I Made His Wife’s Dress Now I’ll Marry Another Chapter 38
“The people in the exchange chain don’t owe each other a thing,” Paolo said without preamble. “A non-directed donor starts it. A relative of the first recipient donates to my niece. Her husband then donates to the person who matches your mother. The hospital independently verified the sequence. All three patients benefit.”
“Who connected my mother’s case?”
“Her transplant coordinator. The union just helped me find the family willing to complete the evaluation.”
“Do they know Whitmore would pay the costs?”
“They don’t know, and they don’t need to.” Paolo shot me a look. “If anyone tries to trade organs for money, I’ll cut up his contract with these shears myself.”
Julien added, “The hospital has confirmed all three donations will be independently evaluated. If any one person withdraws, there is no financial penalty and no liability.”
Only then did I unclench the fist I’d been holding tight the whole time.
The coordinator joined us on a video call and explained the withdrawal rights, the cooling-off period, and the cost-bearing protocols again. None of the other donors’ or recipients’ names would be used in Whitmore publicity, and the family would not be allowed to contact them under any charitable pretext.
“That condition goes in the record,” I said.
Paolo nodded. “Looks like you finally learned to protect the rules before you trust the people.”