On the way back from the cemetery, Serena drove like a madwoman. She kept one hand on the steering wheel while using the other to make a call.

Her tone was cold and sharp as she said, "Scott, send me all of Tina's medical records and her recent treatment status. Right now."

There was a brief hesitation on the other end before a reply came. "Ms. Beckett, Ms. Shaw is…"

"What about her? Do you not understand what I said? I need her attending physician's contact info, her room number, her medication list, and the full schedule for next week's surgery. Send everything over!"

"O-Okay! Right away!"

Not even two minutes after she hung up, her phone chimed several times in quick succession.

When Serena glanced at the screen, a cold smirk curled her lips. She pulled the car over to the side of the road and started flipping through the files quickly, her finger swiping fast across the screen.

"End-stage uremia… Dialysis three times a week… Transplant surgery scheduled for next Tuesday…"

As she muttered to herself, her eyes grew colder. "Jason, you've got a lot of nerve. You'd rather hide from me than worry about your own sister's life."

I floated in the passenger seat and watched Serena act this way, feeling as though my chest had been hollowed out.

I murmured into the air, "Serena, Tina is already dead. What's the point of checking all this?"

But Serena couldn't hear me.

She even called the hospital directly just to force me to show up.

"Yes, that's right. Tina Shaw, the patient in your nephrology department. The one in bed 37. Stop her medication and halt all treatment. It doesn't resume until her brother shows up."

However, something the person on the other end said made her frown.

"What? Say that again!" Serena dropped the harsh look in her eyes and sat up straighter. "Died? When?"

The doctor's muffled explanation came through the line, broken and unclear.

I couldn't make out the words being said, but Serena's expression had darkened completely.

"Last month? That's impossible! I checked her hospital records two weeks ago. She was still waiting for a match!"

The doctor said something else, and Serena suddenly laughed coldly.

"Her condition suddenly worsened? How convenient. I'm looking around for Jason, and his sister 'just so happens' to die? Fine. I got it."

She hung up and stared at the dimmed phone screen, her gaze dark and terrifying.

A few seconds later, she slammed her foot on the accelerator. Through gritted teeth, she said, "Go on and keep pretending, Jason. You think faking your sister's death is going to fool me? Not a chance!"

I watched her speed all the way to Central Hospital.

The scenery outside the window flew by in a blur, just like the last traces of affection between us—long gone.

…

Half an hour later, Serena charged into the nephrology ward. Her heels clicked loudly as she headed straight for the nurses' station.

"Which room is Tina Shaw in? Take me to her," Serena demanded.

The nurse on duty was startled by her. "T-Tina Shaw? She was discharged last month…"

"Discharged?" Serena grabbed the nurse's arm. "Is she discharged or dead? That's not what I was told on the phone!"

The nurse winced in pain. "Ma'am, please calm down.

"The patient, Tina Shaw, has indeed passed away. As we told you on the phone earlier, her condition suddenly got worse, which led to multiple organ failure."

"I don't believe you!" Serena shoved her away. "Show me the death certificate! I want to see the medical records! Now!"

Her voice was so loud that several patients and their families turned their heads to look at the commotion.

The nurse had no choice but to call the attending physician, a middle-aged man in his 40s.

He frowned at Serena's aggressive demeanor and said, "Ma'am, the patient did pass away. We issued the death certificate to her brother, but…"

The doctor paused, looking her over. "What's your relation to her? This is the patient's private information. We can't just show it to anyone."

"I'm her sister-in-law!"

The words came out before Serena could think. She even paused for a moment after saying it.

The title of sister-in-law was one she hadn't acknowledged since William came back.

The doctor studied her for a moment, looking skeptical, but he turned and went into the office anyway.

A few minutes later, he came out with a copy of the medical records.

"These are the progress notes from Tina's final days. She suddenly went into heart failure and pulmonary edema in the early morning. We attempted resuscitation for two hours, but we couldn't save her," the doctor explained.

Serena snatched the medical records and fixed her eyes intently on the text.

"No way…" Her fingers trembled over the pages. "She was supposed to… She could still hold out…"

"Her condition was very unstable. She had end-stage uremia, with no suitable kidney donor. Surviving for three years was already a feat."

"Kidney donor?" Serena suddenly looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "How could there not be one? I had Jason tested six months ago! He's her own brother—how could he not match?"

The doctor paused. "Jason? You mean Mr. Shaw, the one who passed away after the liver donation?"

He sighed. "Mr. Shaw passed away six months ago. How could he donate his kidney? And even if he were still alive, matches between family members aren't 100% successful."

"You're lying! Jason isn't dead! He faked his death to avoid donating a kidney. His sister's death is fake too! You're all in on this act to fool me!" Serena yelled, slamming the records onto the desk.

The doctor's face hardened. "Ma'am, please show some respect for the deceased!

"Ms. Shaw's remains were handled by one of her brother's friends. The cremation certificate is on file at the funeral home. If you don't believe me, you can check."

Serena froze in place, her lips quivering slightly. She looked at the doctor's stern expression, then down at the medical records scattered on the floor.

The medical terminology, the vital sign records, the detailed list of resuscitation efforts… They all felt too real—so real that it was unsettling.

"A friend?" Serena clung onto the last thread of doubt she had. "What friend? Since when does Jason have friends?"

"It was someone named Mr. Crawford. He said he was Jason's college classmate and helped handle the funeral arrangements."

"Crawford?" Serena repeated softly.

Then, as if grabbing a lifeline, she suddenly demanded, "The contact info—give it to me!"

After a moment's hesitation, the doctor pulled up a number on his phone.

Serena snatched the phone and dialed the number, but only a busy tone answered. She dialed again, but the same busy tone played in her ear.

She didn't give up. Instead, she called the funeral home. This time, the call went through.

"Tina Shaw? Ah, that young woman. She came in last month. Her ashes were claimed by her brother's friend, who said he wanted to bury her alongside her brother."

"Her brother…" Serena's voice began to shake. "Did her brother… really die?"

"He died six months ago due to complications from a liver donation." The staff member's tone was matter-of-fact, as they were used to seeing death by now. "Both siblings had bad luck. It's a real shame."

The phone slipped from Serena's hand and hit the floor with a clatter. She stood frozen, not moving.

The hallway lights cast a harsh glow on her face, making the red veins in her eyes stand out.

Serena opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. In the end, she crouched down slowly and picked up the scattered medical records.

"How could this…" she finally croaked, her voice rough and broken. "Jason… did you really die? And Tina…"

Serena didn't finish, because she suddenly recalled something.

She had checked Tina's hospital records two weeks ago. Back then, the system showed Tina was still in bed 37.

But if Tina died last month, what had she seen? Who had tampered with the records?

Or was it…

Serena shot up, took her car keys out, and rushed toward the parking lot.

"Fake! It's all fake!"

She revved the engine, shouting into the air as if trying to convince herself, "Just you wait, Jason! I'll find out what you're up to!"