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Become SVIP! Road all SVIP stories
My mom froze for a moment, then snatched the DNA report like a madwoman.
The second she saw the results, her entire world collapsed.
With all her strength, she shoved past everyone trying to stop her and burst into the operating room.
What greeted her was a floor covered in blood–and me, lying motionless in a pool of it.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed into the blood. Crawling on her hands and knees, she dragged herself to my side.
She knelt in front of me, trembling, gently stroking my pale, lifeless face.
“Jessica… Jessica, wake up…” she sobbed, her voice breaking.
“Mom’s here. How are you feeling? Please, my baby, talk to me!”
My brother, James, stood nearby, clearly unsure of what to do. “Mom… you can’t just storm into the operating room. You need to leave.”
But she ignored him, crying uncontrollably, as if her very soul was pouring out with her tears.
James, visibly frustrated, finally grabbed her and tried to pull her away. “She’s under anesthesia! She can’t feel anything. Crying won’t change anything!”
M
<
Mom suddenly snapped back to reality and spun around to face him. “How is she? How’s your sister?!”
James lowered his head, his voice heavy. “She’s not going to make it. She has no will to live.”
“… But maybe that’s for the best. At least she isn’t in pain. She went peacefully.”
Mom’s face went pale. Her whole body trembled as she struggled to her feet. Then, with every ounce of strength she had left, she slapped
James across the face.
“You incompetent doctor! You told me she’d be fine!” she screamed, her voice hoarse.
“You swore to me! You said I could trust you, that she’d survive!”
“Did you do this on purpose?! Did you?!”
James stood there, stunned, holding his reddened cheek. But soon his shock turned to anger.
“She’s not Savannah!” he roared.
“The only person you should care about right now is Savannah! Did her transplant go well?!”
Mom froze, her rage giving way to despair. She shook her head over and over, tears streaming down her face. “You don’t know… you don’t know, do you?”
Her voice was so weak, it sounded like she was about to collapse. Even James seemed to realize something was wrong. He grabbed her arms and demanded, “What don’t I know? What’s going on? Tell me!”
Mom’s voice came out hollow, like the words were stabbing her from the inside. “Jessica… Jessica is my real daughter. She’s your sister.”
James stumbled backward as if he’d been struck. He shook his head, refusing to believe it. “No… that’s impossible. You switched them. You
showed me the video yourself!”
Mom picked up the blood–stained DNA report and shoved it in his face. “The test doesn’t lie.”
“No,” James said, his voice rising into a shout. “No, this has to be a mistake! They mixed up the samples! I’ll run another test–I don’t believe
it!”
He snatched the report and stormed out, carrying strands of my hair and his own for a repeat test.
Mom collapsed beside me, sobbing uncontrollably. “Jessica… please wake up…”
While James was gone, I continued to bleed.
Mom stayed by my side, shouting for help, begging the doctors to save me.
The doctors worked tirelessly, sweat dripping down their faces. Finally, one of them shook his head. “It’s no use. She has no will to live. Without that, nothing we do will work.”
Mom crawled back to me, her voice soft and desperate.
“Jessica, I’m sorry. I was wrong… I was so wrong.”
“You’re my daughter. You’ve always been my daughter. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“Please, don’t leave me. I love you. I’ve always loved you… I was just too scared to admit it. I was afraid Savannah would hate me…
I stared blankly at the ceiling, unable to move, only vaguely aware of the people around me.
Suddenly, one of the doctors exclaimed, “Wait! She’s responding! She wants to live!”
“Everyone out!” the lead doctor shouted. “We need to stabilize her.”
6:11 PM
<
I heard everything.
But this time, it wasn’t for her.
As they pushed her out of the room, I heard her break down completely. Her cries echoed through the hallway, fractured and desperate.
She sank to her knees in the corner, facing the wall, and started banging her head against it, praying to anyone who would listen.
My father stood nearby, looking older than I’d ever seen him. His beard was unkempt, and he pulled out a cigarette but didn’t light it. Instead, he sighed and said, “You’ve never believed in this stuff before. Praying now won’t change anything.”
Mom didn’t stop. “I’ll believe in anything–anything at all–if it means Jessica will live.”
Dad ran a hand through his thinning hair, pulling out clumps in frustration. He didn’t say another word.
Mom kept praying until she had no strength left. Finally, she collapsed against the wall, whispering through her tears, “If Jessica dies… I won’t live either…”
Meanwhile, in the adjacent operating room, Savannah’s surgery had been a perfect success.
The nurses wheeled her out, smiling as they reported to my doctors, “No signs of rejection. Everything looks great!”
Savannah and Mrs. Whitmore leaned on each other as they left the room, closer than ever.
Savannah, now awake, opened her big, bright eyes and looked at my mom. Smirking, she said sarcastically, “Hi. Thanks for the kidney.”
Mom staggered to her feet and walked toward her. “Just now, you were calling me ‘Mom. Why stop now?”
Mrs. Whitmore laughed at her, a cruel, mocking sound. “Oh, come on. You’ve figured it out by now, haven’t you?”
Mom froze, her body trembling. She stared at Mrs. Whitmore, her voice cracking. “Figured out what?”
Mrs. Whitmore shrugged casually, as if it were no big deal. “Savannah’s not your daughter. The girl you just sent into surgery–Jessica–that’s your real child.”
Then, with a smug grin, she added, “But hey, thanks for the kidney!” and walked away, laughing.
Smack!
The sound of the slap echoed sharply through the room, leaving everyone stunned. All eyes turned to my mom.
“Are you insane?” someone blurted out.
“No, you’re insane!” Mom screamed, her voice shrill and trembling with fury. Her gaze locked on Mrs. Whitmore. “What did you do? What the hell did you do?!”
Mrs. Whitmore let out a cold laugh, her lips curling into a smirk. “What did I do?” she said mockingly.
“Oh, I just gave you a taste of your own medicine, that’s all.”
Mom’s face twisted in disbelief. “That’s impossible! You couldn’t have-”
Mrs. Whitmore cut her off, laughing even louder now. “Impossible? Really?” she sneered. “You switched my baby for yours because you wanted my money, my life. Did you think I wouldn’t find a way to switch them back?”
“That’s a lie!” Mom shouted. “You were hemorrhaging after childbirth–you couldn’t even stand, let alone see anything!”
Mrs. Whitmore nodded, her smirk unfaltering. “You’re right. I couldn’t. But you underestimated a mother’s love for her child. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. Savannah wasn’t safe, and I was going to fix it, no matter what it took.”
She leaned in closer, her voice dripping with venom. “And you? You named your daughter Jessica? Jessica. A fake. A fraud. That’s what she is to you, right? A constant reminder of your guilt.”
6:11 PM d
<
Mrs. Whitmore’s laughter turned almost maniacal. “Do you know how much I enjoyed watching you mistreat your own daughter all these years? Watching you pour all your love into my child while destroying your own? It was delicious.”
Her words hit me like a freight train. My life, my suffering–it all made sense now. I wasn’t just collateral damage. I was a pawn in their twisted
game.
I wasn’t supposed to be part of this storm. I was just… unlucky.
Mom turned to Savannah, her voice trembling. “You knew about this? You knew?”
Savannah didn’t even flinch. “Of course I knew.” She smirked. “If I didn’t call you ‘Mom, would you have willingly given me your daughter’s
kidney?”
The words were like daggers, sharp and cruel.
Mom snapped. She lunged at Savannah, grabbing her wheelchair with one hand and reaching for her medication with the other. Her voice broke into a hysterical scream.
“Give it back! Give my daughter’s kidney back! GIVE IT BACK!”
Savannah couldn’t escape. Panicked, she threw out the most hurtful thing she could think of.
“This was your choice! You signed the consent forms! It’s your own fault!”
Mom froze, her breath catching in her throat.
She inhaled deeply, her face blank with shock. Then, without warning, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the floor.
I ended up in the ICU.
Every day, Mom would sit outside, staring at me through the isolation glass. She never left, no matter how many times people tried to pull her away. She was wasting away, her face gaunt, her body weak.
Dad came by sometimes, but I pretended not to see him. The moment he walked in, I’d turn my back to him, refusing to acknowledge his
presence.
James? He hadn’t shown his face since the day he stormed out to redo the DNA test.
Days turned into weeks, until finally, I was stable enough to be moved to a regular hospital room.
That was when Mom found her chance to see me.
It was late in the evening, and I was adjusting the automatic window to let some fresh air in. Mom slipped into the room, eager to help, pushing
the window open further before sitting quietly by my bedside.
She didn’t say a word. Neither did I.
The silence stretched on until the sun dipped below the horizon. Finally, she broke it, her voice hesitant and cautious.
“Jessica… are you hungry? Should I get you something to eat?”
I frowned immediately. “Don’t call me Jessica. I hate that name.”
Mom’s face fell, and she quickly clamped her mouth shut. It took her a long moment to try again, her smile forced and trembling.
“I… I have good news,” she said, trying to sound cheerful. “You’re my-”
“Biological daughter?” I cut her off, drawing out each word slowly, letting them hang in the air.
I’d spent my entire life fighting for that title, sacrificing everything for it. And now, when I had finally given up on it, she wanted to hand it to me like a consolation prize?
I let out a bitter laugh. “I’m not, and I don’t need to be.”
The color drained from her face. She reached for my hand, but I yanked it away. “Don’t touch me,” I said coldly.
She tried to smile, though her tears betrayed her. “I know you’re upset. You’re just trying to punish me…”
“Disgusting.”
For the first time, I looked at her–really looked at her. The woman I had once given everything for. The woman I had begged for love. Now, all I felt was indifference.
“When you sent me into that operating room, you told me not to think of you as my mom anymore. So I’m doing exactly that.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head. “Sweetheart, please…”
I cut her off again, my voice sharp and cold. “If you’re hoping for my forgiveness, don’t bother. I don’t care about you anymore.”
I was someone who had already died once. I had no energy left to waste on people who didn’t matter.
“Go find your daughter,” I said flatly.
“Savannah is your real daughter. I won’t get in your way. Just leave me alone and let me live–or die–on my own terms.”
