My mother-in-law was rushed to the hospital with sudden chest pain and sent straight into emergency surgery. However, my wife, who was the head of the thoracic department, insisted that her clueless young male apprentice be the lead surgeon instead.

The apprentice stood in front of the operating table. He couldn’t even recognize half of the surgical instruments laid out before him.

He pouted and fidgeted a little. “I forgot again…”

My wife just smiled indulgently at him. Even though the patient’s chest had been opened, she patiently spent ten minutes explaining the instruments to him before the surgery finally began.

In the end, the apprentice’s hand trembled, and he accidentally punctured the tumor. Terrified, he let out a sharp scream and threw himself into my wife’s arms. To console him, my mother-in-law’s only chance at survival was gone, and she died right there on the operating table.

My wife walked out of the operating room, supporting her badly shaken apprentice, and glanced at me indifferently.

“Before you take your mother’s body away, provide an affidavit of non-prosecution to the hospital. Your mom couldn’t have been saved anyway. Anthony is still young. His future can’t be ruined because of your mother.”

Only then did I realize that she thought the person lying on that operating table was my mother.

I chuckled and said, “I'm afraid I'm not qualified to do that.”

Laura Johnson clicked her tongue impatiently.

“Are you refusing to do it? Be grateful. If you won’t provide an affidavit of non-prosecution, what are you planning to do instead? Cause a scene at the hospital?”

Anthony Stilton slowly lifted his head from Laura’s shoulder, looking weak and pitiful.

“Ms. Laurie, please don’t be angry with Felix. His mom just died, after all. It’s normal for him to feel upset…” As he spoke, he began pounding his chest in anguish. “It’s my fault the patient couldn’t be saved. I’m useless. If my medical skills were better, then no one would have died…”

Laura looked heartbroken. There was a softness in her eyes that I had never seen before.

“Anthony, you’re too kind. Don’t blame yourself for everything. With his mother’s condition, no matter who operated, she couldn’t have been saved. How could this possibly be your fault?”

Then, she turned toward me, her gaze cold.

“Felix, do you have to push the kid so far? Come on, provide an affidavit of non-prosecution. And while you’re at it, get him a thank-you bouquet for Anthony to show your gratitude. Write him a note that says he’s a kind-hearted healer with the compassion of a true doctor. Got it?”

I nearly lost control of my expression. This was completely absurd. When Laura heard that I had brought my mother-in-law to the hospital, she rushed over immediately with Anthony in tow. I had thought she was worried about her mother’s condition and wanted to perform the surgery herself. Instead, she let an intern, someone who had only been at the hospital for two months, take the lead as the lead surgeon.

Now the patient was dead, and the family was supposed to thank the doctor? However, since Laura herself seemed to think her mother deserved to die, what was there left for me to say?

I suppressed a smile and nodded repeatedly. “Of course, I agree not to pursue the matter, but this isn’t something I can decide alone. How about this? I’ll record a short audio clip of you confirming that you agree as well. That way, it’ll be easier for me to handle the hospital paperwork.”

Laura looked at me as if I were an idiot.

“Are you stupid? That’s your mother, not mine. What does your mother's dying have to do with me?”

For a moment, the expression on her face felt strangely familiar. Then, I remembered that not long ago, I had seen my mother-in-law’s medical report of her tumor diagnosis in her room. She had begged me again and again not to tell Laura because Laura was at a critical stage in her career, and she didn’t want Laura to lose focus because of her illness. Yet somehow, Laura eventually found the report anyway.

Seeing the pleading look in my mother-in-law’s eyes, I had no choice but to lie. I told Laura that the report belonged to my own mother. However, only now did I finally understand the strange expression she had shown at the time; she had been gloating.

Seeing that I remained silent while stubbornly holding up my phone to record, she finally spoke impatiently, “Fine, fine. I, Laura, agree not to pursue the matter. Happy now? Now move aside. Can’t you see Anthony is exhausted from performing surgery?”

Anthony shrank deeper into my wife’s arms. With those clear, foolish-looking eyes, he smirked in my direction, as if trying to provoke me.

Laura shoved past me and glanced sideways at me.

“Stop behaving as if the world did you wrong. With your mom’s condition, even if she stayed alive until the end of this year, she wouldn’t have made it past next year.”

She wasn’t wrong. I just hoped that when she found out the one who died was her mother, she would still be so carefree.

While the hospital staff transferred the body to the morgue, someone from the medical administration department came to speak with me. The hospital was put in a difficult position. After all, Laura was both the lead surgeon and a family member of the patient.

Before they could say anything, I provided an affidavit of non-prosecution along with the audio recording of Laura’s agreement. The doctors all stared at me in shock.

After leaving the administration office, I headed toward the morgue. Halfway there, I ran into Laura and Anthony walking hand in hand. When she saw that I was on my way to claim the body, she immediately stood in my way and slapped a piece of paper against my face.

“Sign it.”

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.”

Laura rushed over from the staff lounge the moment she heard.

“Felix, have you lost your mind? Doctors aren’t gods. Your mom died, and you want to blame me for it?”

I answered calmly, “I’m not blaming you. I just don’t want to stay married to you anymore.”

Laura frowned deeply, forcing down the anger rising in her chest.

“Anthony and I both did everything we could during your mom’s surgery. I know you can’t accept it right now, but don’t joke about divorce, okay?”

Beside her, Anthony finally seemed to understand what was happening. He let out a startled yelp and then pointed at his own nose blankly.

“Felix, if you’re not blaming Ms. Laurie, then are you blaming me for this?”

His eyes reddened, and he bent down, his hand covering his face.

“I’m useless. I couldn’t save Mrs. Hampton. It’s my fault. Felix, if you want to let it out on someone, let it out on me, but don’t divorce Ms. Laurie. Ms. Laurie is innocent!”

Laura quickly pulled him up and snapped at me, “Anthony is already under a lot of pressure because this happened. Do you really have to push him like that? You want to divorce me? Felix, get this straight. Your mom is gone, and your dad is old. Do you really think you’ll have your parents backing you up? You’d better get it in your head that the person you can rely on from now on is me, not those parents of yours who already have one foot in the grave!”

I looked at her quietly. Her ugly expression was reflected clearly in my eyes.

“Laura, you’ve finally spoken your mind. You’ve been eyeing my parents’ money all these years, eating, taking, and benefiting from them. And now that ridiculous pride of yours is acting up again. Honestly, I can’t stand the way you’re acting right now.”

Laura’s face instantly flushed red. Anthony, meanwhile, looked confused, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of us.

“Fine! Let’s get a divorce! Let’s do it now!” Laura wiped her face fiercely, her eyes bloodshot as she said, “You’ve got money, Felix. Good for you! You’d better pray your dad never gets sick. Don’t come begging me to treat him later. My door is closed!”

Before she left, she glanced at the mess of my mother-in-law’s body and made a call to the crematorium.

She sneered, “It’s just a useless pile of rotting flesh. Come and take it away quickly. This is a waste of the hospital’s space!”

Originally, I had wanted Laura to see her mother one last time, but now it seemed unnecessary.

A few hours later, the crematorium called me. I went to collect the ashes, set up a funeral for my mother-in-law, and notified Laura and the rest of the family. After all, we had been family through marriage, and as the son-in-law, I had done everything I could.

After spending the entire day preparing, I returned to the funeral hall, only to freeze in shock. Dog blood had been splashed all over my mother-in-law’s memorial portrait, and someone had crudely drawn a huge X across the face. The dark streak ran from the forehead all the way down to the chin, cutting straight across both eyes.

The long table meant for candles was now covered with beer cans and bags of chips. The speakers that should have been playing solemn songs were blasting eerie, discordant music instead.

“Ah, now that’s more like it!”

Anthony laughed as he kicked the urn aside. Ashes scattered across the floor. Then, he grabbed a paint marker and began scribbling all over the deceased's name until it was completely defaced. I stood there in a daze, staring at the scene in front of me with a lump in my throat.

At that moment, the door to the funeral hall was pushed open. Laura walked in on her high heels, her gaze sweeping across the chaos filling the room, yet there wasn’t the slightest hint of anger on her face. If anything, there was a faint, cruel smile hidden in her eyes.

Anthony winked at her and ran over eagerly, as if asking for praise. “Ms. Laurie, you said funerals shouldn’t be so depressing. Isn’t this creative of me?”

Laura walked up to the portrait. She looked at the face that had been defaced beyond recognition. She couldn’t realize at all that it was her own mother’s memorial photo. Casually, she straightened the frame before nodding in satisfaction. Her voice was calm and unhurried.

“Not bad. What’s the point of having a bunch of people crying here anyway? You should light the place up and make it lively. That way, she wouldn’t have died in vain.”