The pain after surgery felt like being torn apart. Because the wound area was so large, healing was slow—it took over two agonizing hours before it gradually restored itself.
The surgery was a success. A part of my body had merged with Timothy's, flesh and blood intertwined. This filled my heart with an unparalleled sense of happiness...
Who else could be as intimately connected as we were?
8
Yet this was only the first step of a long journey. Fully restoring Timothy's face would be an arduous and protracted process—a severe test for both my body and soul...
The frequent surgeries had drained my stamina and disrupted my metabolism's balance, which in turn impaired my regeneration ability, causing my wounds to heal more and more slowly.
I could only hide away and silently lick my wounds. But whenever I thought of Timothy improving day by day, all that pain transformed into sweetness...
One evening, Dr. Duval came to visit. Out of his white coat, he seemed less severe and more gentle.
He'd even specially made a pot of chicken soup and brought it over.
"Even if it's for Timothy, you need to take care of yourself," he said with concern.
I drank the soup, my emotions a tangled mess.
It had been so long since I'd tasted such rich, fragrant chicken soup.
To pay for the enormous surgical expenses, I'd sold our house and moved into this cramped rental. I even wanted to skip meals entirely, saving every penny for Timothy.
Dr. Duval often urged me to treat myself better.
He was a very warm person.
9
After countless skin graft surgeries, the bright-eyed, handsome Timothy finally returned.
Timothy didn't know that 60% of his skin had come from me, and I never told him—I didn't need gratitude; I wanted love as equals.
But soon I noticed he wasn't happy. I knew why—he'd recovered his looks, but lost his career, which was equally devastating for a man.
One day, I asked him about his plans for the future. He said he wanted to start his own business, but lacked the capital.
"How much do you need?"
"At least half a million."
I thought for a moment. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out."
"We can't make bricks without straw," he said gloomily. "What could you possibly do? Sell a kidney?"
"Don't worry about it." I smiled.
The next day, I went to find Dr. Duval.
"I heard there's a shortage of transplantable human organs right now. Is that true?"
"What are you planning now?" Dr. Duval glared at me.
"I want to sell a kidney."
"Are you crazy? You can't do that!" Dr. Duval jumped up nervously. "Kidney surgery is far too complex. No one can guarantee it won't cause irreversible damage—what if your regeneration ability fails?"
"It's fine. People can live with just one kidney."
"Do you really need money that badly?" Dr. Duval asked, frustrated.
"Yes, my husband needs startup capital. I love him, and I'm willing to sacrifice for him. So please, Dr. Duval, help me!"
"No, I absolutely cannot watch you gamble with your life!" Dr. Duval refused flatly.
I stood up in disappointment. "If you won't help me, I'll find a buyer myself. The internet has everything—maybe the black market pays better..."
Dr. Duval desperately blocked my path. "You can't go there. You could die on the operating table. And if they discover your regeneration ability, your situation would become extremely dangerous. They might lock you up and turn you into an endless supply—their personal goldmine!"
He sighed deeply. "You foolish girl. Since you're absolutely determined, I'll help you myself."
10
Many people in the hospital were waiting for organ transplants to save their lives. They were willing to pay fortunes for them. So Dr. Duval quickly arranged everything for me.
Once again, I lay upon that cold operating table, instruments of various sizes glinting chillingly under the surgical lights.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Dr. Duval chased after me before I entered the operating room, reluctant to give up. "I have to remind you again—even though you have this gift, surgery will still harm your body!"
"Dr. Duval, you're so naggy."
"Do you truly believe money is more important than your health?" Dr. Duval raised his voice angrily. His eyes were filled with frustration and concern, like a parent scolding a naive child.
"No—Timothy is more important than anything." I corrected him with a smile. "You know I'd do anything for him."
Dr. Duval shook his head helplessly.
When I woke from anesthesia, there was an ugly scar on my side, as hideous and terrifying as a centipede.
I could feel the missing part struggling to grow, sprout, and expand...
After seven agonizing days, I had gained a brand-new kidney. But the regeneration process had consumed so much of my energy that my body was extremely weak. The small consolation was that my account had grown by half a million.
I tried to give Dr. Duval fifty thousand, but he refused.
"I'm not a vampire. I only helped because I was moved by your determination. I hope this is the last time!" Dr. Duval said. "But could you let me study the cause of your regeneration?"
I agreed—it was a mystery that puzzled me as well.
When I placed the bank card with half a million in front of Timothy, he smiled with delight.
I felt a little disappointed, because his eyes held only the red bills—he didn't notice how haggard I looked...
11
Some time later, Dr. Duval called me, excitedly telling me he'd found the answer!
After conducting complex research, he had discovered gecko genes in my body!
As we all know, geckos possess powerful regenerative abilities. But what baffled us was: how did gecko genes end up inside me?
Puzzling over this, I suddenly remembered something...
About a year ago, while cleaning house, I noticed a gecko slip in through a window crack. I've always been afraid of such ugly creatures, so I waved a broom trying to shoo it away. But it refused to leave and instead scurried into the kitchen.
I followed it in and unexpectedly witnessed a touching scene: beneath the cabinet, there was another gecko, its spine pinned down by a cabinet leg, unable to move. And the one that had just come in was feeding it food...
This was our marital home, lived in for over three years since renovation. That meant these two geckos had also been together, supporting each other through thick and thin, for three years...
It was more moving than any Korean drama I'd ever watched! I was filled with reverence and helped them by moving the cabinet leg off.
After three years of suffering, they were finally free. When they left together, they even looked back at me.
That glance seemed to carry a deeper meaning...
Thinking carefully, my regeneration ability had appeared after that encounter... Could it be a gift of gratitude from them?
Dr. Duval and I both found this explanation utterly preposterous! But beyond that, we couldn't come up with anything more reasonable...
12
Timothy was indeed a natural businessman.
The half million I'd earned with my kidney quickly helped him re-enter the business world. Of course, our life reverted to how it was before—he was always away on business trips, and I was bored at home watching Korean dramas.
Just as I was feeling happy that his career was back on track, disaster struck again. One day, Timothy came to me with a long face and said he'd been swindled—lost everything.
Unable to bear seeing him so upset, I went to Dr. Duval again. He couldn't refuse me and once again removed one of my kidneys.
But for some reason, Timothy's luck remained poor. To help him through his difficulties, I had to lie on that freezing operating table again and again.
The frequent surgeries deteriorated my health day by day, but Timothy turned a blind eye to it.
His business trips grew longer and longer, his time at home shorter and shorter. Each time he came back, he only held out his hand for money, never asking where it came from—as if I were an ATM, only remembered when empty.
His eyes grew increasingly greedy.
His expression grew increasingly cold.
When he licked his fingers and excitedly counted those red bills, he looked like a complete stranger.
My heart grew cold, and I even began to doubt whether my sacrifices were worth it...
13
On my birthday, I ordered myself a small cake. I'd grown used to being alone, and I'd grown used to Timothy's coldness. I no longer held any expectations for this man.
Unexpectedly, Timothy called and asked me to dinner that evening to celebrate my birthday.
This really was unexpected.
I dressed up carefully, excited to go to our date, but was blocked at the door by an unexpected visitor!
Dr. Duval showed me something—investigation materials about Timothy.
It turned out that Timothy had long discovered my regeneration secret, but had been deceiving and exploiting me all along, spending the money I earned selling my organs to squander with another woman.
Dr. Duval said that woman had been with him for a long time. All those business trips were just excuses—he was actually going to see her. At the time of the car accident, he'd been on his way to her place...
The last call record on his phone was to that woman. After the accident, the police called her based on his recent contacts, but she callously refused to come. Only then did they call me... Ironic, wasn't it?
I was stunned.
I never imagined Timothy could be such a person.
What shocked me even more was that Timothy and that woman were actually conspiring to sell me—possessing regeneration abilities—to a black market organ trafficking ring for a high price...
"Do you know? They've already taken a deposit! This birthday dinner was just a setup—their real goal was to push you into their trap! That bastard is utterly heartless, after all you've sacrificed for him!" Dr. Duval said through gritted teeth.
My heart felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand awls. Even when I lay on the operating table, having my skin peeled and kidneys removed, it hadn't hurt this much...
So the love I'd been fighting for all along was just a beautiful bubble.
Life wasn't a TV drama—it was more absurd.
14
I hid away and didn't go to that dinner.
Timothy called many times, but I didn't answer. Eventually, I turned off my phone entirely.
No one knew how much my heart ached in that moment.
What I turned off wasn't just my phone—it was my feelings for a man.
The dream had to end!
Dr. Duval was right—I needed to be kinder to myself.
Some people truly aren't worth it.
A few days later, I saw Timothy and that woman on the news—they had become cold corpses, every organ hollowed out, leaving only ugly shells.
They'd taken a deposit but couldn't deliver the goods. The black market syndicate wasn't easy to fool.
Tears streamed down my face.
Dr. Duval handed me a tissue and said softly, "Don't be sad. Life is a process of constant self-amputation and regeneration, and so is love. Perhaps before long, new life will cover your old wounds, won't it?"
(End of Story 2)
*
"That scumbag! Unmitigated scum! At least those two evildoers got their comeuppance in the end!" Cindy fumed, stomping her foot. "That Dr. Duval seems really nice. He must have fallen for Yvonne, right?"
"I think so too," Luke agreed, scratching his crew cut. "Lose a battle, win the war—they'd make a good couple."
"No, they didn't get together," the woman shook her head. "Dr. Duval confessed to her, but she turned him down."
"Why not?" Cindy and Luke asked in unison.
"Because she didn't want to be seen as a freak, and she didn't want to be anyone's burden. So she ran away—to a place where no one knew her, living like an ordinary person..." The woman's lips curved into a faint smile as she spoke.
That smile seemed to carry a hint of self-mockery.
Cindy was taken aback. "Actually, you are Yvonne, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not." The woman tucked her chin back into the shadows. "My story is done. I'll return the floor to you all now."
Cindy wanted to say something else, but a voice interrupted her.
"I'll go next," said a cheerful young man. He gave Cindy a meaningful look, signaling her to stop prying. Some things are better left unsaid.
"My name is Stan, I'm a journalist. Those last two stories were truly fascinating. I'm also reminded of something, and I'd very much like to share it with everyone.
"This tale is rather complicated, so I'll tell it in the third person, so you can experience its strangeness from a different perspective...
"Of course, I'll omit the real names—for reasons you can probably guess.
"Before I begin, I'd like to give you all a piece of advice." Stan looked around at everyone, smiling enigmatically. "Don't trust your eyes! This world is not as it appears!"