Chapter 2

I picked it up and took a look. It was an organ donation consent form. Even though my mother-in-law wasn’t my biological mother, my expression turned cold.

“Mom was religious. Didn’t you know that? She believed in being returned to earth. I won’t agree to the donation.”

Suddenly, Laura burst out laughing.

“Oh, wow. It’s the twenty-first century. How can someone remain so superstitious? If you ask me, your mom must have done many terrible things in her life. That’s why she died from cancer. Otherwise, why would she be the one to get cancer while everyone else is fine?”

Anthony chuckled and chimed in without the slightest trace of guilt. “Felix, why don’t you let your mom do one last good deed while she’s still useful? Maybe that way she’ll go to heaven. It’s the same principle as slaughtering a pig. Right after it dies, everything’s the freshest. If you wait too long, it’ll be too late.”

The dead deserved respect. Even if the person lying there wasn’t his own mother, how could a doctor say something like that?

With anger boiling inside me, I finally snapped and shouted, “Isn’t she your mother? Where is your conscience? I will never agree to the donation!”

I turned and started walking toward the door, but someone grabbed me. Laura’s fingernails dug deeply into my flesh.

She raised her other hand as she threatened, “You ungrateful piece of trash. I tried talking to you nicely, but you wouldn’t listen, huh?”

I fixed my sharp gaze on her.

“Laura, don’t you dare lay a hand on me. If my parents find out, they won’t let you get away with it!”

Before I could say anything else, Laura slapped me hard across the face. My cheek instantly burned with pain.

“So what if you were born into a good family? You’re always using your parents to pressure me. Do you really think I’m a pushover?”

She grabbed my hand, forced me to sign the donation form, and shoved me aside. I stared at her in disbelief. In the past, she wouldn’t even raise her voice at me, and now she could actually hit me?

Anthony hurried over and grabbed Laura’s hand.

“Ms. Laurie, don’t be angry. You’ll hurt your hand!”

Laura immediately suppressed the fury on her face, afraid of frightening her precious apprentice.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Getting angry over trash like him isn’t worth it. Come on, let’s go handle the body.”

Anthony’s eyes suddenly lit up as if he’d thought of something.

“Ms. Laurie, don’t you have another surgery scheduled? Did you forget? Why don’t you get some rest first? Leave the body to me. I’ll show you how much I’ve learned!”

After Laura left, Anthony casually pulled away the white cloth covering the body and picked up a cranial saw, slicing open my mother-in-law’s skull.

He clicked his tongue in disgust. “Her brain had shrunk. It can’t even be used as a specimen.”

Following that, he dug out her eyeballs.

“An old lady with failing eyesight? Her corneas are also useless.”

In an instant, her head became unrecognizable. Then, he began cutting open her chest and abdomen. My mother-in-law’s organs were pulled out and tossed around carelessly. As he worked, he even took photos and sent them to Laura.

Laura’s voice message soon came through, filled with praise.

“Good job, Anthony! You’re not afraid at all. For your first time handling a body, you’ve got to be bold. Anyway, there’s nothing useful left on Felix’s mom’s body. This is the perfect chance for you to practice. At least her death won’t be completely meaningless!”

I couldn’t help covering my mouth as nausea surged up.

Anthony looked at me with a cheerful smile.

“Your mom is just too old. There’s nothing on her body worth reusing. Felix, I have to take things out first to see if they’re useful. It’s all part of the process. Don’t take it personally.”

I took a long, deep breath. Of course, I didn’t take it personally. Even Laura, her own daughter, was cheering him on. Why should I, an outsider, care?

However, now that I had seen Laura’s true colors, there was no way I could keep up the act and continue living with her. Who knew when she might turn around and hurt my parents, too?

I grabbed Anthony’s phone and spoke into it, “Laura, we’re getting a divorce.”