My wife, a doctor, treated our daughter like a walking blood bank. When our daughter passed away, she took it even further. She transplanted her corneas into her old flame’s son. Before our daughter’s body was even cold, she was out having dinner with her ex and his son. They were celebrating that the boy could see again. She even went so far as to secretly burn our daughter’s body to get rid of any evidence. By the time I got there, all I saw was my daughter's ashes being swallowed up by the flames. I told her I wanted a divorce. She just sneered, “It’s only a daughter. Are you really going to divorce me over this?” But later, she was down on her knees, begging me not to leave her.

“Could the family member please sign the death certificate? We will then take the child to the crematorium.”

My breath stuttered as I held back from taking the death certificate the nurse handed me. I stared blankly at it and stood still.

I had rushed back from out of town. The last time I saw my daughter was in the morgue.

I still could not accept it. Just a while ago, she was so full of life. How could she have turned into a cold, lifeless body?

The nurse looked at me with sympathy. She tried to comfort me gently. “Your daughter was very brave. She donated her corneas so another child could see again. Dr. Rosie was her mother. She must have made a tough call to sign the organ donation papers.”

Her words struck me like a heavy blow. I felt my head spin as I leaned against the wall to keep from falling.

My eyes widened and my lips trembled as I said, “Who did you say signed those papers? I’m Ev’s father. I knew nothing about this. I don’t even know how she died!”

The nurse looked startled by my outburst but still stared at me with pity.

I grabbed the death certificate and started to look for Rosie Rubble frantically.

I spent years working away from home. I did my best to give my wife, Rosie, and my daughter, Evelyn, a better life. When I heard that Evelyn’s health was deteriorating, I worked even harder. I barely came home at all.

Rosie was a doctor. She had always taken care of Evelyn. How could she let this happen and not say a word to me? She did not tell me anything about this at all!

When I saw Rosie in a ward nearby, my anger instantly turned to despair.

She was holding a boy about the same age as Evelyn. She looked at him with a tenderness in her eyes that I had never seen before.

I knew the boy. He was Jacob Gezer, the son of Rosie’s first love. After he lost his sight, he had been staying at this hospital, and Rosie had been taking care of him all this time.

I clenched my fists tightly as I watched him look around happily. I shoved the door open.

Rosie was startled. She turned around. Her smile vanished the moment she saw me.

“Do you know that Eve is dead?” My voice trembled as I pointed outside.

“She’s lying in the morgue! Why didn’t you ask me before signing those organ donation papers? Those were her eyes! How could you give them away just like that without telling me?!”

Rosie frowned. She gently calmed Jacob before replying to me in a cold voice, “I was the one who did Eve’s surgery and signed those papers. Getting worked up won’t change anything now. Just take her to be cremated.

“Helping someone see again is a good deed. Don’t forget who caused Jacob to lose his sight. Eve was just giving him back what was rightfully his.”

I felt my heart sink. I blinked repeatedly to hold back the bitterness in me.

Evelyn, her daughter, her own flesh and blood, had passed away. Yet here she was. She did not even spare her a glance in the morgue and said things that cut right to the bone.

“You’re her mother. Why didn’t you try to save her? I don’t even know how she died. She was perfectly healthy. How could she just be… gone?”

I clutched the death certificate as I wiped my stinging eyes.

“How would I know?” she shot back. “I tried my best to save her, but she didn’t pull through. Don’t pin this on me.”

“It’s because Jacob is Bruce’s son, isn’t it?” I pointed at Jacob, whom she was shielding. Anger rose in my chest.

“Don’t forget that when your precious Bruce found out Jacob went blind, he disappeared without a trace! Yet here you are, still taking care of Jacob so devotedly.”

Rosie’s face turned red with anger. She slapped me so hard that people outside peeked in to see what was happening.

I ran my tongue over my lip and tasted blood.

“Jacob went blind because of Evelyn! If she hadn’t pushed him, he wouldn’t have gone through this. While you’re enjoying your life, I’m here paying for her mistakes!

“Bruce didn’t abandon Jacob! Jacob grew up without a mother, and Bruce raised him on his own. He’s not the kind of person you think he is!” Rosie’s voice grew louder.

“Evelyn got what she deserved. She has to pay for what she did.”

My heart sank. I opened my mouth to respond, but then I heard footsteps behind me.

“Jacob, you can see again?! I came as soon as I heard!”

Bruce burst into the room. He bumped my shoulder without a glance and went straight to Rosie. He hugged her tightly in excitement.

Rosie looked surprised. Tears flowed down her face as she hugged Bruce tightly. Jacob, who had my daughter’s eyes, waved his hands in excitement and called out, “Daddy,” to him repeatedly.

The scene in front of me pierced my heart. They looked more like a family than we ever did.

Rosie wiped her tears and turned to me. She spoke in a softer voice. “You should go back and have Evelyn cremated. There’s no reason for you to stay here.”

I forced a bitter smile, stepped closer, and looked her straight in the eye. “Give me back my daughter’s eyes. I never agreed to donate them.”

Just as I finished speaking, Bruce grabbed my collar. His expression twisted in anger. He gritted his teeth and spat, “If it weren’t for Evelyn, Jacob wouldn’t have been blind for a long time!

“This is what she deserves! Who does she think she is, wanting her eyes back? You should have sent her off sooner, so she wouldn’t have to deal with a neglectful father like you!”

Rosie quickly stepped in front of us to keep us apart. She was afraid I would lash out at Bruce. “I signed the papers. If you want to blame somebody, blame me. But Bruce is right. Eve owed Jacob.

“Everyone saw what happened. Jacob lost his sight because Evelyn pushed him down the stairs. Bruce didn’t even press charges. What more do you want from us?”

“Eve is your daughter too. As her mother, you should—”

Before I could finish, Bruce interrupted me. He pulled Rosie behind him and looked at me with a sneer. “Jacob just had surgery, and Rosie is his primary doctor. She can’t go anywhere.”

It was clear what he meant.

Even though I already knew what had happened, I still found myself looking at Rosie.

She turned away and picked up Jacob without hesitation. Without looking at me, she said, “I’m not just your wife. I’m a doctor, too. I have to take care of my patients.”

At that moment, my heart felt completely crushed. Neither I nor Evelyn mattered to her as much as her first love.

I took a step back. I felt my eyes starting to sting. The three of them were still happily chatting away. Meanwhile, my daughter lay cold in the morgue.

I turned away. The tears I had been holding back finally fell and streamed down my face. I contacted the crematorium to make arrangements for Evelyn.

In the end, I stayed with Evelyn in the morgue. I changed her into the dress I had brought back from my business trip. It was a birthday gift for her. During our video call, she had shown me the style of the dress she wanted. Unfortunately, she could not see how beautiful she looked in it.

When I lifted her sleeve, I froze. I noticed how skinny Evelyn had become. Her arms were covered with tiny needle marks. I had never seen anything like that before.

Rosie was humming when she got home late that night. She was in a great mood.

She shivered as soon as she stepped inside.

“Tom! Why are you blasting the air conditioning in the middle of winter?”

A second later, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“What’s wrong with you?! Didn’t I tell you to take her to the crematorium? Why would you bring her here? Isn’t it creepy to have a dead body on our couch?!”

Rosie pressed herself against the wall. Her chest heaved as she stared at Evelyn’s body like it was some kind of nightmare.

I calmly adjusted Evelyn’s dress and smiled.

“Rosie, what are you afraid of? She’s your daughter too, right? Or did you do something to her? Are you afraid she’ll come back for revenge?”

“Enough with that nonsense!”

Rosie was visibly shaken. She tried to hold it together, but she still kept her distance from me and Evelyn.

“I’m just as heartbroken as you are, but there’s a time and a place for everything. Why bring her body home? She’ll start to decompose! Is this how you want Ev to leave us? Without any dignity?”

I kept my eyes on Rosie’s face. She did not look sad. She just wanted to get Evelyn cremated as quickly as possible.

I did not budge. Rosie thought I was just being difficult.

“Tom, can’t you understand me for once? I had five surgeries today. I’m exhausted! Can you stop acting crazy?”

Sure, she was busy at the hospital.

I nodded, took a deep breath, and pulled out my phone. It had been on the whole time.

Evelyn had just passed today. Still, Rosie could not wait to have dinner with her first love and his son to celebrate Jacob’s restored vision. Bruce posted photos on social media, and the comments were flooded with well-wishes.

Rosie glanced at the photo. She looked uneasy, but she brushed it off like it was nothing. “The dead can’t come back. Instead of causing a fuss here, why don’t you just take Ev to be cremated right away—”

“I want an autopsy.” I cut her off and gently lifted Ev’s sleeve to reveal rows of needle marks.

“I’ve never seen these before. What have you done to her?”

Rosie’s expression darkened. She sneered and tossed her bag at my feet. “You were always away on business trips. Did you ever care about Ev? She was sick all the time, and she constantly needed hospital visits. And now, you’re questioning me?

“She went so suddenly. There was no saving her. My colleagues can back me up on that!

“You’ve yelled and caused a scene. Just let Ev rest.” She shoved me and tried to take Ev, but I pushed her away.

“I want an autopsy. If she was always sick, where are the medical records? You never told me any of this. Why did she have to suffer like that?” My voice cracked with anguish. My grief was too much to bear.