The friends Ansel ran with were all nasty pieces of work.
They'd harassed nurses more than once, to the point the hospital staff openly loathed them. Plenty of people said privately that if Ansel died, the world would be better off.
Even the doctor couldn't understand it—why were the other three beaten half to death while Ansel came back without a scratch?
Luka didn't know that when Murray went to "teach those boys a lesson," he'd recognized Ansel immediately.
In fact, Murray knew exactly who the others were, too.
Anyone bold enough to cause chaos in Aethelburg had some kind of family name behind them.
But in front of the Whites, none of it meant anything.
Murray knew Ansel was critically ill and didn't have long anyway.
So when he hit them, he made sure not to touch Ansel.
Instead, he forced Ansel to watch.
He made him stand there and witness his friends getting destroyed.
Ansel wet himself on the spot, dropped to his knees, and begged—terrified the next fist would land on him.
The shock sent him fainting to the floor.
And that collapse triggered his underlying condition. His hard-won recovery vanished overnight.
Desperate, Luka suddenly remembered something. "The medicine—why hasn't the medicine worked this time?"
Maeve's pills had pulled Ansel out of the ICU once. Luka was sure they could do it again.
The doctor shook his head. "We used it. No effect."
Isla looked confused. "What medicine?"
Luka snapped, "The medicine Maeve gave us."
Isla's confusion turned to outrage. "And what does that bastard girl have to do with this?"
Maeve took a sip of warm milk and gave the phone a cold little laugh. "If he's dying, call a doctor. Why are you calling me?"
Luka roared, "The medicine you gave me is useless!"
Maeve's voice stayed calm. "Before you question my medicine, you should figure out what caused his relapse."
"With the formula and dosage I gave you, the best-case result would've held for six months."
"For those six months, he needed a strict routine, bland food, and absolutely no stress or external triggers."
"If you met those conditions, I guarantee nothing would've happened. If you didn't—then don't blame me for being unable to help."
Every sentence landed like a knife in Luka's chest.
Maeve had warned him when she handed over the pills. He just hadn't bothered to listen.
Luka panicked, voice turning ugly. "If your medicine failed, then the only option left is a transplant. Maeve, I'm taking your kidney."

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