Chapter 3

Evan's face was filled with panic as he spread his arms wide, blocking the hospital bed where Max lay.

"No! I do not consent!" he shouted, his voice cracking under the strain.

I pretended to scold him, my tone condescending but calm. "This is grown-up business. When did you get the right to interfere, child?"

Sweat dotted his forehead as I stood by, watching him with cold indifference. His guilt was written all over his face, and I had no intention of letting him off the hook.

"Mom, don't you love Dad the most? How could you bear to let him go without a whole body?" His voice was filled with desperate pleading.

But I remained unmoved. "Organ donation is a way to save lives. I'm helping him earn some merit. Who knows, maybe in his next life, he'll be born into a good family," I said, my tone steady.

Seeing that his words had no effect, Evan tried to hold his ground, glancing around frantically as if waiting for someone to show up. And then, his eyes lit up.

"Aunt Rena!" he called out, his voice filled with hope.

I turned my head, and there she was—a woman impeccably dressed, rushing toward us. It was Rena Collins, Max's childhood sweetheart.

Inside, I laughed bitterly.

I had been right. Rena had been lurking nearby, ready to intervene at a moment's notice.

In my previous life, it was Evan and Rena who had worked together to deceive me. I hadn't inspected Max's body carefully then, only taking a brief glance before the cremation. That had been enough time for them to pull off their sinister switch.

"Valerie, what are you doing?" Rena asked urgently, stepping in front of me, positioning herself protectively between me and the hospital bed.

"What happened to Max?" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes as she threw herself dramatically against the bed, pretending to be heartbroken. "No, I don't agree to donate his organs."

"Valerie, how can you be so heartless?" she continued, her voice trembling with false outrage. "Max is gone so suddenly, and you still want to donate his organs? Can't you just let him rest in peace?"

Looking at the woman before me, her eyes brimming with tears, I felt a surge of hatred and anger rise within me.

Rena had grown up with Max, childhood sweethearts, inseparable until she married a wealthy businessman from a neighboring city. After that, she cut ties with Max.

Who would have thought that her rich husband would later fall into the grip of gambling, losing all his wealth, and, worse, turning violent and abusive? After several instances of domestic abuse, Rena could no longer endure it and fled back home.

When I had learned of her misfortune, my heart ached for her. I had treated her like my own sister, helping her out whenever I could, sometimes inviting her over for meals, offering her a comforting presence.

Little did I know, in the shadows, she and Max had rekindled their sordid affair.

As I faced her now, I could see the deceit behind her tear-streaked face. The staff from the organ donation organization, caught in the middle of this unexpected drama, hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. They looked to me with concern.

"Mrs. Chase, should we still proceed with the donation?" one of them asked.

I cast a glance at Rena and replied calmly, "Of course, why not?"

"Max's parents passed away years ago. Evan is still a minor. I am his legal wife and the only person with the authority to make this decision."

Then I turned my gaze directly at Rena, my tone icy. "As for you, Rena, what claim do you have here? What gives you the right to interfere in my family's affairs?"

Hearing my words, the staff straightened, their demeanor shifting. They no longer looked uncertain; instead, they addressed Rena firmly.

"Excuse us, ma'am, but please step aside. Don't obstruct our work."

Without much effort, they pushed her away, smoothly lifting Max's body onto the gurney.

"Wait! Where are you taking Max?" Rena's voice was frantic, her fear palpable, but she couldn't stop them.

"We'll be placing him in cold storage for now," one of the staff members explained as they wheeled the gurney away. "Later, we'll transport him to our hospital for the necessary procedures."

As the gurney rolled farther down the hallway, Rena and Evan tried to follow, but were held back by others, preventing them from getting close to Max. Panic flashed across their faces as they realized they were losing control of the situation.

And then, just when I thought the farce was finally over, the "corpse" could no longer keep up the act.

"Cough, cough! Wait—stop! I'm not dead!" Max's voice rasped out.