“Ouch...”

Toby suddenly twisted his body in discomfort on the hospital bed.

His slight movement immediately caught Mom and Dad’s attention. They hurriedly rushed to him and asked, “What’s wrong, Toby? Does something hurt?”

Toby shook his head. His face was pale. “I’m fine. Mom, Dad, you should go check on Wilson, too. He always says you don’t care about him...”

Even fresh out of surgery, he kept bringing me up and pretending to care.

This only made Mom and Dad more exasperated. Dad poured Toby a glass of water and said with a huff, “Toby, you’re too considerate. That’s why Wilson walks all over you. He takes advantage of your generous heart!”

Mom chimed in, “Exactly! Right now, your father and I are here to protect you. Heaven forbid something happens to us! Who will look out for you then?”

As she spoke, she started to sob heart-wrenchingly.

Toby had only said those things to stir up my parents’ resentment toward me. When he saw that he had succeeded, he was pleased with himself. Even so, he forced himself not to show it.

He said in mock pity, “Mom, Dad, don’t blame Wilson. It’s my fault. If I weren’t so sick, he wouldn’t hate me like this.”

As I floated in the air, I felt nothing but disgust at his hypocrisy.

I had to put up with his constant schemes while I was alive. Even after my death, he was still smearing my name.

I never looked down on him. Despite his constant lies and accusations since childhood, I always upheld my duty as an older brother and never treated him unfairly.

I also knew that no matter how much I explained myself, Mom and Dad never believed me.

Eventually, I just stopped trying.

The moment they heard him wallowing in self-pity, Mom and Dad rushed to comfort him. “Toby, don’t you dare think like that. Of course, we’d care more about you. You’ve always been frail. Your brother was downright vile.

“If we hadn’t planned ahead, he would’ve never given you that kidney. If he’s that heartless toward his own brother, would he care about us?”

I felt nothing but desolation when I heard that.

I had managed every part of their lives, down to the smallest aspect. If they would not give me credit, the least they could do was acknowledge my years of service.

Yet, they thought I did not love them.

In that instant, I realized I had been nothing but a colossal joke.

Just as the three of them were immersed in their picture-perfect family scene, the hospital room door suddenly swung open.

It was Cayley, my girlfriend. We had been together for years, and she had witnessed firsthand how my family treated me.

Because of that, she resented my parents. Cayley had even argued with them over the phone.

Without another word, she stormed toward Toby. She grabbed him from the hospital bed and screamed, “You heartless monster! There were more compatible kidney donors for you. Why did it have to be Wilson’s? You killed him! You’re a murderer!”

My parents froze when they saw Cayley’s frenzied outburst. They were momentarily stunned.

Only after a while did Mom and Dad hurriedly pull Cayley away from Toby. Mom raised her hand to strike her. “You trash! How dare you say that? Wilson’s fine!

“Even if he’s dead, that’s his own fault! He was a lazy, useless glutton! His body was unhealthy to begin with! Donating one kidney was nothing, so quit the act!”

Cayley trembled with rage. She grabbed Mom’s wrist just before the slap landed and snarled, “Let me say this again, your son, Wilson, bled out on the operating table because you forced him to give up his kidney for Toby!”

To her disbelief, my parents dismissed her words entirely. Dad yelled furiously, “You’re the one wishing him dead! Can’t you see Toby just had surgery? What’s wrong with you, barging in here and causing a scene?!”

Cayley shuddered with anger when she heard their mocking words.

“God, you two deserve each other. You guys are utterly selfish and heartless! You don’t care about anyone but yourselves, and your mouths are just as filthy as your hearts!”

She let out a cold laugh and nodded when she saw the three of them standing united. “I see how it is. You want to build your happiness on Wilson’s grave. I won’t let that happen. You’ll regret this!”

With that, she stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

My parents sneered as they watched her leave.

Mom muttered, “What a disgraceful trash!”

From above, I could only watch helplessly as Cayley endured their cruelty.

I screamed and raged, but no one could hear me.

With the successful surgery and our parents’ constant care, Toby recovered quickly and was soon discharged.

On Toby’s discharge day, my parents grinned from ear to ear. They fussed over him, adjusted his hat, and smoothed his coat. It was as if they did not want a single thing out of place.

I followed them home. My mind wandered for a moment.

Back then, my parents had insisted that as the elder brother, I should support Toby. They forced me to drain all my savings to buy this house for him. At that time, he had not even graduated from high school.

I was stuck paying for all the renovation costs, plus the mortgage afterward.

I had foolishly agreed. Though I had bought the house myself, I only visited it a few times. I did not even have a key to the place.

Up until my death, I was still living in a cheap rental, which was why my marriage plans with Cayley never panned out.

I could only watch helplessly as they lounged comfortably on the sofa I had bought with my hard-earned money.

Not a single one of them spared even a thought for the person who had paid for everything.

On the table sat a bowl of marionberries, the kind of fruit I could not even afford to glance at twice when passing by a grocery store.

Yet they ate them with relish, as if they were the most common fruit in the world.

I was dazed as I watched them. Were these really the same parents who had constantly complained about poverty and demanded I send home most of my monthly salary?

They told me to spend less, yet they lived the luxurious life I could only dream of, and it was all funded by my hard-earned wages.

My heart sank, and I was completely speechless.

Toby opened his mouth to accept the berry Mom fed him, then asked in mock concern, “When will Wilson be discharged? You don’t think he’ll come here causing trouble, do you? Imagine the neighbors seeing that. It’ll be so embarrassing!”

Dad, who was putting away the clothes, overheard the conversation. He angrily pulled something from his pocket and slammed it onto the table.

He scowled. “What gives him the right to cause trouble here? He kept you waiting on that operating table! We’re being merciful by not holding him accountable! How dare he be angry with us?

“Don’t worry, Toby. When he gets back, I’ll make him get on his knees and apologize to you!

“That good-for-nothing just pretends to be sick for sympathy! Who does he think he’s fooling with all his made-up illnesses?”

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all when I heard them badmouthing me.

Me? Faking illnesses? I had worked overtime frequently just to earn extra money to give them a better life!

All those overtime hours had wrecked my body. I developed chronic neck and back problems. It was all because of them!

In the end, they were not just ungrateful but actually had the nerve to complain about me.

The irony hit hard, and I let out a bitter laugh. So, that was what they thought of me.

After complaining about me for a while longer, dinner was ready.

The sight of the steaming, lavish food on the table made me feel empty inside.

When I was home, I had to do every household chore. Mom and Dad would say they were too old, and Toby did not know how to cook. Naturally, the entire responsibility of the household always fell on me.

It seemed that they were perfectly capable of cooking. They just could not be bothered to cook for me.

Toby had barely sat down when our parents eagerly loaded his plate with food.

Very soon, his empty plate was stacked with a tiny mountain of food.

They kept urging him on. “Toby, eat up! You’ve come out of a big surgery. Your body needs all the nutrition it can get!”

Though his face shone with some guilt, his hands never stopped shoveling food into his mouth. He said hesitantly, “Mom, Dad, you’re buying me such expensive things. Are you sure you can afford it? I know money’s tight.”

A shrewd glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke.

I could tell he was plotting how to get his hands on our parents’ meager savings again.

Sure enough, Dad set down his spoon and smirked. “Don’t worry about it, son. Just eat. If we need more money, we’ll ask Wilson to pull some extra shifts. It’s not like it’s difficult for him.”

“Besides, we still have his marriage fund with us. It’s worth a few grand! We’ll give it all to you when the time comes!” said Mom.

I was furious when I heard that.

Never in my worst nightmare did I think my own parents would go this far. They would not stop until everything was gone. They wanted to drain me completely!

The moment Toby heard about the money, his face lit up with a fake, sweet smile. “Mom, Dad, I’ve been a little short on cash lately. Do you think you could let me use that money now?”

Mom immediately pulled out her phone and called me. “What’s this nonsense? Of course, you can! Wilson’s money is your money! If you need it, I’ll have him give you his bank card right away. You don’t even need to pay it back!”

Unfortunately, I had been dead for several days, so the calls went unanswered.

She called me repeatedly, but every attempt ended with the same outcome. There was no answer from the other end.

My mother’s face darkened as she shouted at the phone angrily, “You ungrateful trash! How dare you ignore your own mother’s calls? It’s just one lousy kidney! This? After everything we’ve done for you? We brought you into this world! You owe us your life!”

When I did not answer her call, she scrolled through her contacts until she found Cayley’s number.

The moment the call connected, my mother impatiently yelled at her, “Listen here, you trash! Is Wilson hiding at your place? Tell him if he doesn’t answer our calls, his father and I will disown him!”

Cayley stood frozen for a moment before she exploded in anger. “You’re unbelievable! I told you Wilson is dead! What part of ‘dead’ don’t you understand?”

My parents initially reacted with anger, but their expressions shifted to confusion when they heard Cayley’s grave tone. She clearly was not joking.

Besides, I had been unreachable for far too long. That was completely out of character for me.

My parents exchanged panicked glances. Despite their growing unease, they maintained their composure and snapped, “Don’t you dare spread such lies, you little trash! You two must’ve quarreled, and now, you wish him dead because you’re upset! Where is he? Tell him to come home right now!

“Look, we all know what this is about! He’s just afraid we’re angry about him refusing to donate his kidney to Toby. Tell him to stop this childish act, bring the money home, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

Cayley let out a bitter laugh at my parents’ cruel words.

As I listened, overwhelming grief consumed me. I had always believed that, no matter what, they still loved me in their own way.

I was their biological son after all. But in this moment, the truth became painfully clear.

They had never loved me. What mattered to them was the money and resources I could provide.

I cried dismally as I stood there. I was utterly speechless.

Upon hearing Cayley’s voice on the phone, Toby put on a pitiful act. “Cayley, it’s all my fault! I never meant to get sick and make things harder for Wilson. Please don’t blame Mom and Dad.”

Cayley gritted her teeth furiously and said, “You people are truly something else! You leeched off him while he was alive, and now that he’s dead, you still won’t let him be. Your whole family is nothing but parasites!”

My parents flew into a rage when they heard her insult them. “Who do you think you are? You’re just an outsider! This is our family business! Put that ungrateful brat on the phone right now!

“Don’t think that hiding him will save him! We’re his family! He can never escape us!”

They waited for Cayley to respond but were met with only eerie silence. They exchanged confused glances.

Why had Cayley, who sounded ready to fight them moments ago, become completely quiet?

Only I knew she had been rendered speechless by my family’s outrageous behavior.

I watched as she sighed wearily. Her face had aged a decade overnight from the grief of my passing.

Tears welled up as my heart ached. I felt guilty that my family had dragged her into this.

After a few seconds, Cayley rubbed her temples and said, “Why would I lie about this? You have the doctor’s number, right? Call and ask him. One phone call is all it’ll take to confirm the truth.”

She then ended the call deliberately. She had decided to cut ties with my family completely.

The dial tone echoed sharply in the silent room.

Mom hesitated before she said, “Should we… call the doctor?”

Dad said in anger, “Fine! Let’s call! I’m not afraid of him! I only held back to spare Wilson the shame of his lies being exposed. But if he wants to fight, I won’t protect him anymore!”

With that, he quickly dialed the doctor’s number.

“Hello. I wanted to inquire about your patient, Wilson. What’s his current condition? When was he discharged?”

He flashed Mom a triumphant glance, already savoring the moment my deceit would unravel.

The doctor fell silent for a few seconds as he tried to recall information about me.

Then, in a puzzled tone, he said, “Wilson? The kidney donor who died during surgery? Aren’t you his family? His remains were released weeks ago.”

The rest of his words blurred into white noise. Only one phrase echoed in their minds, “Died during surgery.”

The glass slipped from Mom’s hand and shattered on the floor.