Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It took me years to accept that I was never loved. Now that I was dead, I finally let it go.

Mother switched off her phone and slept until dawn. The next morning, she cooked a lavish breakfast for Austin before getting ready for the hospital.

She took it upon herself to grant Austin the day off, noticing his dark circles and patting his cheek.

"Your brother probably kept you up with his nonsense last night, didn't he? Don't worry. That little liar is fine. I'm heading over to deal with him now, so get some sleep."

She ignored Austin's terrified expression and marched out the front door.

I trailed behind her, glancing back at Austin before we left.

My younger brother had always been a coward. Unable to confirm whether I was actually dead, he had tossed and turned all night. Now that he knew the truth, he wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.

The moment Mother stepped into the hospital lobby, a crowd of staff members surrounded her, offering their condolences with tear-stained eyes.

Mother shoved right past them, storming straight into my recovery room with her hands on her hips.

"Do you think being sick gives you the right to act like a diva?" she yelled at the bed. "You didn't believe in Austin, and now that the surgery went well, your pride can't take it, can it? Let me tell you something! Even if you drop dead, you won't lay a finger on Austin! Having you as a brother is the worst curse of his life!"

Vicious insults poured from her mouth without pause, leaving the doctors and nurses who rushed in completely stunned.

A senior nurse tried to pull her back, but Mother violently jerked her arm away and pointed an accusing finger at everyone in the room.

"And all of you! Have you lost your minds? Don't you have work to do? An entire medical team playing along with his little drama? The surgery succeeded, and you're helping him play dead? Do you think Austin would lie to me? He isn't a jealous liar like his brother!"

She jabbed her finger into my chest on the bed, once, twice.

This was the first time I had ever seen my mother act like an unhinged lunatic, and it was all to humiliate me.

The attending physician let out a heavy, furious sigh.

"If you don't believe us, open your eyes and look! You are a chief surgeon, and the man lying there is your son! Letting an intern take the lead was already a severe violation, and now you treat your patient with total disregard! Where is your medical ethics? Did you feed it to the dogs?"

The entire room was trembling with outrage. In response, Mother ripped off her white coat and threw it onto the floor.

"Fine! If I'm not fit to be a doctor, I don't want this son anymore either! If you want me back, tell him to get on his knees and beg me!"

People say there is no mother in the world who doesn't love her child. Yet the scene before me proved otherwise.

She didn't just lack love for me. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she despised me.

Nobody in the room tried to stop her. They only sighed in disgust as she stormed out.

I didn't want to follow her, but an invisible force yanked my spirit, dragging me behind her steps.

On the walk back, Mother cursed relentlessly under her breath, calling me an ungrateful leech who deserved to rot. She convinced herself that I was just being dramatic over a minor illness, and that I would never succeed in ruining Austin.

She did everything in her power to shield Austin from the slightest scratch.

What about me? When your fingers poked my lifeless chest, didn't you feel the icy chill of death?

You are a renowned surgeon, Mother. How could you fail to recognize a corpse?