My daughter and my husband's godson were diagnosed with acute leukemia at the same time. The doctor said cord blood could save their lives. His adopted sister, Mia, knelt before me holding her child, kowtowing over a hundred times. "Chloe, please give the cord blood to me. Leo's father died right after he was born, and I didn't save any cord blood. Just have pity on us, mother and son." "Leo is my only child, please save him." I firmly rejected her pleas, unwilling to gamble with my daughter's life. However, on the day of my daughter's surgery, Arthur ran me over with his car, leaving me severely injured. The tires rolled back and forth over my thigh bones; the pain was so intense I nearly lost consciousness. He looked at me struggling in a pool of blood, his eyes full of complex emotions. "Chloe, I'm sorry. I had to do this for Leo." "You shouldn't have fought Mia for the cord blood. Leo's condition is much worse than our daughter's; if we have to save someone, it has to be him first." I was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, while he turned around and took the cord blood to save Mia's son. It wasn't until I woke up in the hospital room that all I received was my daughter's death certificate. 1 [Death caused by asphyxiation resulting from intracranial hemorrhage.] These stark words were printed on Joy's death certificate. My hands trembled, and my vision gradually blurred. Boisterous noise drifted in from outside the hospital room. Many people had gathered to celebrate the successful surgery of Mia's son. Arthur was especially radiant; holding Leo in his arms, he gently squeezed his little hand. "I knew Leo had a great destiny. The surgery was very successful, and now our Leo can grow up healthy just like other kids!" This sentence pierced my chest like a sharp blade. My daughter Joy, just over a month old, could have grown up healthy too. But now, she was dead in this hospital. Large teardrops instantly fell onto that piece of paper. When Arthur stepped into the hospital room, Mother Vance and Mia were right behind him. Seeing I was awake, his face beamed with joy, and he held Leo out for me to see. "Chloe, look! Leo's treatment was very successful! I can hardly believe it; the doctor originally said the chances of success were very low." "Leo truly is a lucky star..." Before he could finish, he looked up and met my bloodshot eyes. For a moment, all his words choked in his throat. Arthur also remembered what he had done to me to save Leo, a flash of guilt passing through his eyes. At that moment, Mia walked to my bedside and, without a word, knelt down before me. "Chloe, thank you. If it weren't for you, Leo's surgery wouldn't have been successful!" Seeing her kneel, Arthur and Mother Vance were overwhelmed with heartache. Mother Vance looked at me with extreme impatience and pulled Mia up. "Alright, the gesture is enough. Her daughter was so sick, she should have given the cord blood to Leo anyway." They were still immersed in the joy of Mia's son recovering his health. But no one knew that my daughter was already dead. Seeing my dazed expression, Arthur sighed. "The most important thing for you now is to rest and heal. I had no choice. No matter what, Leo is my godson, and my mom loves him so much." "Whether you hate me or resent me, don't go looking for trouble with Mia. I will figure out another way for Joy's illness." He admitted to what he did, but there wasn't a hint of regret in his eyes. For an outsider's son, he could even abandon his own biological daughter! My heart plummeted, and with bloodshot eyes, I met his gaze. "Joy just passed her one-month mark. Did you even think about her? She is your biological daughter!" "You are all so selfish. Did you ever think about what would happen to my daughter?!" Chapter 2 My emotions were near collapse as I questioned them like a madwoman. Leo was scared by my shouting and started crying loudly. Arthur's face turned pale, and Mother Vance trembled with anger. She pointed at my nose and scolded. "My son staying with someone like you is just wasting the rest of his life!" "My old bones just want to hold a grandson. If you hadn't given birth to that sickly, worthless girl, I would have had a grandson long ago!" Mother Vance was typically biased towards boys. Since I gave birth to Joy, She had been spreading rumors everywhere that it was all my fault. That if my genes weren't bad, I wouldn't have given birth to a daughter with congenital deficiencies. Mother Vance left after throwing a tantrum. Arthur continuously comforted Leo in his arms, his eyes looking at me with extreme complexity. After they left, the hospital room returned to silence. It wasn't until a nurse came in to give me an IV that I spoke hoarsely. "Do you know where my daughter's body is? I want to see her." As my words fell, the nurse looked at me in surprise. "Hasn't your daughter already been donated to our hospital? The child's father has already signed the papers." "She's now in the specimen room..." 2 My head buzzed, not understanding what the nurse meant. "What specimen? Where is my daughter?" My eyes widened, my lips trembling, as I tried to drag my broken leg to leave the room. The nurse was scared by my drastic reaction. She stopped me while trying to calm me down. "Mrs. Vance, you just had surgery, you can't get out of bed yet." "Your husband signed the body donation agreement, which will contribute to the entire medical field. Please calm down first." The moment my freshly operated leg touched the ground, the severe pain made my vision go black. Blood spilled all over the floor as the wound tore open. The nurse kept trying to dissuade me, but I tightly grabbed her hand. "I want to see my daughter! I never agreed! She was just a month old, what right does your hospital have to take her for research!" Seeing my frantic state, the nurse had no choice but to take me to the specimen room. I saw Joy at a glance. I stood rooted to the spot, my trembling fingertips pressed against the glass. She was soaked in formalin, her face a dark, bruised color. She would never open her eyes again. "Your hospital is breaking the law! I never agreed to donate her body!" I roared silently, my fists continuously pounding against the glass. The nurse tried to stop me but couldn't. The commotion quickly attracted security guards, who forcefully dragged me out of the specimen room. The nurse looked at me with deep sympathy. She showed me the body donation agreement, and Arthur's signature was indeed on it. "Please accept my condolences." I stared blankly at Arthur's name, a metallic taste of blood suddenly rising in my throat. A long while later, I staggered to my feet and looked up, only to see Arthur not far down the corridor. Beside him, Mia was teasing the child lying in his arms. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were a family of three. I stumbled over to him and fiercely grabbed his collar. "Why did you do this?! Why did you treat Joy like this? She was your daughter! She was the child I carried for ten months and barely survived bringing into this world!" My roar echoed through the hospital corridor, and people passing by stopped to look. Faced with my questioning, Arthur's face was as dark as ink. He held the child in his arms tightly and forcefully swatted my hand away. "What crazy fit are you throwing? You're injured, shouldn't you be resting in bed instead of causing a scene in front of me?" "Didn't I tell you? I'll figure something else out for Joy. Medical care is better abroad. I won't let our daughter suffer." Chapter 3 I sneered, my eyes red. The image of Joy's body in the specimen room lingered in my mind, refusing to fade. She was still so small, her organs hollowed out, turned into a specimen. Forever submerged in a tank of formalin. Even so, Arthur was still playing dumb. Mia shielded the child behind her, looking at me nervously. "Chloe, if you have any grievances, take them out on me. Don't blame Arthur; he did it all for me." "Don't let me ruin the relationship between you two..." Although Mia was speaking words of apology, I caught the glint of triumph flashing in her eyes. I instantly understood. If it weren't for Arthur's indulgence, my daughter wouldn't have died, nor would she have been turned into a specimen. My hands hung limply at my sides, tears shimmering in my eyes. Looking at my blood-soaked state, Arthur's tone softened involuntarily. "Don't worry, I do what I say. There's no need for you to make a scene here." "I already promised to give our daughter the best treatment. With leukemia, she could only live for three years at most. You might as well let her go early..." "We are still young. We can have another healthy child." He had said this to me countless times since Joy was born. "Arthur, you really don't deserve to be a father." Rather than having Joy spend her whole life in a hospital, it was better to take her away. And never return. 3 I stayed in the hospital for a full month before being allowed to be discharged. During this time, Arthur tried multiple times to mend our relationship, but I ignored him every time. Gradually, he lost patience too. He seemed to have forgotten he even had a daughter, pouring all his energy into Leo. It wasn't until I was discharged that Arthur came looking for me. "Leo has recovered very well. Mom wants us to go back to the old house for dinner to celebrate." Seeing I remained silent, he sat beside me and squeezed my hand. "I know you're still angry about that. Don't worry, I've already contacted doctors abroad. In a little while, we'll send Joy abroad for treatment..." "How long has it been since you went to see Joy?" I suddenly interrupted him. He still didn't know Joy had passed away, and I no longer cared to correct him. Arthur's face stiffened. He seemed to recall that he indeed hadn't checked on his daughter for a long time. Just as he was about to say something else, I stood up first, creating distance between us. "Didn't you say we're going back to the old house for dinner? Let's go." Arthur agreed and followed closely behind me, his gaze frequently landing on me. When we arrived at the old house, Mia was there too. She smiled politely at me. The child in her arms had already been nourished to a fair and plump state. I felt a bit dazed. If Joy were still alive, I would definitely have raised her even better. "Chloe, you don't mind me being here, do you?" Catching my gaze, Mia became even more protective of her son. "It's just that Mom specially asked me to come over today too..." "I don't mind." I dropped that casual remark and walked past her. The dinner was anything but harmonious. Arthur sat close to Mia, looking at Leo with eyes full of fatherly love. Mother Vance also couldn't get enough of this grandson. I sat silently in the corner. Until Mother Vance's attention finally landed on me. She let out a cold snort and suddenly spoke. "Chloe, you carrying that burden Joy around is already dragging our Arthur down." "So I want you two to divorce, and let Arthur marry Mia." "Leo's father passed away, and he needs a new father. Don't worry, whatever amount of money you want, I can give it to you." Chapter 4 As soon as Mother Vance finished speaking, the chopsticks in Arthur's hand fell to the floor. He stared at Mother Vance with wide eyes in disbelief. "Mom! Didn't I tell you not to bring this up again!" "Besides, Chloe and I, and Joy..." He instinctively looked at me as he spoke. "Mia grew up with you, and Leo is your godson. He's still so young, and his condition just stabilized. If you become his father, there'll be someone to take care of him." Hearing this, Arthur pressed his lips tightly together and didn't argue back. I knew he was hesitating. His eyes showed a lack of resolve. Beside him, Mia spoke understandingly. "Arthur, it's okay if you don't want to. I will take good care of Leo. Don't feel put on the spot because of me." Mother Vance kept urging him from the side. His gaze lingered on me constantly, and after a long while, he finally sighed. "Chloe, you heard it too. I really have no choice." "How about we divorce first, and when Leo grows up, we remarry." This sentence made my clenched fists slowly open, and the hope at the bottom of my heart completely dissipated. He truly always chose someone else. I didn't refuse, just nodded and put down my chopsticks. "Alright, when are we going to the courthouse? Now?" 4 Arthur didn't expect me to agree so readily. For a moment, the expressions on his face shifted constantly. Seeing they weren't speaking, and unwilling to stay there any longer, I prepared to leave. But Arthur called out to me. "I promise, as soon as Leo doesn't need me anymore, we'll remarry." "During this time, I will support you and our daughter, and I'll be a responsible father." I didn't respond to his promise. After leaving the Vance family mansion, I went straight to the hospital. I was going to take my daughter away. Even if she had become a specimen, she was still my daughter. Ignoring the hospital staff's attempts to stop me, I charged straight into the specimen room. The doctors chased after me. "Mrs. Vance, your daughter's body donation was consented to by her father. We followed legal procedures." "I understand your feelings right now, but you can't just take her away like this." Deaf to their protests, I grabbed a fire extinguisher and repeatedly smashed the formalin container. The glass shattered with a crash, the sharp shards cutting my palms. I tightly hugged my daughter's shriveled corpse, glaring resentfully at those doctors. "I am the child's mother. Without my consent, you have no right to take my daughter away." The doctors were frightened by my manic state. Unable to stop me, they contacted Arthur and Mia. By the time they arrived, I was still entangled with several doctors. Mia shouted loudly. "Chloe, stop making a scene, okay? It's one thing if you're unhappy with us, but why cause a ruckus at the hospital? These specimens are very helpful for the hospital's research!" On the surface, Mia was trying to stop me, but her words were entirely meant to remind me that it was Arthur who signed the body donation form, which led to Joy becoming a specimen. Joy had a chance to be saved; it was all because of them. Meeting my bloodshot eyes and seeing the mess on the floor, Arthur instinctively frowned. "You say you don't care, but now you're making a huge scene at the hospital. Have you ever considered my face?" I held Joy tightly in my arms, tears shimmering in my eyes. "Didn't you want to marry Mia? I'm stepping aside for you." I took large strides past him. He had never seen me like this before and yelled after me. "Chloe! If you leave, don't ever come back." I didn't pause for a moment. My daughter and I would, as he wished, never come back.
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