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.

The driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, jolting me out of my reverie.

He cast a sheepish look at Mom and apologized, "Sorry, I almost missed the stop."

But Mom, who usually wouldn't miss her chance to snap at the driver at a time like this, was currently too focused on Sean to bother with such trivial things. She ignored the driver, grabbed her luggage, and exited the car.

I stared at the view in front of me and belatedly realized this luxury suite with a seaside view was the one I once told her about.

Using the money I'd saved up from my years of salary, I had planned to bring her and Sean here once she was on break.

And now I had indeed come with them—only, as a soul.

Vain as ever, Sean was clearly stunned by the scenery too. Pulling his phone out, he began snapping selfies nonstop and posted several updates to his social media.

Ever since they arrived at Meldives, they seemed to have completely forgotten that I'd just come out of surgery. They spent every day either lounging in the sun or indulging in food.

Forget about checking in with me—they hadn't so much as mentioned my name once.

Just as I was fuming with nowhere to vent, my attending physician, Yvonne Jones, suddenly showed up.

Mom also looked surprised to see her all the way out here in a foreign country.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Dr. Zieck, you've been away from the hospital for days," Yvonne said, her eyes reddening. "It's Zachary. He's…"

But Mom seemed like she already knew what Yvonne was about to say.

"He's dead, is he?" She cut Yvonne off coldly. "I've heard that line so many times that I can practically recite it. Can't you all come up with something new?"

Panic gripped Yvonne. She didn't know how to make Mom believe her, so she could only repeat herself over and over again.

"Please, just believe me this once," she cried out. "Zachary's body has been lying in the morgue for an entire week. We've been waiting for you to come and collect it!"

Mom threw her head back and laughed. "Collect his body? If he's really dead, I'd celebrate! I'd throw him the grandest funeral this country's ever seen."

Just as Yvonne was about to speak again, Mom's expression suddenly darkened.

"Enough!" she snapped. "It's bad enough that Zachary lies through his teeth every day, but now you're playing along too?

"What did he promise you to get you to come all this way and trick me? Don't tell me you have a crush on him?"

She burst out in laughter. "To think someone's actually interested in him!"

Hearing this, Sean also sidled up to them and said, "Well, if it isn't Dr. Jones. What kind of spell did Zachary cast on you to make you so loyal to him?

"I've always known you had a bit of a thing for him, but did you really have to come all the way here just to scare my mom?"

Yvonne's face flushed with fury at their mocking. Deciding to stop persuading them, she stiffened her tone and said, "Zachary's body is in the morgue right now. If you don't believe me, go see for yourselves. Just don't come crying later."