Noreen had apanied Rosalind to that major check-up.
But Rosalind had gone to get the results by herself.
At the time, Noreen had asked her about it, and she had said everything was fine.
How could she have believed her?
When Rosalind woke up and saw Noreen''s red-rimmed eyes, she knew her secret was out.
She sighed and tried tofort Noreen. "You''ve suffered so much because of me over the years. Now that you finally have your own pursuits, I don''t want to be a burden to you again."
"I''ve never thought of you as a burden," Noreen said, holding Rosalind''s cold hand, her heart filled with regret for her own carelessness.
"But I still feel like I''m holding you back."
If it weren''t for her, Noreen and Seth would never have crossed paths.
She would never have wasted seven years of her heart on him.
Her daughter deserved so much better.
Noreen spoke with the attending physician and agreed to the hospital''s n for Rosalind''s kidney transnt.
But the immediate problem was finding a suitable donor on such short notice.
And there was a long waiting list at the hospital.
There were only two legal channels for finding a kidney in the country: voluntary live donation and posthumous organ donation from citizens.
Noreen was the first to be tested for a match, but unfortunately, she wasn''tpatible.
She contacted more than ten other hospitals across the country, but heard nothing back.
Seeing Rosalind''s condition deteriorating day by day, Noreen proposed taking her abroad for treatment, hoping to find a suitable andpatible kidney there.
But the doctor told her that Rosalind''s current condition made her unfit for long- distance travel.
In other words, all they could do was wait.
Noreen couldn''t, and wouldn''t, take that risk.
She steeled herself and decided to negotiate with the Gilmore family.
Eight years ago, when Rosalind needed a bone marrow transnt, Noreen had pleaded with the Gilmores.
But back then, she had nothing, and in the end, she couldn''t even get through their front door.
She had knelt before the Gilmore estate, begging them on her knees.
She had bowed until her forehead was bleeding, but that door had never opened.
This time, the Gilmores weed Noreen with open arms.
After all, she was now worth hundreds of billions, and they had been desperate to curry favor with her.
But what they had done eight years
ago was too cruel. It had angered
Rosali
so much that she had cut
off all ties with them, leavin
them
with no opportunity to get close:
Noreen had no desire to get entangled with them. She got straight to the point.
Ten million for anyone who volunteered to be tested for a match.
One hundred million for anyone who was a match and willing to donate.
As the saying goes, money talks.
The amount Noreen offered was too much for them to resist.
All seven eligible members of the Gilmore family went to get tested, but the results were disappointing.
Not a single one was a match.
Noreen''s heart sank, feeling like she had hit a dead end.
At that critical moment, Rosalind''s attending physician called. He told her they had found a suitable kidney, and they could schedule the surgery as soon as possible
The hospital was incredibly efficient. Three dayster, they scheduled Rosalind''s kidney transnt surgery.
The surgery was a sess. The heavy stone that had been weighing on Noreen''s heart finally lifted.
The body that had been running on fumes for days finally gave way at that moment.
She slumped into a chair, covering her face with her hands, letting the tears flow freely into her palms.
After some time, Evelyn and Wade arrived.
Evelyn had made a nourishing chicken soup for Noreen, telling her to replenish her strength.
Noreen had lost a lot of weight during this ordeal, and Evelyn''s heart ached for her.
Wade spoke with the doctor and felt relieved.
Rosalind had very little rejection after the surgery, no other
faster than other patients.
The doctor clearly told Noreen she could be discharged in about ten days.