I went to a medical donation center to register as a body donor.

The staff member frowned as she looked at me. "Body donation requires consent from your immediate family. Without that, we can't proceed."

Immediate family.

If my parents and Moira found out, how would they react?

A small part of me still hoped they might care. Maybe they would stop me or tell me not to do it.

My hand trembled around my phone. The staff member gently reminded me twice.

I clenched my jaw and called my mom.

It rang for nearly half a minute before someone picked up.

But it wasn't her. It was Doug.

The moment he heard my hoarse voice, he let out a cold laugh. "Are you playing the victim again? Have you forgotten what happened yesterday?"

His tone pulled me straight back to last night.

Dad had just announced he was transferring all his shares in Daniel Enterprise to Doug when my symptoms hit. I couldn't breathe, and blood seeped from my nose and mouth.

I dragged myself out of the living room, barely holding on, and begged them to call for help.

Dad and Moira only frowned. Mom looked at me like I disgusted her.

"Doug's right. You're just jealous. The second we show him any attention, you start pulling tricks to get it back. Didn't you see Doug has a cold? All you think about is yourself. If the donor gets sick, won't that affect you?"

Sure that I was faking, they rushed Doug to the hospital instead.

I lay on the floor, helpless, and used the last of my strength to call emergency services for myself.

The memory faded as Doug passed the phone to my mom.

Her voice, warm just moments ago, turned icy the second she spoke to me. "What now? Today is Doug's big day! Your father's officially transferring the shares."

Laughter from Moira and Doug drifted through the line. I went still for a second.

When I didn't answer, she grew impatient, ready to hang up.

I forced the words out. "Mom… I'm signing up as a body donor. They need consent from the immediate family. Can you…"

There was a brief silence.

Then, her voice dropped even colder. "You know today's Doug's celebration, and you're still pulling this for attention? If you've got the nerve, go donate."

She hung up impatiently after speaking.

I handed over the electronic signature she had just given, ignoring the staff member's stunned look, and signed the agreement.

-

By the time I got home, it was already night.

Doug strode over the moment he saw me, a smug smile tugging at his pale face. "Hey, I heard you signed the body donation papers. Is that true?"

I didn't answer. I moved to go around him toward the guest room when he suddenly grabbed my arm and threw himself backward.

I froze as he hit the ground hard.

"Doug!" Moira rushed out, shoved me aside, and helped him up, her voice tight with concern. "Are you okay?"

Doug shook his head, looking wronged. "It's my fault. Jay thinks I stole Mom, Dad, and you from him. Getting pushed around a little is nothing."

Moira's expression sharpened as she glared at me. "Jay, how can you be this jealous? I'm really disappointed in you."

"It wasn't me. He grabbed my hand! He fell on his own!"

I tried to explain, but my parents had already come out. After hearing Doug's version of the story, my dad didn't hesitate and slapped me across the face.

The sound cracked through the living room, and my cheek swelled instantly.

My mom shook with anger. "How did I end up with a son like you? You want Doug's healthy marrow, and you still make his life miserable. You didn't even show up to his celebration today! No wonder you were raised the way you were. Put this kind of effort into a career, and you'd be rich by now!"

Hearing those words from my own mother sent a chill straight through me.

I didn't tell them I had planned to go, but Doug had stopped me, saying, "If I see you at the party, I'll make sure they throw you out of the house."

Now, seeing me silent, Moira looked at me like I was a stranger.

"Jay, I shouldn't have let Doug get tested in the first place. The surgery's getting closer, and instead of being grateful, you're picking fights with him. I don't even recognize you anymore."

Doug spoke up right on cue. "Mom, Dad, Moira… Let's do the transplant the day after tomorrow. Living with him and dealing with this every day… I'm exhausted."

My parents pulled him into their arms, hearts aching for him.

Moira shot me a hard look. "Happy now?"

Dad added, "Don't think that just because Doug donates his marrow, you'll have us all to yourself. Keep dreaming! We raised him for 23 years. He'll always be our favorite son."

I couldn't look at them anymore. I turned and walked quickly into the guest room, tears finally spilling over.

What I really wanted to say was simple. I didn't want the transplant anymore. I just want one last meal with all of them.

Back when they loved me, the three of them would sit down with me without fail.

But ever since Doug came back, we hadn't shared a single meal.

Their reason was simple: if I was already taking Doug's marrow, I didn't deserve to live better than he did.

Now, I wasn't even given a chance to speak.

On the day of the bone marrow transplant, Moira was the lead surgeon, but she never moved to harvest Doug's marrow.

I had expected it, but my chest still tightened anyway.

Right before we were wheeled into the operating room, Doug had leaned in close and whispered tauntingly, "Wanna make a bet? I bet she won't take my marrow for you."

He sounded so sure of himself.

I forced a faint smile.

A part of me still hoped Moira wouldn't let me down. We met in college and spent five years together.

As I lay on the operating table, however, she didn't look at me once. Her eyes stayed on Doug the whole time, filled with concern.

She lifted the scalpel, then hesitated. When the anesthesiologist was about to sedate Doug, he suddenly started crying.

"Moira… I don't know how long this body will hold up after the surgery. While I'm still okay, there's something I want to say."

She reached for his hand right away, her expression soft.

Doug's voice shook. "I've never been as lucky as Jay. I didn't have wealthy parents. I didn't have someone like you… No wonder he's always saying everything I have now was handed to me by him. Moira… After you take my marrow, will I recover like before?"

As soon as he finished, Moira shot me a sharp look. Then she turned back to Doug, her voice gentle. "You're what matters most."

Their voices carried outside the operating room.

My parents heard everything. They decided right then to cancel the surgery.

I watched them walk out with Doug, gathered close around him.

Outside, they laughed and talked like they had just escaped something terrible.

My mom wiped her tears, smiling. "Let's go on a trip. Just the family."

Doug hesitated, playing his part. "What about Jay…?"

Moira didn't even pause. "He'll be fine. Plenty of people donate marrow every year. We can find him another match. It's not a big deal."

My dad didn't say anything.

Their voices faded as they walked away.

It was as if they had forgotten I was still there, lying on the cold table.

As a medical graduate myself, I knew my chances of surviving were slim. My breathing slowed, then stopped on that cold operating table.

-

A week later, they came back from their trip and couldn't find me.

They didn't know my soul was still there, drifting above them, watching.

My mom suddenly looked up, like she felt something. For a moment, it was like her eyes met mine.

Her heart started racing. She turned to Moira. "Have they found a new donor for Jay?"

Moira's smile faltered for a second before she answered lightly, "We found a match overseas. The private jet's already been sent to bring them here."

For a brief moment, I saw something like guilt cross my mom's face.

"We've been so focused on making it up to Doug that I feel like we've neglected our own son. I should've corrected him sooner. I wonder how Jay's doing now…"

My dad paused, cigarette in hand, silent for a while.

Was he thinking about me?

Back when we reunited, my dad said I looked exactly like him when he was younger. He told everyone that after my adoptive parents died when I was still a kid, I somehow clawed my way through life doing odd jobs just to put myself through college. He said that kind of grit reminded him of himself.

He had even told the media once that I was his pride and joy...

My mom's words caught Moira off guard, too. Only then did she realize it had been a long time since she had contacted me privately.

Moira suddenly wondered if my condition had been painful whenever it flared up. For a brief moment, she wanted to call me.

But then she remembered how I had supposedly made things difficult for Doug and felt that a man like me deserved a lesson.

So she reassured my mom gently. "Don't worry. I already checked on Jay before I left. At worst, these next few days will rough him up a little and wear down his temper. Once the marrow transplant's done, he'll be back on his feet in no time."

Only then did my mom finally relax.

"He's had a hard life since he was little. Nothing ever came easy for him. After the transplant, bring him home for dinner. As long as he apologizes properly to Doug, he can move back in with us."

Moira nodded. "Once the transplant's over, there's something I need to tell him, too."

Doug's eyes widened instantly. He clearly hated hearing that, but this time, he didn't dare say a word.

As I listened to them talk, even my hands, drifting there in midair, trembled slightly. And yet, inside, I felt strangely calm.

I wish I could tell them there was no "after this" for me anymore.

Their beloved son, their fiancé, died on that freezing operating table a week ago.

Yet, none of them knew. They were still planning a future that included me.

Moira said that once this latest anatomy demonstration was finished, she would personally perform my marrow transplant surgery.

-

A few days later, Moira returned to the medical school to supervise a dissection class.

The cadaver for the demonstration was wheeled into the room beneath a white sheet.

The moment she saw the shape beneath the sheet, a strange sense of familiarity washed over her. She thought about how completely I had vanished, and the unease in her chest grew stronger.

"No... Jay's just throwing a tantrum," she muttered under her breath as she reached out and pulled back the sheet.

My pale, lifeless face came into view before her eyes.