Chapter 1

My brother was in the final stages of kidney cancer. My parents demanded I give him one of mine.

I told them I only had one kidney left. I told them I would die if they took it.

They didn't believe a word I said. Instead, they strapped me to the operating table.

"It's just a kidney. Can't you stop being so damn selfish for once?" They didn't know I wasn't lying.

Years ago, after my father's car accident, I had already donated a kidney to save him.

1

I'm dead. I died at the hands of my own parents.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing outside the operating room. My parents were pacing in circles, looking at the "Surgery in Progress" sign with frantic eyes.

The moment the doors swung open, they both rushed forward. "Doctor, how's our boy?"

"Relax, the surgery was perfectly timed. There was no rejection. He's doing great." I looked at the doctor's unfamiliar face and realized the truth.

They weren't waiting for news about me. I let out a bitter, ghostly laugh.

It made sense. Ever since I was a kid, they never cared about me.

I was always the one they threw away. My brother, Quentin, was slowly wheeled out on a gurney.

My parents hovered over him, tears of joy streaming down their faces. "How do you feel, Quentin? Are you in any pain?"

Quentin gave a weak nod. "I feel better, Mom. But what about Silas?"

"Don't just stay here with me. Go see him, or he'll get moody again..." The second they heard my name, their smiles vanished.

"Why even mention him? It's just a kidney, and he was too stingy to give it up!" "You're his own brother, and he was making up lies while you were dying!"

"We raised a cold-blooded monster. From now on, we don't have a son named Silas!" They got angrier as they spoke, as if my refusal to die was a criminal act.

Listening to their heartless words, my non-existent heart felt like it was being carved out. No matter how much I did for this family, they thought they were entitled to it.

If I didn't give everything, I was a disloyal beast. I trembled, my ghostly lips quivering, but I couldn't say a word.

Quentin smirked at their words, then quickly put on a worried mask. "But... you tied him to the table. Won't he hate you for that?"

My mother snorted with pure disdain. "He wouldn't dare! We paid for his food and clothes for years."

"It's just a kidney. What's he going to do about it?" Her voice was full of venom.

My mind drifted back to the hour before the surgery. They said we were just visiting Quentin, but their faces turned cold the moment we arrived.

"Get ready for the transplant. You're a match for your brother." I had begged them, shaking with fear.

"No! I only have one kidney left! If you do this, I'll die!" My father didn't hesitate. He knocked me out and tied me to the table.

As I lost consciousness, I heard his cold, detached voice. "It's just a kidney. Don't be so selfish."

"He's your brother. Is anything more important than family?" "I knew you'd say no, so I came prepared. You're a waste of space."

I wanted to ask them: Quentin is your child, but aren't I? If family is so important, why are you doing this to me?

But my eyelids were too heavy. I let my arms fall limp, letting them do as they pleased.

Now, I was nothing but a wandering ghost.