Chapter 2

My mom finally finished dealing with all the relatives. When she saw me reaching for the phone to call the funeral home, she could not stay calm.

She fell to her knees in front of me with a thud. Her loud cries drew people from the other wards to peek and see what was happening.

“I’m begging you! Just let Lila go in peace!

“We don’t want her to have a grand funeral, and we don’t want you using her memory to make money.”

My mom even prostrated on the floor as she pleaded.

She cried so hard that her tears streamed down her face. Anyone watching would have thought she was a devoted, loving mother.

The onlookers talked all at once. They demanded that I respect my parents’ wishes. Some even mocked me.

“Your sister’s dead, but you’re still trying to take advantage of her! You’re nothing but a greedy villain!”

“You won’t even let your sister rest in peace! Your parents raised you all those years for nothing!”

I clutched my chest and stepped back. I stared at my mom in disbelief.

“I just want Lila to leave with dignity. What did I even do wrong?

“She’s my sister! How could I possibly hurt her?”

The onlookers saw how sincere I was and turned to my mom. They urged her to let Lila have a proper farewell.

My mom had no way to oppose me and could not say a single word in refusal.

If Lila truly had a grand funeral, her plan to fake her death and escape those three lunatics would fail.

While my mom was unsure of what to do, my dad stepped forward.

He made the final call and said we would keep the funeral low-key.

He tried to make it sound reasonable. “The funeral procedures back home are complicated. We don’t have the time. A simple ceremony with just our family will be enough.”

I smiled and agreed. Then, I turned to the doctor who had just emerged from the operating room.

“Lila registered for organ donation. As her family, I want to respect her wishes.

“Please determine which of her organs can be donated and ensure they reach people who need them,” I said.

The doctor’s eyes lit up. He took my hand and thanked me.

Without delay, he handed me the organ donation agreement to sign.

My mom was so terrified that she slipped off the hospital bench and rushed over to stop me.

She grabbed the agreement from me and tore it to pieces.

She fought to keep her temper in check and snapped, “Who said you could consent to organ donation? Lila is my daughter. If I say no, it’s a no!”

I opened Lila’s organ donor card on my phone and held it up for her.

“Lila made this decision on her eighteenth birthday. It isn’t our place to change it now.”

The doctor spoke up and explained the law to her in front of everyone.

My mom refused to listen. She would not allow them to take Lila’s organs.

She even threw herself down in the middle of the hallway and yelled at the doctor, “If you want my daughter’s organs, you’ll have to step over my dead body to get them!”

Among the onlookers was a woman whose child was waiting for a transplant. She saw an opening and refused to let it pass.

She pushed her way forward and cried as she tried to sway my mom.

“My son is only eight. He’s waiting for a transplant. Our whole family is counting on you!”

The people around us also tried to persuade my mom. They tried to convince her that organ donation could save many families and that she should not refuse.

But Lila was not actually dead. My mom could not agree to donate her organs.

She would never put her daughter’s life at risk.

She cried so hard she could barely breathe, but she did not budge.

No matter how much they tried to guilt-trip her, she only said, “No!”

When they realized they had no chance, they slunk back into the crowd.

My mom stood there like a victor. She looked around, then turned to me.

“Lila is your sister! Do you really want her to be left in pieces even after death?”