Chapter 1

“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.