Chapter 422

At three in the afternoon, Night Owl arrived at the hospital, accompanied by Landon and the Wiggins.

After a rushed physical examination, she changed into sterile scrubs and waited for the kidney removal surgery.

Today, she was unusually calm, hiding all her sharpness and appearing uncharacteristically gentle.

Back when she first joined the Wiggins family, she was just this gentle. But over time, life slowly transformed her into a lonely orchid, standing quietly in solitude.

The Wiggins felt a mix of regret and sorrow in their hearts. ‘Maybe we were wrong from the very beginning…’ they thought.

“Night Owl!” Aiden finally rushed in, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

The Wiggins looked shocked and instinctively tried to block Aiden.

“Don’t trouble yourselves,” Landon intercepted them.

“But…”

“Just watch,” Landon said calmly.

Landon smiled, but then he spotted Amelia hurrying after and suddenly looked flustered. He darted over to Amelia, almost tripping over himself. “Hey, you can’t be running right now!”

“I’m fine,” Amelia replied, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Aiden had sprinted ahead so fast, Amelia had no choice but to jog to keep up.

“How did you get here?” Landon asked, concern in his voice.

“Aiden went to Norava to find me,” Amelia replied.

Landon was momentarily speechless. ‘That little brat actually knew to go get backup from Norava first!’ he thought.

“Amy, I didn’t tell you about Night Owl because…” Landon began.

“No need to explain,” Amelia cut him off, shaking her head. “I trust you. But… are you really sure this won’t affect Night Owl’s life in the future?”

Landon just gave her a mysterious smile. “Absolutely.”

“Actually, we could ask Kimsey…” Amelia started.

“Shh,” Landon pressed his finger gently to her lips.

Amelia sighed.

Even if Kimsey didn’t help, there were still other ways to find a kidney. Still, they went with Night Owl’s kidney anyway.

‘Yeah, this is definitely her way of making things right,’ Amelia thought.

Aiden’s eyes were red and burning with fury and heartbreak as he stared down the Wiggins.

The Wiggins stood outside the operating room like overprotective parents, refusing to let Aiden get anywhere near.

“After everything you’ve put her through all these years, how do you even have the nerve to ask for her kidney?” Aiden demanded, his voice shaking with emotion.

“Dawson was your son, but he was her everything! For years, she’s just been a shell of herself. If it weren’t for Dawson’s last words, she would’ve followed him to the grave long ago,” Aiden said.

“You blame her for everything, dump all your anger and resentment on her. Doesn’t she feel wronged? Isn’t she in pain? But she’s never once fought back against you.”

“Every cent she’s earned over the years, she gave to you. She’s been supporting you, doing what Dawson would have done, making sure you have everything you need.”

“And how did you treat her? You spent her money while pushing her deeper into hell!”

Aiden’s voice caught in his throat as he spoke, his words choked with emotion. The anger in his heart twisted into a deep sense of injustice, a raw ache for Night Owl. He felt utterly wronged on Night Owl’s behalf–no one deserved this more than her. His fists clenched so tightly at his sides that the veins on the backs of his hands stood out, trembling with barely contained rage.

On any other day, he would’ve lost it and started a fight, but today, he forced himself to hold back.

Amelia had known Aiden for ages, but she’d never seen him this full of positive energy and so eloquent before. Love really had the power to turn his whole world upside down.

Aiden’s words left the Wiggins completely at a loss for words–they just stood there, unable to say a thing.

In the end, Landon stepped in to smooth things over. “Let them have a moment together. The surgery isn’t without risks, after all.”

The Wiggins moved aside in silence.

Night Owl stood just behind the operating room door, her cheeks wet with tears. She’d heard every word Aiden had just said. He was the one person in the world who truly understood her, but she knew she was about to break his heart.

“Aiden, my mind’s made up… Please don’t try to stop me,” Night Owl said softly.

The Wiggins were left reeling. They’d already decided to let Night Owl off the hook, but she was still dead set on going through with it. But after the initial shock, hope sparked in their eyes again. Now, it all depended on what Aiden would do next.

“I’m with you, no matter what,” Aiden said, stepping up and reaching out his hand to her.

Everyone froze in shock. Even Night Owl was left speechless.

“You…” Night Owl whispered, her voice trembling.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll stand by you–just promise you won’t leave me.” Suddenly, as if something clicked in his mind, Aiden paused, then quickly reached into his pocket. He pulled out a massive ten-carat diamond ring and dropped to one knee. “Night Owl, marry me!”

It wasn’t a question—it was a declaration, a little possessive and impossible to refuse. Her face was streaked with tears. She was already in fragile health, and after giving up a kidney, she probably wouldn’t be able to live like a normal person anymore.

‘How could he just propose like that, without even hesitating?’ she thought, her heart aching.

Aiden could see the pain and hesitation in her eyes–the kind of hurt that was hard to get past. So he just looked up at her quietly, patient and gentle, giving her all the time she needed to face her own struggles.

Amelia was about to step forward and urge Night Owl to accept, but Landon reached out and stopped her.

“Say yes to him,” an old, weary voice finally broke the tense silence.

It was Dawson’s father. After all these years of bitterness, he finally let it all go.

Night Owl looked over, stunned.

“Night Owl, we wish you both happiness…” Dawson’s father said again, and for the first time in ages, his eyes looked gentle.

Landon smiled softly. ‘Dawson, are you watching from heaven? Isn’t this what you always hoped for?’ he thought.

“Night Owl…” Aiden called out, his voice full of love.

After a long moment, Night Owl finally nodded, her hand trembling as she reached out, letting him slip the diamond ring onto her finger. It was so heavy, so overwhelming. It didn’t just rest on her finger–it pressed down on her heart.

“We’re husband and wife now,” Aiden said as he stood up, wrapping Night Owl in a fierce hug.

After a long moment, he slowly released her, and hand in hand, they stepped into the operating room together.

The Wiggins exchanged a glance, eyes brimming with tears. ‘Maybe… we have been wrong all these years,’ they thought.

Amelia’s heart ached so much she could barely stand it, and she reached up, blinking away tears. Landon wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. It was like something straight out of a TV drama–a tragic love story playing out right before their eyes, and it was almost too much to bear.

The surgery was a total success–both Night Owl and the patient made it out safe and sound.

When the patient woke up and heard from the Wiggins about Aiden’s proposal, she ended up sobbing her heart out. Once she was feeling a bit better, she went to Night Owl to apologize and give her blessings.

“Let’s not bring it up anymore. This is exactly what Dawson would have wanted…” Night Owl said, and she finally felt a weight lift off her heart. It wasn’t just about paying back the Wiggins family–she realized just how much Aiden truly loved her.

‘After everything I’ve been through… this life was truly worth it,’ Night Owl thought, her heart finally at peace.

It wasn’t until much later, when she unexpectedly found herself pregnant and nervously went to the hospital to see if she could have a baby, that she discovered her kidney had never been removed–it was perfectly fine.

Everything that happened in Norava had been part of Landon’s plan all along.

A gentle, well-intentioned lie had set her free.

Tourism in Srodonville was all about the mountain views, and Amelia was dying to stay and have some fun for a couple of days. But Landon wasn’t having any of it–he practically dragged her back to Norava.

“Honey, you’re pregnant now, so no more running around for you. After the baby’s here, I’ll take wherever you want,” Landon said, half-joking, half-serious.

“And then comes the whole breastfeeding thing. Seriously, how am I supposed to have any fun?” Amelia huffed, staring out the plane window at the endless blue sky and fluffy clouds. For some reason, lately she just couldn’t shake the urge to get out and enjoy the mountains and rivers.

“This time, let’s skip the breastfeeding and just let the baby have formula,” Landon said, trying to strike a balance. Partly, he wanted to make things easier for Amelia–but honestly, he was also thinking about his own perks.

Ever since Kimsey came along, Amelia hadn’t been all his anymore. And with baby number two on the way, Landon knew he’d be getting even less of her attention. So, he made up his mind to have his mom and the nanny handle the baby so he could enjoy some time with his wife.

“Landon, seriously? You’ve got some nerve,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes. Inside, though, she felt like a cat on hot bricks–completely restless and unable to calm down. Everything was perfectly fine, but for some reason, she was just in a bad mood anyway.

Landon frowned. Amelia was acting strange. ‘Is she feeling some type of way because of how Aiden and Night Owl just jumped straight into being engaged?’ he wondered. After all, those two basically met and got married–no proposal, no drama, just straight to the wedding.

Landon suddenly got it and started typing out a message on his phone.

Amelia was still fuming, and he wasn’t even trying to make it up to her? She glared at Landon, who was totally absorbed in his phone, and felt her anger spike even higher. She scooted closer, trying to sneak a peek to see if Landon was actually working or just scrolling through his phone for fun–then she’d decide if she should get mad at him. But Landon instantly locked his phone before she could catch a glimpse.

‘Great, now he’s hiding something,’ Amelia thought. She took a couple of deep breaths, turned her back to him, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep. ‘He’s in for it when we get home!’ she thought, already plotting her revenge.