Not long ago, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the hospital where Mom was working.

But sadly, even as the hospital director, she had no idea about my condition. She even said I was just putting on an act.

My attending physician said I was in a precarious situation. But if we could bring in Dr. Julian Xanders, the renowned brain tumor specialist, there might still be a chance for me to survive.

And he just so happened to be Mom's close friend from university.

There were times I tried to approach her with my medical records to get her help, but she didn't even bother to take a proper look.

She merely threw the files to the floor and snapped, "I'm busy. Can you stop playing these silly games on me?"

As time went on, my condition worsened. The tumor began to affect my optic nerve, and I eventually turned blind. All I could do was endure the pain in bed.

Unable to bear it anymore, my attending physician sought Mom out.

"Dr. Zieck, Zachary really doesn't have much time left. Please help him!"

Without even looking up, Mom replied coldly, "What did he promise you to make you play along with his little game? He just wants to trick me into caring about him, isn't he?

"To think he actually claimed that he has a brain tumor! But honestly, it'd be great if he really did have one. At least I'd finally get some peace and quiet.

"If you continue fooling around with him, don't blame me for firing you. Now get out!"

My physician wanted to say something more, but looking at how unfazed Mom was, she could only shake her head helplessly before leaving.

Dr. Xanders was out of reach, and my condition couldn't wait any longer. Left with no choice, my attending physician arranged for the best neurosurgeon in the hospital to perform the surgery.

Before the operation, I asked my attending physician to call Mom through a video call. I had already lost my sight, but I still wanted to hear her voice. I just wanted to try one last time to make her believe me.

But still, what I got instead was her mocking me.

"Oh, are you trying out a new trick now? Pretending to be blind, huh? You really think I'm going to fall for that?

"Alright, enough. Stop trying to pull stunts like this all the time!"

Before I could say anything more, another patient called her away.

But to my surprise, Mom actually came to visit me at my ward that evening. She even brought homemade dinner, and I realized it was the first time she had come to see me since I got sick.

A pang of glee shot through me, but then she said, "By the way, I've switched your surgeon. Sean will be operating on you."

I was flabbergasted. Never mind that we couldn't get a top specialist, but by replacing my surgeon with Sean, who was still a trainee, she had basically sentenced me to death.

"Mom, I'm begging you… Please don't let Sean operate on me," I implored. "This might be my last chance to live. I'll do anything! I'll even kneel if that's what it takes. Just please…"

But Mom slapped me hard across the face and roared, "How did I raise such a selfish brat? Your brother just started his internship. What's the harm in helping him get some experience?"

"No, Mom! Please, I beg you…" I cried out. "I really want to live… I'll do anything you say as long as you let me live…"

Yet, she completely ignored me and began packing up the meal she had brought.

"You're unbelievable. To think you can't even handle a minor illness without whining like a baby. But there's nothing left to discuss. This is final."

With that, she grabbed her things and sauntered out of my ward, leaving me behind in endless darkness and despair.

On the day of my surgery, Mom anxiously waited outside the operating room.

But she wasn't waiting for me; she was looking out for Sean, who was holding the scalpel for the very first time in his life.

He'd always been timid. The moment my skull was opened, he began trembling.

The supervising surgeon urged him to stop, but he insisted on continuing, saying he wanted to prove himself. Not long into the operation, one of the mistakes caused my heart rate to plummet.

The other surgeon quickly snatched the scalpel from his hands and took over.

Shaken, Sean ran out of the operating room in a panic and went straight to Mom. She didn't even show the slightest concern for me, even as I hovered on the brink of death. Her only focus was calming Sean down.

She even took time off from work just to stay at home and keep him company.

After I died, the hospital staff and the police kept calling her, but she rejected every call.

A few days later, Sean said he was too traumatized to perform surgery again and proposed a vacation. Mom immediately complied and bought two tickets to Meldives.

When I was alive, I had invited her to go on a family trip multiple times. I thought it might be a chance to spend some real time with her. But every time, she turned me down coldly. "I'm swamped every day. How could I possibly find time to travel with you?"

It wasn't until later that I realized she just didn't want to leave Sean, who had just started his internship. She wanted to stay close to him.

All these years, Mom poured all her time and energy into Sean. Even when I won multiple academic awards, she never once made time for me. To her, I was just a nuisance—someone who got in the way and wasted her time.

But now, the same person who once claimed she was far too busy had taken a whole month off to go relax with Sean.

As soon as they touched down, Sean stretched and said, "Wow, just being somewhere else really clears the mind. But Mom, do you think Zachary would be mad if he knew? Didn't he always want to go on a trip like this?"

Mom's expression instantly soured. "Why bring him up now, of all times? He has no right to be angry. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be traumatized. If you end up never being able to perform surgery again, I'll break his hands myself!"

Sean lowered his head, looking slightly guilty and wronged.

"Sorry, Mom," he mumbled. "It's all my fault. I'm just not as good as Zachary. He's already a star surgeon at such a young age."

Stroking his head lovingly, Mom crooned, "Silly, he was never better than you. He just got into the industry a few years earlier than you, that's all. People only respected him for my sake."

I scoffed.

Before she became the hospital director, she was one of the country's top cardiac surgeons. Growing up, she'd always been my role model, and I dreamed of becoming just as brilliant as she was.

But from the moment I started medical school, she never helped me—not even once. Instead, she constantly tore me down, saying I simply wasn't cut out for it.

She even publicly doubted my eligibility for the awards I won, humiliating me in front of others.

Sean, on the other hand, had always been lazy. He only studied medicine because he wanted to take over Mom's position someday.

The only reason he chose neurosurgery instead of cardiac surgery like me was to avoid being directly compared to me, so that he wouldn't be seen as inferior.

However, Mom went out of her way to hire top experts to personally tutor him in neurosurgery.

She'd spoiled him so much that he couldn't even handle the slightest obstacle, yet he was always desperate to prove himself.

And in the end, I became the perfect sacrifice for them.

There was a reason why Mom favored Sean.

When we were young, she smacked Sean twice because he finished an entire jar of candy. The next day, she took us out, and while we were waiting at the traffic light, Sean pushed her onto the busy road out of resentment.

He didn't use much force, but Mom's guard was down. And just like that, she stumbled onto the road.

The moment she hit the ground, a car sped past and broke her hand.

When she glanced back at us, my arms were still outstretched—I had been trying to save her. But she assumed I was the devil's spawn, trying to end her life, the one responsible for ruining her bright future.

The real culprit, however, stood there crying and gained all of Mom's sympathy. She thought Sean was worried about her, but she had no idea the one who ruined her career was her favorite son.

Fortunately, Mom wasn't in danger. Her hand eventually recovered after the surgery, but as a cardiac surgeon, she could no longer perform operations.

The hospital director where she worked happened to retire around that time, so he offered her his position.

But her dream was to become a world-renowned cardiac surgeon. How could she settle for being just the director of a public hospital at such a young age?

Since then, Mom had been depressed. Her mood became unpredictable, and she would smash anything in sight during her tantrums—pots, pans, the fridge, even the television couldn't escape her wrath.

Dad tried to comfort her, but his efforts were in vain. Sometimes, she even hurt him physically. His face was always marred with scratches he'd gotten trying to calm her rages.

At first, he thought that if he were patient enough, he could eventually help her find her way back.

But one day, when she flew into another rage, she picked up a knife and slashed his wrist. He nearly lost his life, and that was the last straw.

Even Dad, who was known for his good temper, lost it. He filed for divorce against Mom and walked out on us, leaving Sean and me with her.

From then on, Mom had to juggle work and raising us. Life was hard for her.

And after Dad left, she resented me even more. She blamed me for ruining the bright, enviable future she once had.

She used to say I looked just like him—but there was no affection in her gaze, only growing disdain.

Sean, however, became her only source of strength.

She always said if it weren't for him, she wouldn't know how long she would struggle with depression. To her, he was like her savior who brought light back into her life.

But what Mom never knew was that after Dad left, I was the one who cooked all our meals after school. I knew she hated me, so I always had Sean call her to dinner.

I was the one who always kept the house clean. I also did the laundry, standing on a stool to hang the clothes out to dry. And with the money I'd saved up over the years since I was young, I bought her Mother's Day gifts, surprise presents, and always made sure her vases were filled with fresh flowers.

But she credited it all to Sean, and it was simply because I wasn't good with words.

I once tried to explain what really happened during the accident, but every single time, she'd cut me off and tell me off for trying to gain sympathy and falsely accusing Sean.

After a few attempts, she decided I was just being defiant and gave me a harsh beating, intending to teach me a lesson.

Since then, I stopped trying to explain myself.

Sean, of course, noticed how much Mom favored him. So he played the part perfectly—clinging to her like a sweet, considerate child while quietly badmouthing me behind my back.

And I'd received beatings more than once because of that.