The Surgeon's Ghost
"Have Samuel show up, cure Nicky's illness, and I'll let your whole family go. Otherwise, I'll make sure you lose your last remaining family member today."
And then, the heart monitor beside my mother's bed let out a long, flat beep and flatlined.
Under the relentless torment, my mother had slipped away.
My sister clutched our mother's body and wailed, her grief turning into a frenzy as she screamed at Adeline.
"Samuel is dead! He's been dead for years! Why won't you believe me?!
"He died four years ago! Four years ago, he gave you his heart, and you didn't even know!