"Why would I regret it?" Anastasia refuted, barely glancing at the body.

"I'm here today to talk about a settlement," she continued in a commanding tone. "I don't want to waste time on such trivial matters. Sign this notice of withdrawal. Louis is a rare talent, and a medical dispute like this can ruin his future."

I glared at her coldly. "Never!"

Margot had only had a benign fibroid, yet Louis had arbitrarily removed her entire uterus, causing massive postoperative bleeding and infection that led to her death.

A doctor who treated human life so casually had no right to be forgiven. However, Anastasia, not only the hospital director but also the dean of the medical school, was willing to discard even the most basic medical ethics just to protect her lover.

Margot would never rest in peace.

Anastasia was furious at my attitude. "I'm not negotiating with you, Gabriel. I'm giving you a way out! I'm the dean and the director—as long as I vouch for him, Louis will be fine even if it goes to court! I just don't want you to lose the case and make me look bad.

"It's not like nobody knows you're my husband!"

I kept a straight face. "If you're so worried about me embarrassing you, let's get a divorce."

She trembled with rage. "How dare you threaten me with divorce?"

Pointing at Louis, she added, "Even if the surgery had a minor accident, he did everything he could to save her! A doctor this responsible deserves your forgiveness!"

Meanwhile, Louis was on the phone, casually describing to the person on the other end how to dispose of "that useless piece of flesh".

I stared at Anastasia in shock. So, this was what she meant by being responsible, treating the removed organ like trash. When had the woman who once vowed to save lives become like this?

It had likely started when Louis became her most prized student. To produce quick results, he didn't hesitate to use patients for high-risk clinical trials.

Anastasia helped him falsify data, erasing failed cases from the records. I had tried to warn her, but she said those were necessary sacrifices for the advancement of medicine.

I looked at her with deep disappointment. "I'll mail you the divorce papers tomorrow."

Louis put on a fake show of concern and tried to dissuade me. "Ana just values my talent a lot—that's it. If you're angry over this, I'll apologize on her behalf. Also, don't scare her with a divorce. She might take it seriously."

Anastasia's anger exploded. She slapped me hard across the face. "You're acting unreasonable, Gabriel! I'm telling you—I won't get divorced, and I'll accept the hospital's settlement plan for you, as your wife!"

She immediately had the settlement agreement brought over and signed her name in front of me as the family representative. "I'll never give you a chance to sue. Gabriel, you forced my hand!"

After Anastasia left, I spent a large sum of money hiring another funeral home to properly handle Margot's body and set up a wake room. Then, I had a lawyer draft the divorce papers and called Anastasia to sign them.

Louis ultimately answered the phone, and in the background was Anastasia's labored breathing.

"Hey, Gabriel," he muttered. "Ana is busy and can't take your call. She told you not to use divorce to cancel the settlement agreement. It won't work."

With that, he deliberately left the call on, allowing more unholy sounds to come through the speaker.

I forced myself to endure the nausea and recorded the call. Since Anastasia refused to agree to a divorce, I had no choice but to sue. I submitted a divorce filing on my phone and sent a screenshot to her.

"See you in court, then."

…

On the day the medical dispute case went to trial, I had just arrived at the courthouse when I received a notice that my divorce filing had been dismissed. Immediately, I understood Anastasia had interfered.

Right after that, the funeral home called. The wake room had been trashed, and Margot's body had been forcibly taken away. The staff sent me a video. When I opened it, my eyes burned red with rage.

Margot, who should've been resting in a glass coffin, had been replaced with a specimen from the medical school. A tag hung from the specimen, clearly bearing my mom's name. The wreaths and mourning banners around it were filled with vicious insults aimed at her.

Just then, Louis walked over with his arm around Anastasia's waist. She caught sight of the screen on my phone, satisfaction thick in her voice.

"This is what happens when you refuse to bend to my will, Gabriel. If you insist on stepping into the courtroom today, don't even think about getting her body back."

Louis pointed at the specimen in the video. "Look, doesn't she look like your mom? Ana and I picked it especially for you. They're both corpses anyway. Your relatives and friends won't know the difference."

"Her real body will only be returned to you after Louis is found not guilty," Anastasia said.

I never imagined they could be this shameless. They only cornered me with such force because they believed the one who died was Mom.

I slammed my fist into Louis' face. "You animals!"

Anastasia rushed to shield him behind her. "I'll sue you for assault and send you behind bars, Gabriel—try me!"

My bloodshot eyes fixed on her. "You two should be the ones put behind bars! You desecrated a corpse and obstructed justice! You two aren't getting away with it!"

She looked at me with contempt. "Did you forget who I am? I'm the last person who could possibly go to jail! You'd better think twice—do you want to go to trial, or do you want your mom's body back?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Anastasia, have you ever considered the possibility that this isn't my mother's body at all, but yours?"