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."