My husband’s mother, Hailey Reese, died in a car accident, yet on the day of her funeral, my husband refused to attend. All because he thought it was my mother who had died in the accident. He took the three hundred thousand dollars in compensation from the accident and went straight into my cousin’s live-streaming channel. He showered her with countless virtual gifts. “Thank you, I’m so glad,” my cousin said coyly, “but aren’t you worried my cousin will be upset, given that you’re spending the death compensation money?” “Her old hag of a mother, who couldn’t do anything anymore except burn through money, should’ve died a long time ago. Now that she’s finally been hit and killed, it’s one less burden, plus it leaves me some money to make you happy!” Upon watching them flaunt their affection for each other on the stream, my heart turned to ice. I slapped Hailey’s ashes and death certificate down in front of him. “Idiot, it was your own mother who died!” When I received the call and rushed to the hospital, I only managed to catch a glimpse of the small elderly woman, usually so well-groomed and tidy, covered in blood as they wheeled her into the emergency room. Her face was so mangled that it was impossible to recognize her features. The nurse, seeing the pallor on my face, shut the door with a sympathetic look. Nearby, the driver responsible for the accident was crying and begging for forgiveness. I had no energy to deal with them. Instead, I pulled out my phone to call my husband, Acacius Reese. He was a renowned genius doctor at this very hospital, dedicating himself fully to medical research just to save more lives. He was always the pride of both Hailey and me. We rarely dared to bother him with trivial family matters, and we’d always met his requests without question. But when I tried to call him several times, the line showed it was busy. Only then did I remember that he had blocked me. It was all because, a few days ago, he was trying to save a kidney patient, and the only suitable donors were my mom and Hailey. Unwilling to let his own mother suffer, he asked me for help, but I refused because of my mom’s age and poor health. That was when he decided to block me. Left with no other choice, I borrowed a phone from a nurse and finally managed to reach Acacius. “Mom was in a car accident. She’s in the emergency room on the first floor of your hospital. Come quickly!” I said urgently. But the voice on the other end wasn’t Acacius. It was a woman’s voice, slightly familiar, giggling lightly. “Natalie, have you really become so desperate that you’re making up such lies just to see Acacius? How pitiful!” I was momentarily stunned but quickly recognized who it was. Peggy Grylls was my cousin and Acacius’s first love. Suppressing the bitterness rising in my chest, I said firmly, “Peggy, I don’t have time for this. Let me speak to Acacius!” Peggy’s laugh turned mocking. “Natalie, didn’t you refuse to let your mom donate her kidney to me? Now she’s been in a car accident, and it is her karma, don’t you think? “Acacius is busy peeling grapes for me, one by one. You can keep waiting.” And with that, she hung up. When I listened to the busy tone, my heart grew colder. So, the kidney patient Acacius was so desperate to save, even at the cost of a cold war with me, was none other than Peggy! But the glaring red light of the emergency room left me no time to dwell on it. Acacius’ mother, Hailey, was an open-minded, loving lady who had single-handedly raised Acacius, turning him into Poakham City’s famous genius doctor, and she treated me like her own daughter. Since I married Acacius, she never pressured us about children or traditional expectations, always encouraging me to follow my dreams and reminding me that a woman’s first love should always be herself. I ran toward Peggy’s hospital room, knowing that if Acacius’s phone was with her, then he was likely there too. Right now, Acacius was the best hope for saving Hailey, and as her only son, he needed to be there, no matter what. But as I reached the door, I overheard their conversation. “Did Natalie call?” Acacius asked. “Yeah! She said her mom was in a car accident and wanted you to go to her,” Peggy replied with a smirk. Acacius let out a cold laugh. “A car accident? Well, that’s just the consequence of her and her mother refusing to donate their kidneys to save you. “My medical skills are not for saving such heartless people. If they die, then they die!”
Standing outside the door, I felt like I had fallen into an icy abyss, unable to believe that the words I just heard were spoken by the same man who once claimed that every life was equal, who dedicated himself to his medical research to save as many people as possible. I took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and saw the two of them practically glued to each other. I tried to steady my voice and keep it from trembling. “Acacius, mom was in a car accident…” He cut me off impatiently, “I know. Let me know when she’s dead.” I couldn’t hold back any longer, “Acacius, that’s your mother!” I practically shouted those words. Acacius paused, then looked at me with a cold sneer. “Natalie, my mom treated you so well, and you dare lie to me about something like this? You truly have a heart of stone!” Panic and frustration surged within me as I shook my head desperately. “If you don’t go now, you might never see her alive again!” Acacius remained indifferent, even pushing me out of the room. My back slammed into the door frame, sending a burst of pain that made my vision blur, and I heard Peggy’s voice. “Acacius, even though her mom didn’t want to donate a kidney to me before, she’s still family. I don’t want you to be accused of ignoring her in her time of need. Maybe you should go check on her with Natalie.” Acacius looked at Peggy with a gaze full of affection, “Peggy, you’re too kind-hearted! That’s why they always take advantage of you!” After a moment of thought, he turned to me with a conflicted look as if making a reluctant decision. “I’ll go, but only because Peggy asked me to. Peggy wants some soup, so you’d better make it for her.” “But…” “Natalie, I’ve already agreed to go see your mom. Don’t be too greedy. You can’t have everything!” Acacius’s tone was laced with impatience. Afraid he would change his mind and not make it in time to save Hailey, I bit my lip and agreed. Little did I know, for Peggy, he would do something so monstrous!
After I hurriedly prepared the soup and asked a nurse to deliver it to Peggy’s room, I rushed back to the emergency room, only to be told that the surgery was over. Hailey had suffered brain death and could not be saved. “My condolences.” The driver who caused the accident seemed to let out a sigh of relief and muttered under his breath, “Good thing she’s dead.” For drivers of such large vehicles, insurance would cover most of the costs, and if the victim died, their compensation payout was significantly reduced. The driver offered a settlement of three hundred thousand dollars, but I was still in shock, unable to accept the reality of Hailey’s death. I turned to Acacius. “She’s not really dead, right? You’re lying to me, aren’t you? You’re a genius doctor. How could you fail to save her?!” Acacius’s eyes avoided mine as he replied with irritation, “I’m a doctor, not a miracle worker. Her face was so disfigured in the crash that it wasn’t something that could just be fixed.” Then he looked at the tearful driver beside us and said indifferently, “Natalie, show some mercy. The driver didn’t have it easy either. “Your mom was old, and now that she’s gone, at least we don’t have to worry about her anymore. The three hundred thousand dollars will come in handy. We can use it to pay for Peggy’s surgery.” I stared at him in shock. “Acacius, do you even know what you’re saying?!” He still believed it was my mother who had died. I couldn’t believe that to him, a human life was merely a way to get compensation to fund Peggy’s treatment. Ignoring my protests, Acacius signed the settlement papers without a second thought, not even glancing at me. “I’m your husband. I have the right to sign this on your behalf. “This is all because you and your mom owe Peggy!” I watched him walk away without hesitation, my entire body trembling with rage. Numb and devastated, I somehow managed to pull myself together to arrange Hailey’s funeral. But even on the day of the funeral, Acacius didn’t show up. He blocked me again, and not even the hospital staff could tell me where he was. Only his colleague, Mason Godwin, called to explain, saying Acacius was tied up with a critical patient in the middle of a rejection crisis and couldn’t come. He would attend the funeral in Acacius’s place. I thought to myself, “What patient could possibly be more important than his own mother?” Seeing Mason hurriedly appear at the funeral, at that moment, my disappointment in Acacius reached its peak. “Natalie, I’m so sorry. I got stuck in traffic and arrived late.” Mason wiped the sweat from his forehead. But when he turned his head and saw Hailey’s photo on the memorial table, his eyes widened, and he collapsed to the ground, stunned. “How… how could this happen…” I was confused, and at that moment, I received a call from the expensive undertaker I had hired. “Mrs. Reese, it seems Hailey is missing a kidney.” My eyes widened in shock. At that moment, it felt as if all the strange behavior that didn’t add up finally made sense. Why had Acacius suddenly agreed to perform the surgery? Why had Mason acted so strangely when he told me about Hailey’s brain death? I finally realized that from the beginning, it was all a lie. They thought the person lying on that hospital bed was my mother, and they had orchestrated the whole plan just to secretly harvest a kidney for Peggy’s treatment. I walked straight up to Mason, whose face had gone ashen, and slapped him hard across the face.
Mason’s head snapped to the side from my slap, but he lowered his gaze, not daring to meet my eyes. “Tell me, the patient you mentioned to Acacius. Was it Peggy? “And was Hailey really brain dead?” Mason broke down, nodding his head, then shaking it. “Natalie, I’m sorry. Acacius begged me to help him. Last time a patient picked on me, he helped me. I… I couldn’t refuse him.” It felt like my heart stopped beating right then. Discovering the truth on my own was already painful enough. Now that it was confirmed, I felt like even the air I was breathing carried the stench of blood. Hailey had never been brain-dead in the first place! Thank goodness there was anesthesia at the time. Otherwise, if she had known that her own son was taking her kidney to save another woman, I could not imagine how devastated she would have been. I grabbed Mason by the collar, my hands trembling uncontrollably. “Mason, tell me, do you really think you deserve to be a doctor?” My parents saw the commotion and quickly came over to intervene. “Natalie, calm down. Let’s talk this through. Let Hailey rest in peace.” They were completely unaware of the sordid truth behind it all. Looking at my parents’ graying hair and their worried expressions, I finally let go of Mason. But then Mason collapsed to his knees with a loud thud, repeatedly apologizing in front of Hailey’s portrait. He was doing it because Hailey had always treated him like a son when she was alive. He regretted it. But all I felt was disgust. They only regretted it because they had mistaken the person on the hospital bed. If they had truly respected every life, they would never have done something so monstrous in the first place. I looked at Mason’s swollen eyes with a cold gaze and finally spoke, “Call Acacius. I want a divorce.” Mason froze, seemingly shocked. I knew what he was shocked about. No one believed I would ever leave Acacius because I was too in love with him. I had met Acacius through a matchmaking arrangement, and at first sight, I was captivated by his refined demeanor and good looks. Since he was a doctor, I have always admired the profession that saves lives. It took me a whole year to win his heart. Even after we got together and eventually married, I still loved Acacius deeply. Even when he was always working late, even when he didn’t like talking to me when he was at home. I always thought that with enough love, I could melt that icy exterior. It wasn’t until Peggy came back that I realized that Acacius wasn’t cold like ice, and he just didn’t want to be warm for me. As Acacius and Peggy crossed lines repeatedly, I became more sensitive, suspicious, and even hysterical. Everyone knew I was losing my mind because of Acacius. He even complained to Mason and their other friends, saying, “Natalie would never ask for a divorce, no matter what.” But now, I was asking for it. I had come to my senses. I was in love with the idea of who I thought Acacius was, not the man he actually turned out to be.
Mason dialed a number for Acacius that I hadn’t known about. The call was answered quickly, and the voice on the other end was one I knew all too well. “What’s up, Mason? Is she causing trouble for you at the funeral? “Thanks for handling her. Once Peggy gets out of the hospital, I’ll bring her over to thank you properly.” Mason gripped the phone tightly, his voice shaking a little. “Acacius, Natalie knows everything. She wants a divorce.” There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a sneering laugh. “Divorce? From me? Is she kidding?” I took the phone from Mason, speaking calmly, “I’m not joking, Acacius. I want a divorce. I can’t stand being with someone as rotten as you for another second!” Acacius seemed annoyed at my insult, snapping back, “Rotten? Me? How could I be worse than your family? “If it wasn’t for your family stealing Peggy’s father’s compensation money after his work accident and sending Peggy abroad, she wouldn’t have ended up so poor and sick. “That kidney is your whole family, and they owe it to Peggy! If your mom didn’t want to donate, then she deserved to die! “I really regret marrying such a venomous woman like you!” He suddenly let out a vicious laugh. “But you know, marrying you wasn’t entirely useless. You probably didn’t know this, but the driver involved in the accident contacted me, and I signed the waiver for you. “As for the three hundred thousand dollars compensation, I already put it towards Peggy’s surgery. Now, your family’s debt to her is finally repaid.” I wished I could reach through the phone and slap him. Even Mason seemed shocked at how twisted Acacius had become. He stammered, “Acacius, you’re wrong. Everything is wrong!” “What’s wrong?” Acacius scoffed. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Natalie, if you want a divorce, go ahead. But my mom always liked you. You should tell her yourself. “I’m busy, gotta go.” Without waiting for Mason to say another word, he hung up. I stood there, smirking bitterly. He still didn’t know that it was his own mother who had died. He never looked at the medical records, never checked the death certificate, and didn’t even bother to read the settlement papers. I was curious if, once he learned the truth, he would still be as dismissive as he was now.
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