Chapter 1Everyone Begged For My Forgiveness

On the fifteenth of every month, Rowan Hawthorn and I would swap homes.

Eighteen years ago, a hospital accidentally swapped our embryos during IVF and put them into the wrong mothers.

When the truth came out, my biological parents, Frank and Ronnie Hawthorn, wanted to keep Rowan. But his biological parents, Eugene and Rowena Cooper, wanted him back.

They decided that he would live with each family for one month. Then, we would switch on the fifteenth of every month.

I, on the other hand, became the unwanted burden.

Wherever Rowan went, the house would be fully stocked with snacks and drinks. He would receive a thousand dollars as his monthly allowance, and the sunlit room would always be reserved for him.

Wherever I stayed, there would only be a little food in the fridge, and I would get a dark storage room as my bedroom.

Eighteen years later, I was diagnosed with uremia, and Rowan turned out to be an exact match for me.

Eugene and Rowena threw a refusal of treatment form at me.

“We raised you, and that’s enough. Ask your biological parents for money. Don’t even think about taking our son’s kidney.”

Frank and Ronnie pleaded with me as they said, “We know we’ve failed you. But if you die, so be it. Rowan is our whole life!”

Just then, I received a call from the hospital.

“Mr. Cooper, we’re sorry, but we mixed up your records again. The one with uremia is actually Rowan Hawthorn.”

A sudden sense of clarity washed over me.

After that, I sold the old house my grandfather had left me. Then, I got myself a camera and some gear I needed before leaving.

From that day on, I became a lone wanderer and traveled wherever the wind took me.

* * *

“Sir, we are very sorry to inform you that both you and Rowan Hawthorn have the same rare blood type. Additionally, not only are your names very similar, but your mothers' names are also very similar.

“The error occurred when your birth records were originally filed, and we haven’t had the chance to correct it. We would appreciate it if you could please notify your family members about this.”

As I put down the phone, my adoptive parents, Eugene and Rowena Cooper, were staring at my medical report with serious expressions.

“Um—”

Just as I started to speak, Eugene slammed his hand on the table.

“What? You want my son to give you a kidney?”

My voice caught in my throat.

Right then, I had a sudden urge to test how much I actually mattered to them.

After all, I had been their son for eighteen years.

“I heard from the doctor that donating one kidney won’t shorten a person’s life. They can still stay pretty healthy afterward.”

Rowena was so upset that she was wiping away tears.

“How selfish can you be? Why should my son risk his health just to save you?

“I raised someone else’s son for eighteen years, and now, he wants to take my son’s kidney? What did I do to deserve this?”

Her words were like a slap in my face.

I held back my resentment and said, “But I’ll die.”

Eugene snorted coldly. “Then die. You’re not even my biological son.

“Bad apples come from bad trees. If Rowan had kidney failure, he would never have the nerve to ask someone for a kidney like you just did.”

Rowena hastily grabbed a pen and paper with [Voluntary Refusal of Organ Donation] written on it.

“You’re not getting a kidney from Rowan. If you need money, reach out to your real parents. You’ve been mooching off us for eighteen years. If you had any shame, you’d find a tall building and jump off.

“That would at least pay us back for raising you.”

Eugene then called his lawyer friend.

“This agreement is way too sloppy. What if he finds a loophole?

“We’ve raised this sleazebag for eighteen years. Don’t you know what he’s like? If we don’t do this properly, he’ll mooch off of us forever.”

My fingernails nearly dug into my palms as I stared at the paper.

However, it was understandable. After all, they were only my foster parents.

I wondered what my biological parents, Frank and Ronnie Hawthorn, would do.

With that thought, I headed to their home.