A Daughter Lost in the Dawn

Synopsis

On my deathbed, I thought back on a life of marital bliss and a devoted daughter and felt content. But then my husband, tears in his eyes, gripped my hand and confessed, "Honey, Lydia isn't yours. She's mine and Nina's. "We switched the babies. The child you bore died on the third day. I watched her slip away." I froze, staring at our daughter. She met my gaze with an unsettling calm. She said, "And your illness? It wouldn't have progressed so fast. I altered your treatment plan. "I never imagined you'd last this long. "Don't blame me. It's because our family of three couldn't be together. My mother couldn't get the recognition she deserved either." I clutched their hands desperately, coughing through my shock. Finally, I gasped out, "Why not let me die in peace?" "Nina is kind. She couldn't bear to let you leave in ignorance," he said, voice soft yet cruel, as he ripped out my oxygen tube. The monitor shrieked. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back on the day I gave birth.