID number and marriage certificate information for verification.” Valerie
fumbled for the photos of her documents on her phone, her hand trembling so violently she could barely hold it. Each second of
the verification process felt like an eternity.
“Mrs. Thorne…” The voice on the other end softened. “Your husband indeed completed a full organ donation surgery here three
days ago…”
The phone slipped from Valerie’s hand, clattering onto the car floor. Her vision suddenly blurred, her ears filled only with the roaring
rush of blood. “Ma’am? Ma’am, are you alright?” The driver looked at her worriedly in the rearview mirror. Valerie didn’t answer. She
bent down and picked up her phone, her voice terrifyingly hoarse. “He’s… where is he now?”
“The donor’s remains have currently been arranged for cremation.”
20.12.
Chapter 2
2012
“Address! Give me the address!” Valerie shrieked, cutting the person off hysterically. After getting the address, she ordered the driver to immediately turn the car around. As the car sharply U–turned, her body slammed hard against the door, but she felt no pain. All her senses were numb, except for her heart, which felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, each beat bringing a tearing pain.
7/11/17/
“Impossible… he wouldn’t leave me.” Valerie repeated it over and over, as if saying it would change the truth. Her mind flashed to Caleb, kneeling on the floor, gathering ashes, the way he’d looked at her then, like she was a stranger.
The Organ Donation Center building looked especially cold in the night. Valerie stumbled into the lobby, the on–duty nurse startled by her wild expression. “Caleb Thorne! Where’s my husband?” She pounded on the counter, her voice hoarse.
The nurse checked the records, then called for the on–duty doctor. The doctor scrutinized Valerie, then sighed. “Mrs. Thorne, please come with me.”
Through a long corridor, the smell of disinfectant made Valerie gag. The doctor stopped at a door, handing her a document. “This is the donation agreement Mr. Thorne signed. By regulation, these are given to the next of kin.” Valerie snatched the file, the papers rustling
tling in her trembling hands. Her eyes fell on the agreement amount one billion dollars, exactly the amount of the transfer she had received.
“He used… his own organs… to pay for this?” Her voice was barely a whisper. The doctor nodded. “Mr. Thorne chose donation, a very rare situation. He said… it was the only way he could think of to pay off the debt.”
a full
organ
Caleb chose death over staying with her. Was this her punishment? Valerie’s heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer. Her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground, tears instantly pouring out.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached. Jasper appeared, panting, still in his flashy performance outfit, complaining: “Why did you run off and leave me? Am I really less important than that useless Caleb Thorne in your eyes?!”
Valerie slowly lifted her head, her eyes a chaotic mix of pain and fury. “Shut up! Caleb Thorne is my husband! You have no right to speak of him like that!” She seemed to find an outlet for her rage, grabbing his collar with both hands, her voice thick with uncontr- ollable anger. “What do you think you are? No matter what Caleb Thorne was, he was my Valerie Stone’s husband!” She spat the words. “And you, you’re nothing but a pathetic clown who can’t even stand in the light!”
Jasper’s face instantly turned ashen. He forcefully pushed Valerie away. “Didn’t you constantly tell me that I was the one you loved? Caleb Thorne gets into trouble, and you treat me like this?” He clenched his jaw. “What am I to you?!”
Valerie’s voice suddenly rose. “Enough! If I hadn’t listened to your lies, Caleb and my son would never have died!”
Hearing that Caleb was dead, the smile on Jasper’s face widened. He dropped the act, grabbing Valerie’s hand. “Isn’t it better that he’s dead? He was just a worthless piece of trash anyway. You belong with me–that’s the right choice!”
Valerie lunged forward, grabbing Jasper by the collar, her eyes blazing with fury. “You listen to me! Even if Caleb Thorne is dead, you will never replace him! He was my husband, Valerie Stone’s husband, and he will be for all eternity!” With that, she turned and strode away, her back radiating fierce resolve in the cold wind.
Jasper stood frozen, his fists clenched, an indescribable chill washing over him. However, Valerie had only taken a few steps befo- re she stopped. She tilted her head slightly, her voice low and dangerous. “Jasper Davies, I won’t let you off the hook. I will make
sure you pay for what you owe Caleb.”
After that, Valerie seemed to go mad, searching for me everywhere. But I was sitting peacefully in a wicker chair by the window of a private recovery facility, a warm cup of herbal tea in my hands. Not far away, a newly erected tombstone bore the words “Leo,” without a last name. Just like my son’s brief life, he hadn’t had the chance to leave a complete mark on this world.
When the nurse brought my morning tea, a newspaper lay on the tray. On the front page, Valerie Stone, CEO of Stone Enterprises, was being hounded by reporters outside the courthouse, clutching a document I’d had delivered to her yesterday–the recorded evidence of Jasper instructing his bodyguards to unleash the dogs.
2032
