Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I figured that maybe I would only find peace once I saw her face when she learned of my death.

My sole lingering obsession was finding out whether she had ever cared about me at all.

Unfortunately, she wasn't going to find out anytime soon.

Back when I was alive, I had listed her as my primary emergency contact.

After the doctors failed to revive me, they called her repeatedly, but she declined every single call before blocking the number entirely.

She hated me so much that she couldn't even stand the thought of hearing my voice.

The doctor never could have guessed that the family member he couldn't reach was right in the same building, doting on her other son.

Thanks to her dedicated care, Toby, who was never seriously harmed to begin with, was quickly cleared for discharge.

On the day he left, the attending physician came in for one final check.

He suddenly froze, staring at my mother's face, which shared a striking resemblance to mine.

"Excuse me, ma'am... Is Nolan Lawson your son?"

Mother's warm smile instantly vanished.

"You know that bastard?"

The doctor quickly stepped forward.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! Your son Nolan has passed away. We tried reaching you dozens of times, but the calls wouldn't go through..."

Mother let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"Passed away? What kind of pathetic trick is he playing now? How much did he pay you doctors to put on this ridiculous show with him?"

The doctor stood there, stunned.

He clearly couldn't fathom how a mother could react with such icy detachment upon hearing her child was dead.

His expression hardened into a deep frown.

"Please respect our medical profession! We would never make jokes about a patient's life and death! Your son suffered severe pulmonary trauma from high water pressure. By the time he arrived, the window for survival had passed, and we couldn't get a hold of you after he flatlined!"

Mother sneered in utter disgust.

"Ruptured lungs? He sure is getting creative with his excuses. I see what's going on. That vile brat is bitter because I chose to save his brother instead of playing along with his dramatics, so he sent you to guilt-trip me. Tell him to drop the act. If he wants to drop dead, tell him to do it far away from me!"

The doctor trembled with fury.

"You mean to tell me he begged you for help, and you ignored him? You're the reason he missed his chance at survival?"

Mother's face twisted in contempt.

"I knew it. It's all over that petty little grudge. That narrow-minded leech spends every waking moment competing for my love."

Right on cue, Toby let out a series of weak, theatrical coughs.

"Mom, maybe you should go check on Nolan. Even though he's just jealous of me, if you don't go, he might resent me more and try to push me into the deep water again."

That single sentence ignited Mother's rage like gasoline on a flame.

She roared in fury, "You swallowed water because he shoved you into the deep end?"

"That monster! How dare he!"

She gathered Toby into her arms, tears of anger streaming down her face.

"It's all my fault. I never should have let him go with you! I completely underestimated how wicked that little beast truly is!"

Turning toward the doctor, she spat with venom, "Tell that worthless piece of trash to drag himself here and get on his knees before his brother! If he doesn't apologize, he is dead to me!"

The doctor froze, at a complete loss for words.

The dying young man on his operating table had used his final breaths to thank the medical staff and apologize for the trouble.

How could such a gentle soul ever be capable of the malice she described?

Catching the smirk of smug satisfaction dancing in Toby's eyes, the doctor gritted his teeth.

"Your son is lying on a slab in the morgue! He won't be crawling anywhere to apologize to you! Go see for yourself if you don't believe me!"

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

He clearly refused to waste another second on such an unreasonable woman.