Chapter 2
After that conversation, they forgot about me once again.
No one was willing to spare even a moment to visit me in my hospital room. Even when Ryan broke up with me, he just sent a message on WhatsApp.
They couldn't care less whether I replied or not.
To them, once they'd made their decision, it didn't matter if I agreed or not.
My feelings or willingness were completely irrelevant.
This time was no different. They forced me into donating a kidney to my sister. No matter how many times I explicitly refused, it was all in vain.
In the end, they still dragged me to the hospital anyway.
In their eyes, I have no right to refuse anything.
*****
That very night, Ryan accepted Sophia's confession and became her boyfriend.
They didn't even wait to leave the hospital before openly flaunting their new relationship.
The family of four appeared perfectly happy together, as if nothing had ever happened.
Not a single one of them noticed the undisguised contempt and anger in the eyes of the doctors and nurses as they looked at them.
After the medical staff's repeated attempts to tell them about my death were impatiently interrupted, they simply stopped trying.
Like me, everyone else was just waiting—waiting to see when, if ever, my family would finally remember me.
But the truth was, not once did they think of me.
And finally, on the day Sophia was discharged, Dad went to settle the hospital bill. When he saw a bunch of unexpected charges, his face darkened with rage.
He yelled at the hospital staff, "I demand to talk to your director! What kind of unscrupulous hospital is this, overcharging us with fraudulent fees? My daughter is alive and well, so why the hell is there a morgue fee on this bill?"
Dad's ranting and raving drew a crowd of patients and visitors.
People whispered among themselves, questioning the hospital's charges, while many pulled out their phones to record the scene.
The hospital director hurried down and was about to speak after reviewing the bill.
But my dad quickly cut in, "You're scamming patients! I'm warning you, you must compensate us, or I'll go to the media and expose you!"
Ryan chimed in, "What you're doing is illegal."
My mom and Sophia stood off to the side, joining in the accusations. "My daughter is right here, perfectly alive and well. Who exactly are you cursing by charging a fee like this?"
They were all talking over each other, leaving the director unable to get a word in.
Finally, he boomed, "That's enough!"
After a brief silence, the director turned to Mom and Dad and demanded, "Have you forgotten about your other daughter?"
Mom and Dad froze, a stunned realization dawning on them. Only then did they remember me—still in the hospital after donating a kidney to Sophia.
Dad was the first to react, his brow furrowed in annoyance. He said dismissively, "It's just a kidney. What could possibly go wrong?"
Mom said, "Our eldest daughter is well-paid and has always covered her own medical expenses. There's no way her charges would be on our bill. Besides, how could it possibly be a morgue fee?"
A nurse who had clearly had enough scoffed, "Parents who force their eldest daughter to donate a kidney to the younger one, and then make her pay her own medical bills? You're truly one of a kind."
"How dare you talk like that?" Dad shot her a glare, fist raised as if he might hit the young nurse any second.
But the nurse didn't flinch. She squared her shoulders and challenged, "Go on, hit me if you've got the guts!"
The doctor standing nearby tugged at the nurse's sleeve, signaling her not to escalate the conflict with him.
"I'm reporting her! What kind of attitude is that? She doesn't even deserve to be a nurse!" Dad snapped angrily.
The nurse shook off the doctor's arm and stepped forward. "Go ahead, file a complaint if you dare! So I've got a temper and don't deserve to be a nurse? Well, do you even deserve to be parents? Your eldest daughter's been dead for seven days. Have you ever asked about her once?
"Their rooms were just around the corner from each other. If you had even an ounce of conscience, you'd have checked on her after doting on your precious little daughter. But did you? No! All you ever cared about was whether your golden child was doing well. Did it ever cross your minds to wonder if your eldest had eaten, slept, or even if she was still alive?"
Mom's face drained of color at the nurse's words. She snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting? Dead? My eldest daughter is perfectly alive and well!"
"Alive and well, huh?" the young nurse scoffed. "You haven't even bothered to check on her once. What makes you so sure she's 'alive and well'?"
Mom's face grew even paler, and her legs wobbled unsteadily. Sophia quickly stepped forward to steady her; her delicate brows furrowed as she looked at the nurse.
"Did my sister make you say this? She's mad that Mom and Dad didn't visit her, so she's staging this whole thing to make them feel guilty. Go tell her to stop putting on such an act. I know she never wanted to give me her kidney. If she's that upset, she can have it back for all I care."
"Give it back? How noble of you! The kidney's inside you now, and you know damn well she can't take it back. That's why you're so brazen! Weren't you the one bawling and begging not to die, guilt-tripping your sister into giving you her kidney? You're such a faker; every other manipulative schemer looks like an amateur next to you. First you take her kidney, and then you steal her boyfriend. How low can you sink?"
The young nurse, relentless and full of fighting spirit, was firing on all cylinders. Seeing her tear into Sophia like that, Ryan immediately stepped forward, intending to defend his girlfriend.
But before he could even speak, the nurse cut him off, turning her fury on him.
"And you!" she spat. "Disgusting! You were the older sister's boyfriend before the surgery, and now you're with the younger one? You're more repulsive than a sewer rat."
The nurse spat in disgust, pointed at the four of them, and snapped, "So you want to file a complaint? Go right ahead! I've had enough of you four for ages. Even if it costs me my job, I'm going to rip into you all. I'd like to see which one of you dares to argue back!"
The four exchanged awkward glances, not a single one daring to say a word, while the crowd pointed and whispered in open disdain.
Hearing the people behind her whispering and calling her a homewrecker, Sophia burst into tears as she threw herself into Ryan's arms.
"Ryan, I'm scared," she whimpered.
Ryan cradled her tightly against his chest. "Don't listen to them, Sophia. They're just talking nonsense."
Dad frowned. He had just settled the hospital bill on his phone and was about to leave when the doctor stopped him.
"Your eldest daughter is still in the morgue," the doctor said sharply. "What, now that you've paid the bill, you're just going to walk away and abandon her again?"
Dad froze for a moment.
Clearly, he'd forgotten about me again.
Dad's frown deepened as he snapped at the doctor, "Well? Aren't you going to show us the way?"