Whenever Dahlia yed the damsel in distress, Charles couldn''t help but soften. But today was different.


    "Charles..." Dahlia''s voice trembled as she was about to pull out her trump card, but Charles cut her off.


    "I just spoke with Zack."


    Hearing Zack''s name made Dahlia flinch. Zack was one of Charles''s closest friends, and their meet-ups were nothing out of the ordinary.


    But for Charles to bring him up now, with that serious look, it was hard for Dahlia not to think of the ugly truth she''d been hiding. Still, she clung to a thread of hope. Charles trusted herpletely; surely, he hadn''t looked into her secrets.


    Trying to keep her cool, Dahlia responded as if nothing was amiss. "Why didn''t you invite Zack over? It''s been ages since Ist saw him. Let''s have him over, and I''ll whip up something special..."


    "Dahlia, aren''t you curious about what he shared with me?" Charles''s voice was icy, cutting through her facade.


    Seeing Dahlia act soposed after learning the truth from Zack, Charles felt he was looking at a stranger. Where was the Debbie who couldn''t lie without stammering, who was so transparently honest?


    He''d always known Debbie couldn''t lie. So when Dahlia confidently told him she hadn''t done something, he believed her, never suspecting deceit.


    "Dahlia, did you know? Did you know that the kidney Sandy received was Charlie''s?"


    In that moment, Dahlia''sst illusions shattered. Though she didn''t understand why Charles and Zack suddenly brought up that painful subject, she knew Charles was aware of the truth.


    Instead of answering, she fired back, her voiceced with certainty.


    Charles''s face fell, disappointment and pain etched into his featuresz "Dahlia why? Why didn''t you speak up when you knew the kidney was Charlie''s? What was going through mind?"


    Could Eve be right? Had Dahlia really taken Charlie''s kidney to hurt her?


    "Charles, I''m sorry, truly sorry. I didn''t want to, but I felt I had no choice Dahlia sobbed, cradling her face in her hands as she sank to the floor.


    BUMS


    "You know how much Sandy means to me, even though having her wasn''t something I nned."


    "I used to resent her, despise her. Her existence was a constant reminder that I was wed, unworthy of you."


    "She caused me so much pain, and there were times I even thought about ending it all."


    "But as she grew inside me, I started to love her. She was mypanion through countless lonely nights


    without you, the reason I kept going."


    "Without Sandy, I would''ve been lost in a foreignnd, alone and adrift."


    "It was just Sandy and me, against the world. She''s my life; how could I let her slip away..."


    Charles listened, stunned, his heart aching. "You couldn''t watch Sandy die, but


    you were okay with Charlie dying? Is that it?"


    "Sandy is your daughter, but Charlie is mine too!"


    "Do you really think Sandy''s life is worth more than Charlie''s?"