Chapter 348

Kenneth was speechless. He couldn't figure out why she knew what he was thinking. Just as he was about to protest, he inadvertently saw his reflection in the window. His face was slightly red, and a burning desire filled his heart. He was indeed thinking about something indecent. Kenneth despised himself. He felt guilty and embarrassed, but he still pretended to be serious and said, "You're being unreasonable. As a girl, is it appropriate for you to say such rude words?"

The corners of Tiffany's mouth twitched. She rolled up her sleeves with a fake smile. "Fine. I'll just do it instead of talking about it." As she spoke, she raised her hand and was about to hit Kenneth. Seeing this, Kenneth quickly retreated. He only felt safe once he reached the studio entrance and was far from Tiffany. Tiffany had no intention of chasing him. She sat back down on the stool and continued to finish the messy painting she was working on. She couldn't calm down, and her grip on the brush was unsteady. Moreover, she wasn't there to paint seriously; she was just venting.

At the hospital, Karl brought the Kelleys to the ward door and pointed inside. "Melody is inside. Are you going in to visit her, Mr. and Mrs. Kelley?"

Thalia answered, "Of course." She and her husband had rushed over. How could they not visit Melody?

Charlie and Thalia were anxious. They immediately passed Karl and rushed in. On the hospital bed, the young girl who had been fine a few days ago now lay pale. She looked so pale and fragile that she seemed as if she could collapse at any moment. Thalia covered her mouth, trembling uncontrollably. At that moment, she recalled a scene from more than ten years ago. She had given birth prematurely to her daughter, whose health had always been poor, requiring frequent hospitalizations. Thalia remembered her daughter's pitiful look lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip above her forehead. Memories overlapped, and more than ten years passed in the blink of an eye. As a mother, Thalia had been absent for more than ten years. Every time she thought of this, Thalia felt upset; the pain was suffocating.

Thalia called out, "Melody…" She walked forward, her eyes already filled with tears.

When Melody heard the voice, she opened her eyes in a daze. Seeing the Kelleys, she was pleasantly surprised. "Mr. and Mrs. Kelley, what brings you here?" As she spoke, she tried to sit up, but Thalia gently pressed her down. "Don't get up. Lie down and rest well."

"Okay." Melody nodded obediently, smiling brightly. Charlie stood to the side, frowning at the crowded ward.

After five or six minutes, a nurse came in and transferred Melody to a private room upstairs. She had a nurse attending to her all day. Thalia had her servant buy some food and carefully tucked Melody in. She said gently, "Take a nap now. I'll be back later."

"Okay." Melody replied. Melody's face was pale. Hearing Thalia, she drifted off to sleep.

Thalia left the ward but didn't leave the hospital; she went to the doctor's office. Charlie followed, asking helplessly, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the doctor for a checkup. I'm going to donate my kidney to my daughter!" Thalia's tone was firm. "Don't try to talk me out of this. I know what I'm doing. Don't stop me."

Charlie was helpless. "Who said I was going to stop you?"

Thalia said, "Then why are you standing in my way?"

"I want to tell you that you should let me do it." Charlie smiled. "It's not like she's only your daughter. Doesn't my heart ache as a father? Besides, you're not in good health. Let me do it." With that, he walked past her and went into the doctor's office. Thalia was stunned and immediately followed.

After a long examination, the final result was that only Thalia's kidney was a match for Melody's. Although this wasn't ideal, Thalia was extremely grateful. She finally had a chance to do something for her daughter.

Charlie was worried. "You're not in good health. Why don't we think of another way?" If his kidney had been a match, he wouldn't have hesitated. However, Thalia's health was not as good as his. He couldn't risk anything happening to her during the transplant.

"The doctor said it's fine. Don't worry," Thalia comforted him. "Besides, even if I can wait, Melody can't. Her kidney failure is worsening. If we wait any longer, I don't even dare to imagine the consequences…"

"I'm really thankful that my kidney matches hers. With me donating the kidney, Melody has hope to survive. It's better than not being able to find a matching kidney."

What else could Charlie say? He could only nod. "All right." This was indeed the fastest and best way.

Due to the sudden deterioration of Melody's kidney failure, Charlie hired a renowned international surgeon to perform the transplant. The surgery was scheduled for next Monday.

Thalia sighed in relief. Her uneasy heart finally calmed down. She returned to the ward and told Melody that she had found a suitable kidney donor. Initially, Thalia thought the girl would be happy. She didn't expect Melody to cry so much her face was covered in tears.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Thalia panicked. She felt helpless and her heart ached as she found a tissue to wipe Melody's tears. "Are you feeling unwell? Or did someone bully you?"

However, in the next second, Melody leaped into her arms and shouted in a choked voice, "Mom." Thalia's entire body trembled, and the tissue in her hand fell to the floor. She thought, 'What did she call me?'

Melody choked and cried until she was out of breath. "I heard it. I heard everything. That suitable kidney is yours, right? Also, when I was hospitalized yesterday, my adoptive father told me that I'm not their daughter at all. They bought me from human traffickers… So, you're my family, right?"

Melody raised her head and looked at Charlie and Thalia expectantly. Her face was pale, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her breathing was rapid, and her body was still trembling. Charlie and his wife were stunned. For a moment, they didn't know how to react.

Melody picked up a document bag by the bed and choked. "This is the package I just received. I don't know who sent it. I checked it. It's a stamped appraisal report." The report was opened. It was the paternity test report Sandra had done for them previously. Melody smiled faintly, taking a risk, "If you say this is fake, I'll tear it apart."

(The final line appears to be incomplete and contains possibly non-English characters.)