Chapter 1

My student was diagnosed with leukemia, and it turned out I was a match.

So, I donated my bone marrow to him.

As his teacher, I wasn't looking for anything in return.

Just out of politeness, I accepted the health supplements his mom sent over.

But after Caleb started to recover, his mom showed up at my hospital room, claiming I, as a teacher, was trying to cash in on my bone marrow donation.

Based on those two boxes of supplements, she demanded I pay her back, threatening to cause trouble until I got fired.

That’s when I truly understood what it felt like to be bitten by something so utterly ungrateful.

Four months later, when I found out I was pregnant, Caleb's mom came knocking again.

She said her son's condition had relapsed, and I *had* to donate bone marrow again.

"You're pregnant? It's just a blob of flesh, what's so precious about it?"

"Just get rid of it! Don't mess up my son's match!"

There was a boy in my class, Caleb Hayes, who was diagnosed with leukemia.

I had signed up for bone marrow donation at the hospital a while back, and when they confirmed I was a match, I agreed to donate to Caleb.

Before the surgery, Caleb’s mom came to see me, bringing a bunch of health supplements.

"Ms. Sterling, my Caleb is so lucky to have met you! These are the supplements Caleb usually takes."

My mom, Martha, wasn’t thrilled about me donating bone marrow, but seeing Caleb’s mom act like that, she couldn't show her displeasure.

It’s just polite to bring a small gift when visiting someone who’s sick.

Looking at the stuff, they were just some inexpensive health supplements, nothing fancy or expensive. My mom politely accepted them.

Caleb’s mom didn’t say much, just glanced at us before leaving.

I was pretty nervous before the surgery, so I didn't think too much about it.

I just focused on encouraging Caleb:

"Don't worry, with your teacher here, you're definitely going to pull through."

The surgery went smoothly.

But there was a risk of post-operative complications, so I needed to stay in the hospital for observation.

When Principal Harrison heard about it, he even brought some colleagues to visit me.

I was genuinely relieved, because at least Caleb was alive.

A little suffering was worth it.

As we were talking, a young nurse, Chloe, rushed in.

"Ms. Sterling, the patient's family is saying you deliberately charged her for gifts and are refusing to leave the hospital, threatening to make a scene!"

"You should call your family to come negotiate. The hospital staff can't hold her back anymore!"

I froze, completely stunned.

Before I could even say anything, I heard a commotion at the door.

Brenda, Caleb's mom, burst in, yelling accusations at the top of her lungs.

"You, a teacher, have the nerve to accept gifts from a student? The principal said you donated bone marrow voluntarily, and you still dared to accept things?"

I was dumbfounded.

What gifts? It was just two boxes of supplements.

It's customary here—if a relative or friend gets sick, you bring them gifts when you visit.

And I was donating bone marrow to her son?

How could she twist a few health supplements into me accepting gifts?

I was completely confused:

"You must be mistaken, Mrs. Hayes? You brought these yourself, I never asked for anything…"

Caleb’s mom suddenly took a huge step forward, almost lunging at my hospital bed.

"You've always bullied my son, and now you finally have a chance to bully our family! You're just trying to extort money and take advantage of the situation!"

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're trying to create a big spectacle to promote yourself and get a promotion! My son is practically dying, and you want to use him as a stepping stone!"

"How can a teacher be so malicious? If I didn't expose you today, who knows how much more evil you'd do behind our backs!"