Dark Revenge Against An Evil Father

"Lydia, stop looking so miserable all the time. Donating a kidney to my mom is a blessing for you." My dad's sullen voice echoed through the hospital room.

My mom, Lydia Cuevas, lying in bed in her surgical gown, didn't look well at all.

My dad kept complaining, "Didn't the newspaper already give you an award for it? What more do you want? With that sour face, how do you expect us to get through the days ahead?"

I rushed over and lifted my mom's gown, checking her front and back. Thank goodness, there were no scars. She was still healthy.

She patted my head gently, reassuring me she was fine.

But my dad wouldn't let it go. "We agreed on this at home. Now look at you, upsetting my mom. How is she supposed to go into surgery tomorrow feeling like this?"

Apparently, in my dad's mind, losing a kidney for no reason should have made my mom smile.

I remembered my last life. My mom, a traditional rural woman, always put her husband first. My dad had brainwashed her daily. Even though she was unwilling, she donated her kidney in the end.

After the surgery, my dad didn't even wait for the anesthesia to wear off before making her take care of my grandma.

"A daughter-in-law taking care of her mother-in-law is only right. Didn't my mom look after you when you had your confinement after childbirth?

"We're all family now. How could you bear to let her get up to eat and go to the bathroom by herself?

"If I wasn't a man, I wouldn't have asked you to do this," my dad complained.

But my mom had just had surgery herself and could barely move.

Less than a month after leaving the hospital, they had her working in the fields. She worked herself to death out there.

"Dad, you're healthier than Mom. Why don't you donate a kidney to my grandma?" I chimed in.

2

I suddenly interrupted my dad. His expression turned a little sour.

"Technically, you're a direct relative, so you'd be a better match for the donation," I said innocently.

"What do you know, kid? I'm the backbone of this family. How could I work without a kidney?" he retorted.

I nodded as if I understood. "But didn't you say losing a kidney wouldn't affect life at all?"

My mom finally noticed the flaw in his argument. Her already reluctant face grew even more puzzled.

My dad, now impatient, started shouting, "Can a man and a woman be the same? Candace Giles, are you itching for a beating?"

Whenever he couldn't win an argument, he resorted to violence.

"But isn't it just a small surgery? Does it matter if it's a man or a woman?" I argued.

That was how he tricked my mom back then. "It's just a minor surgery, nothing to be dramatic about. We're short on hands during the busy farming season, so stop pretending."

My grandma, who had been silently watching from the bed next to us, finally broke her silence. "Candace, what did your mom say to make you ask all this?"

My tears of joy from seeing my mom again were still on my face. But when I saw the hint of disdain in my grandma's eyes as she looked at my mom, I remembered how she had changed after the kidney donation.

I was about to speak, but she continued. "Lydia, I've been through a lot more than you. I wouldn't harm you.

"Donate the kidney, and you'll be my savior. I'll never treat you badly. Besides, after surgery, I'll only have one kidney too, and I'll still live well, won't I?"

My mom, who had been reluctantly resisting, was completely brainwashed by my grandma. She promised that she would offer up her kidney the next day.

I was 13 years old, and in this same hospital room, my grandma brainwashed me too. It wasn't until My mom collapsed from exhaustion in the fields that I realized I had been hiding under her wings, unwittingly becoming an accomplice to her death.

Now before my mom could finish her words, I ran up and grabbed my grandma's chubby arm, crying, "Grandma, I don't want you to die. I want you to live a long life."

"Come on. Don't say something so unlucky before the surgery?" snapped my dad.

He slapped me on the head, making me dizzy.

"Grandma, I just dreamt that after you got my mom's kidney, there was a strong rejection, and you didn't make it through the week.

"Grandma, the doctor who operated on you was Dr. Pugh. The surgery was successful, but your body didn't accept my mom's kidney. It was so painful when you passed."

Seeing the fear in my grandma's eyes, I knew she believed me.

There was no way I should have known the doctor's name at that time.

They had kept it a secret from my mom and spent all the family's money to book the surgeon.

In my previous life, the surgery had gone well. my grandma even outlived me. But this time, I wouldn't let them take my mom's kidney or her life.

"What else did you dream?" my grandma asked urgently.

I wiped away fake tears. "In the dream, the surgery drained all our money. Without your support, my dad and uncle both lived terrible lives."

"Mom, what do we do?" My dad hesitated after hearing my words.

After all, I had predicted the future accurately, making it hard for them not to believe.

"Kirk, my illness can't wait," my grandma groaned, holding her stomach.

I laughed coldly in my heart.

If my dad was a mama's boy, then my grandma was the most selfish person.

To save her life, she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice my dad—her eldest son whom she never really cared for but wanted to control his whole life.

"Dad, you're my grandma's biological son. When they did the matching test, I remember you were a better match than my mom," I said.

Before I could finish, my dad slapped me again. "What are you talking about? Are you trying to kill me? A man without a kidney isn't a man anymore."

I asked, puzzled, "But if my mom loses a kidney, how can she have another child? You're always so filial. Do you want my grandma to die?"

I started wailing, "Dad, if I weren't so young, I'd donate my kidney."

My grandma looked at my dad with hope in her eyes. "Kirk, donate a kidney to me, and I'll be grateful to you forever. You've always listened to me."

"Mom, I'm not young anymore, and I still don't have a son. Tyrone already has a son; let him donate instead!" My dad seemed to have found the perfect excuse, his eyes firming up. "He's younger and healthier, more suitable for donation."

When it came to him, donating a kidney wasn't such a good idea after all.

When he was persuading my mom to donate, he made it sound like losing a kidney was a way to detoxify the body.

So, he knew all along.

My grandma dragged her frail body up and slapped him hard. "Kirk Giles, I'm sick, not dead. Now you want to make your brother suffer?

"He is destined for great things in the future. I won't allow him to have surgery." Her tone softened as she added, "Kirk, you're my dearest son. You've always been filial. Could you bear to see me die?"

"Mom..." My dad's hands trembled. "If I lose a kidney, what will happen to this family?"

I didn't mind adding more fuel to the fire. "Dad, my grandma gave birth to you. Repaying her is the right time to do."

When he cut open my chest to take my heart back then, he told me the same thing.

My grandma, for once, agreed with me. "Kirk, even a child as young as Candace understands. How could you not? I raised you, and now I'm sick. Will you just watch me die?"

My dad's face turned pale as he said, "Mom, how about letting Candace get tested? She's young and healthy."

He just couldn't bear to sacrifice himself. He knew all along that donating a kidney wasn't a good thing.

Hearing his idea, my mom rushed over and pleaded with my grandma, "Mom, Candace is too young. You can't take her kidney. Just take mine as we agreed on."

I felt both heartache and frustration.

Thankfully, my grandma slapped her. "You can't even bear a son, and now you want me dead? It's settled. Kirk will do it tomorrow. Now get out and let my son have the bed."

With her final word, I quickly pulled my mom out of the room.

As we left, I looked at my dad's miserable smile and heard his trembling voice. "My mom, does it have to be me?"

3

Of course, my dad's kidney was the best option for grandma.

It was perfect timing for this mama's boy to show his filial piety.

"Candace, maybe I should do it instead. Your dad is the breadwinner of the family," my mom said.

I pulled her away, but she was still worried about my dad who had caused her death in my past life.

"Mom, grandma doesn't want your kidney," I told her.

I was speechless at my mom's naivety. How could she still not wake up to reality?

"Mom, do you really want to donate your kidney to grandma?" I asked.

"Your grandma has it tough too. Besides, I can live with one kidney. I'm not afraid of a little pain if I can contribute to the family," she replied.

I sighed. Getting my mom out of this family was the real challenge of my rebirth.

Before we left the hospital, my uncle, Tyrone Giles, blocked our path.

"Lydia, why are you here? Are you running away from the surgery tomorrow?" he asked.

I stepped between them and said, "Uncle Tyrone, my dad decided to donate his kidney out of filial piety."

Tyrone was astonished.

"Kirk is truly filial. That's great. After the surgery, you'll have to take care of both of them," he said to my mom.

He was practically throwing his calculations in my mom's face, but she just nodded. "Sure thing. I'll make sure Mom recovers well after the surgery."

Who said it had to be the woman taking care of everyone? Wasn't Tyrone my grandma's son? If only my dad could share some of his mama's boy traits with Tyrone.

"Uncle Tyrone, Aunt Donna's free at home. Why don't you guys have this honor?" I suggested.

Tyrone looked at me with disdain. "Donna has to take care of your cousin at home. What would a little girl like you know?"

"By the way, Lydia, remember to transfer this month's nutrition allowance to my bank account. You skipped last month because of Mom's illness. I haven't told Kirk yet," he added.

Every month, our family had to give Tyrone two thousand dollars as a nutrition allowance because his son was the only male in our generation.

Looking at the faded clothes of my mother and me, I smiled at Tyrone, "Uncle Tyrone, you know all the money in our family is with my dad. Isn't it putting my mom in a tough spot to ask her for it?"

"Candace." My mom tugged at my clothes from behind.

She had been using her savings to pay this money. She didn't know that my dad had already taken all of it. What I said was just the truth.

She always felt guilty for not giving birth to a boy for the Giles family and was willing to pay this money.

"Mom, this is money for the Giles family's only grandson. If you give the money to him, my dad will miss the chance to show his devotion," I said, stressing the tone. Tyrone was satisfied with my words.

"Uncle Tyrone, you should go to the ward now. The surgery is tomorrow. Make sure they rest well," I added.

As my mom watched Tyrone hurry away, she muttered, "I should pay this money."

I glanced at her guilty face and said, "Mom, go home and look for your bankbook."