Chapter 2

2

"It hurts..." Quentin groaned slightly in his hospital bed.

That tiny movement sent my parents into a panic. "What's wrong, Quentin? Where does it hurt?"

Quentin shook his head, looking pale. "I'm fine. Mom, Dad, you should go check on Silas."

"He always complains that you guys don't care about him..." Even now, he was playing the martyr to make me look bad.

My parents looked even more disgusted with me. My father poured him a glass of water, his face softening.

"Quentin, you're too kind for your own good. That's why Silas walks all over you." My mother wiped a few stray tears.

"Exactly. We're still here now, but what will happen to you when we're gone?" She looked heartbroken over her favorite son.

Quentin was thrilled that his manipulation worked, but he kept his face neutral. "Don't be mad at Silas. It's my fault my body failed me."

I floated above them, feeling sick to my stomach. He provoked me constantly when I was alive, and now he was trashing my name after I was dead.

I had never neglected him. Despite his lies, I had always tried to be a good older brother.

But I knew my parents would never believe me. Eventually, I had just learned to stay silent.

My parents continued to comfort him. "Quentin, don't blame yourself. You're sick, of course we care about you more."

"Silas has a dark soul. If we hadn't forced him, he'd have let you die." "How can we expect him to take care of us when he won't even help his brother?"

The coldness in their voices left me feeling hollow. I handled everything for them, from the big bills to the tiny errands.

I thought I'd earned some respect, but I was just an ungrateful son in their eyes. I felt like a giant, pathetic joke.

The door burst open suddenly. It was my girlfriend, Lauren.

We had been together for years, and she had seen exactly how they treated me. She hated them, and they had gotten into screaming matches over the phone before.

She didn't say a word to the parents. She grabbed Quentin and started screaming.

"You son of a bitch! There were other donors, why did you have to use Silas?" "You killed him! You're a murderer!"

My parents were stunned for a second. Then they jumped up and pulled Lauren away from the bed.

My mother raised her hand to slap her. "You little brat! What are you talking about? Silas is fine!"

"Even if he were dead, it would be his own fault for being so weak!" "It's just one kidney. Stop being so dramatic!"

Lauren was shaking with rage. She grabbed my mother's wrist before the slap could land.

"I'll say it one more time. Your son, Silas, died on that table." "He died because you forced him to give a kidney he didn't have!"

My parents didn't believe her for a second. "You just want him to be dead! Can't you see Quentin is recovering? Get out!"

"You and Silas are a perfect match―both selfish and miserable!" Lauren's whole body was trembling.

She looked at the three of them, a united front of cruelty. "Fine. You want to build your happiness on Silas's corpse? I won't let you."

"I'm going to make you pay for this." She slammed the door on her way out.

My mother spat toward the door. "Good riddance. What a disaster of a woman."

I watched Lauren suffer from above, unable to do anything. I screamed until my ghostly throat burned, but no one heard me.