It hit me like a bolt of lightning, my head throbbing with pain as I jolted awake.

Right. I did not have to end up like that.

It was my lovesick bravery that had me shield Samuel with my own body when the accident happened.

He walked away with scratches, while I was left with broken bones, a severe concussion, and trapped in a coma.

I had believed that my love would be returned in kind. However, I realized that if not for my clear, bright eyes, I might have left the world two years ago.

I guessed my death was the reason that my soul could finally drift away from the hospital room that had been my cage.

I followed my mother, my ghostly eyes wide as I watched her sort through the mess I had left behind.

My mother, who always took such pride in her looks and never seemed a day over 50, had aged a decade overnight, and her hair turned to silver.

Her shaky, frail silhouette made my heart feel like it was being crushed.

The day they closed my account with the world was bright and sunny. The harsh sun seemed to weigh heavily on my mother's hunched shoulders.

Out on the street, my mother ran into Amelia.

You know how they say love can make someone bloom? Well, Amelia was living proof. She was nothing like the skinny, timid girl she used to be. Decked out in fancy clothes that screamed money and swinging a designer bag, she strutted like she owned the pavement.

However, when she spotted my mother, her bright eyes scrunched up like she had smelled something foul.

My mother did not hesitate, though. She bolted over, calling out, "M-Ms. Brown!"

Fidgeting with her clothes, my mother whispered, "Do you remember me? I'm Yocelyn's mother. The corneas—you got them from her..."

Amelia just brushed my mother's hand aside and shoved her. My death certificate fluttered to the ground with a soft sound.

Without a word, Amelia stomped on it, sneering, "Get lost, you lunatic! I don't know you..."

My mother's eyes went wide with shock, and she dove for Amelia's leg, yelling, "Don't touch that!"

My mother barely touched her. However, Amelia crashed to the ground like she had been hit by a truck.

Tears filled her eyes as she looked up. "Mrs. Carden, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I'll give them back! I-I'll give back the eyes!"

She clawed at her face, fingers digging into her eyes.

Then, out of nowhere, a hard slap cracked across my mother's cheek.

With a mere flick of his wrist, Samuel sent my mother tumbling to the ground, her elbow scraping a long, raw gash on the unforgiving concrete.

Blood oozed out in a scarlet flood.

However, Samuel, as unfeeling as stone, did not even flinch at the sight. He tenderly grasped Amelia's wrist, pressing it gently, his voice laced with feigned concern, "Amelia, don't be so hard on yourself. It pains me to see you like this… You're just too soft-hearted!"

He said, "I was the one who signed off on the cornea donation to you, and it's got nothing to do with you!"

He spun around, his eyes seething with disgust for my mother, dark and menacing. "Mrs. Carden, the only reason I'm even giving you the time of day is because you're Yocelyn's mother!"

His voice turned icy, each word deliberate, "However, that's no excuse to push Amelia around!

"Your daughter Yocelyn is alive today only because I'm shelling out a fortune every month to keep her going. Without me, she'd be gone. So what if I want her eyes?!

"Step out of line again, and I'll pull the plug on all her meds and the fancy equipment keeping her alive!"

My mother's eyes were glued to the death certificate under Amelia's feet.

She shook her head in denial. "That's mine! That's my daughter's..." A wail of anguish escaped her. "It's mine, give it back!"

My heart ached so badly that I could barely breathe.

I reached out, trying to wrap my arms around my mother, but she was just out of reach.

I wanted to tell her, 'It doesn't matter, Mom, it's just a piece of paper. I'm still right here with you. But why… why can't I touch you anymore?'

My mother's grief exploded, and she lunged at Amelia again, sinking her teeth into her hand.

Amelia cried out and shoved my mother away with a swift kick.

At last, my mother snatched the paper away. Her hands shaking, she tried to tuck my death certificate back into her bag.

In a flash, Samuel reached out and ripped the paper in half with a sharp tear. He shredded the half he held into a flurry of pieces.

"What's this garbage?" he snapped, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "What's the big deal?"

My mother was shaking like a leaf, her eyes red and furious as she screamed at Samuel, "That was Yocelyn's death certificate!"

A scrap of paper landed in Samuel's hand.

He glanced down to see 'Death Certificate' written in bold, black letters, along with my name.

Samuel paused, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.

My mother was on the floor, gathering the scraps. "I can't let Yocelyn go without even a death certificate, I want her to come home..."

Samuel squinted, his laugh dripping with scorn. "Out with it, Mrs. Carden, how much cash are you after?"

My mother stopped dead, her head snapping up to stare at him, her voice a raspy whisper. "Mr. Floyd, what are you implying?"

"You're putting on quite the show here, just to squeeze more money out of me for your daughter's corneas, right?" Samuel sneered.

"Sure, I owe you the money, but you shouldn't have lied about your daughter being dead! What, you think her life is worth more than her corneas?"

My mother was shaking her head wildly. "That's not it, I didn't mean..."

Samuel whipped out a check and slapped it against my mother's face. Looking down at her calmly, he said, "Write any amount on this check. You could think of it as selling your daughter's life to me.

"From this moment on, she's mine—all of her, everything she is. You're out of the picture!

"Even if she's gone for good, her ashes are mine. I'll do what I please with them, give them to anyone I choose!"

My mother sat frozen on the ground, her gaze empty as she stared at the check.

Samuel's silhouette faded away.

The blood on my mother's arms and legs had turned to a dark crust. The relentless sun baked her, turning her skin a deep red.

Time seemed to stand still until, at last, she stirred.

She lowered her head and let out a cry of despair so raw, it echoed the pain of a creature in its final moments.

"Yocelyn, how could you have loved a man like that?!"

Beneath the harsh sun, I broke out in a cold sweat.

My heart ached as I stayed by my mother's side, wishing I could wrap her in my arms and shield her from the world.

However, to protect a man like that…

I had lost my chance.

The night before the funeral, my mother came to the hospital to gather my things. Everything I owned fit into one small box.

Just like my life—empty, uneventful, leaving nothing behind.

She found the birthday gift I had bought for her just before the accident, hidden away in a drawer.

A golden bracelet.

She had never worn it, saving it instead.

This time, with tears streaming down her face, she slipped it on as she emotionally whimpered, "My Yocelyn..."

It was the last piece of me I had left behind.

Clutching the tiny box, my mother ran into Samuel in the hallway, his face etched with worry.

He cradled Amelia like she was the most precious thing in the world.

He barked out, "Where's the doctor? Hurry up! Something's wrong with her eyes—what's happening?"

Amelia's face seemed fine, but her eyes were hollow, gazing into nothingness with a look of sheer panic. "What do we do, Samuel? Why can't I see anything again?" she cried out.

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay, I promise," he soothed her, but I could see the desperation etched across his face, a fierce intensity that scorched me like flames.

When I had my car accident, Samuel was the picture of composure. He called for help without missing a beat, got me to the hospital, and took care of everything—my injuries, the bills, the waiting—all without letting a single tear fall.

I had thought maybe he was in shock, or that he was just naturally cool under pressure. He was always the steady one, after all.

I was wrong. It was not that he did not feel; it was just that I was not the one who could tug at his heartstrings.

After he handed Amelia off to the nurse, he stepped outside for a smoke, puffing away with a restless energy.

That was when he spotted my mother. His mood soured instantly, and he exploded at her, "What are you doing here? You've already sold your daughter to me, you've got no right to see her now!"

His outburst drew a crowd, and the hallway filled with whispers and stares, all directed at my mom and the scandalous idea of her selling her own daughter.

"No, that's not it, the check..." my mother stammered, her voice lost in the murmurs of disgust from the onlookers.

"A check? She actually sold her daughter for money? That's sick," someone commented.

"I thought mothers like that only existed online, but here's one in the flesh... Selling her own kid, that's just low," another added.

As my mother's face turned ghostly white, all she could do was shake her head in denial. "I didn't, I really didn't..."

Samuel's eyes landed on the gold bracelet on her wrist, and the tension thickened.

His eyes blazed with fury. "Seriously? The fat check wasn't enough for you? Now you're after Yocelyn's gold bracelet too?!"

He lunged forward and snatched the bracelet with such force that my mother's skin tore, leaving a raw, bloody mess.

As my mother's screams filled the air, he swung his hand and sent the bracelet flying out the window.

Then, with her eyes wild and red, my mother dove after it.

"Mom!" I cried out in horror.

I reached out desperately to catch her, but it was like she just passed right through my ghostly arms.

She hit the ground with a heavy thud.

The hallway erupted into an uproar!

Samuel, shocked to his core, sprinted to the window, his face drenched in a cold sweat. "It's just a bracelet, for crying out loud! Was it worth all this?"

Nurses rushed by him in a blur.

He grabbed one by the arm, blurting out, "Put her in the VIP room, next to Yocelyn's. I'll cover all her bills!"

The nurse yanked her arm away with a look of pure disgust and snorted.

"Mr. Floyd, haven't you heard? Ms. Yocelyn Carden had complications after her surgery. She's gone."