Kindness For Death

As the youngest daughter of the powerful mafia family, the Blythes, I was spoiled the moment I was born. I had three older brothers who adored me. When I turned eighteen, our father was killed in a turf fight. The shock sent our mother into a rapid decline, and she passed away less than a week later. To avenge our father, my three brothers waged war against our enemies for three days. Though they emerged victorious, all three were critically wounded. My eldest brother, Damon Blythe, suffered a ruptured liver and was on the brink of death. Matt Blythe, my second brother, had severe kidney damage. Chris Blythe had lost too much blood and went into heart failure. I spent a fortune hiring the world’s top surgeons. They transplanted half of my liver to Damon, a kidney to Matt, and even gave my heart to Chris, replacing mine with a mechanical one. Thanks to the doctors’ skill, all three survived and went on to take over the Blythes’ empire. Five years later, they became infatuated with Sophia Foster, a poor but strong-willed intern. They even forced me to give up my last kidney to her. It was only after I had died on the operating table that they regretted what they had done. Chapter 1 “It’s just a kidney donation. It won’t kill her. Let her donate one to Sophia, and we’ll call it even for Sophia saving her life.” My oldest brother, Damon Blythe, spoke coldly from just outside the operating room. I slowly opened my eyes to find my body lighter than ever. Looking down, I was floating mid-air, looking down at myself on the operating table. My body lay motionless on the operating table, eyes shut tight, blood soaking the sheets. There was a large incision across my waist. Without meaning to, my spirit drifted out of the operating room. Outside, my three brothers, who used to dote on me, were discussing me in disgust. “If she hadn’t run off and gotten herself kidnapped by one of our family's enemies, Sophia wouldn’t have one kidney destroyed, and the other failing.” Matt Blythe, my second brother, said. His face bore no affection for me, only coldness. “Exactly. Ava’s so selfish and impulsive. She knew her kidneys were the best match for Sophia, but she kept pretending to be sick just to avoid donating.” My youngest brother, Chris Blythe, added. I stared at them. Each word they said was like a needle stabbing straight into my heart. I only had one kidney left! How could I possibly donate it to someone else? Then, they used to call me their sensible little princess. Now, just because I wouldn’t give my last kidney, I’m unreasonable? I was the one they spoiled like a princess my entire life! However, ever since Sophia Foster came into the picture, I somehow have a “princess complex”. “Alright, let’s hurry. Make sure the doctors get Ava’s kidney to Sophia. She’s still on the table waiting!” Damon ordered, carefully checking the sealed container that held my organ. “Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Nothing matters more than Sophia’s health!” “Sophia’s tough. Not like Ava, always dramatic, making us worry over nothing. She’s perfectly healthy but would act sick just to get attention. If she weren’t our little sister, I’d have stopped caring long ago.” “Well said. If only Sophia were our real sister. Ava’s just so spoiled...” Their voices faded as they walked down the hallway and out of the private hospital. Tears slid silently down my cheeks, vanishing into thin air. It had all started two days ago. I’d been sitting alone on the porch in our backyard, enjoying the breeze. Out of nowhere, two strange men appeared, knocked me out, and dragged me away. When I woke up, I saw my three brothers' furious faces before me. “Why did you run off?” Damon scolded. “Do you know how much time and money we spent looking for you?” “The worst part is that Sophia got hurt because of you. She took a knife meant for you! “She lost a kidney saving your life. The least you can do is give her one of yours.” I still had no clue what had happened, but panic began to rise in my chest. I pleaded with them. “I’m not healthy enough to donate. Please, I’ll pay whatever it takes! I’ll find a matching donor for her, I swear. Let me repay her another way.” Matt was furious at my excuse. “You might not like Sophia and think she took our attention, but she saved your life. All we’re asking is for you to give her a kidney, and you’re refusing?” Chris chimed in, too. “You have two kidneys. We’re just asking for one. Your match is perfect. Why are you being so selfish?” I sobbed. “I can’t! I’ll die if I go through with the surgery!” They stood there in silence. That’s when Sophia, lying weakly on a hospital bed nearby, spoke up in a trembling voice. “Don’t force her. It’s okay if Ava doesn’t want to do it. My life isn’t worth that much. She’s always been the one everyone cherished. I’m just a nobody. If I die, it’s fine.” “What are you talking about?! You saved her life. No way we’re letting you die!” They stared at me determinedly, despite all my begging, and dragged me into that operating room. Chapter 2 This was a small private hospital Chris had built in the suburbs. He had hired several surgeons at high salaries and gave them a strict order. No matter what, they were to force me onto the operating table and make me donate my kidney to Sophia. On the way, I cried and begged them to let me go. I told them I couldn’t donate, repeating again and again that I would die. However, they only mocked me. “Stop pretending to be sick. You’ve been faking it for five years. We were seriously injured and didn’t end up like this. You’ve always been healthy. How could donating a kidney kill you?” So, I was brought into the operating room. During the surgery, my mechanical heartbeat stopped several times. The doctor had to resuscitate me by force. He told Chris many times that my body wasn’t suitable for the transplant. Chris sneered. “How much did Ava pay you to say that? You’re always defending her. Did you forget who your boss is?” Damon’s face darkened, and he gave the harsh order. “Continue the transplant, or die.” Since the private doctor didn’t want to die, he reluctantly dug out my only kidney. I died on the operating table, but the three of them didn’t notice. They didn’t even look at me once before they left. Afraid of being held responsible, the doctor fled as soon as my brothers were gone. No one stayed to deal with my body. My corpse was left in the empty hospital, the wound on my side still bloody and exposed to the air. My soul followed my kidney. It was just like when I was little, always tagging behind my brothers whenever they went out. Back then, I was the center of their world. “Ava, which brother do you like best? I’ll buy you a dress. Just say it's Chris!” “Ava, don’t listen to him! You definitely like Matt best. I get you snacks every day!” “Give it a rest, you two! Can’t you see Ava sweating? Ava, come to Damon. I’ll carry you!” The memories were like shattered glass. All that’s left now is the cruel reality. The sister they loved most had already been replaced. Even now, they were still talking about Sophia’s condition while I’d long been forgotten on the operating table. When did it all start to change? Five years ago, I saved my brothers and ended up hospitalized for half a year. They recovered in just two months. When they heard I was hospitalized, they were so worried. Not wanting them to feel guilty or blame themselves, I asked the doctor to hide the truth about saving them. I only told them I was scared and needed rest at a sanatorium. At the time, my brothers were busy. They were taking over the mafia family, the Blythes, and stabilizing the company. Sometimes, they didn’t even get a full night’s sleep. However, no matter how busy they were, they always made time with me. They even created a schedule to make sure at least one of them was with me every day. After I was discharged, they hired a team of nutritionists and caregivers, watching over me like I was made of porcelain. Then, Sophia appeared at their company as an intern. According to my brothers, she was like a weed that refused to die. She was tough, kind, clever, and brave, unafraid of authority or them. She’d point at them and call them crooks. She would fight hard for employee benefits. Sophia was an orphan. Still, she stayed optimistic, never once complaining about the hardships in life. Through excellent grades, she got into an Ivy League university all on her own. After graduation, she beat thousands of others to join my brothers’ Forbes-ranked family company. Her uniqueness deeply captivated all three of them. Chapter 3 My brothers spent less and less time with me. However, Sophia’s name came up more and more often in their conversations. Little by little, all their love and attention shifted to her. They bought her a small apartment near the company and took turns visiting her every day. No matter how busy Damon was, the moment Sophia called, he would drop everything to go to her. Matt flew overseas just to pick out a sapphire to be set in a crown for her birthday. Chris booked out an entire amusement park to fulfill her childhood dream of being a princess. My brothers said, “Sophia’s had such a hard life. We want her to experience what it’s like to be a princess.” However, when Damon got a call from Sophia, I had just collapsed at the villa. The butler was trying to tell him about my condition, but he didn’t even react. Instead, he snapped impatiently. “If she’s not feeling well, take her to the hospital! I’m not a doctor. What do you want me to do? Sophia’s scared because of a nightmare. I’m going to be with her.” He used to drop everything if I so much as had a headache. When Matt was preparing Sophia’s birthday gift, he forgot that the day before hers was my birthday. I called him, only for him to say, “You’ve always had big birthday parties. Skipping one year won’t matter. Sophia’s never had a birthday party. We want to make this one special for her.” Though he had once told me, “Ava is our princess. Every birthday celebration is a tribute to her growing up.” Chris once promised he’d rent an amusement park for my eighteenth birthday. However, after our parents passed, that promise was never fulfilled. Yet, he’d done it for someone else. The first time my brothers brought Sophia to the villa, I was lying weakly in bed, suffering the aftereffects of saving them. The maid was helping me take my medicine. Sophia looked at me strangely and said to my brothers, “Rich girls really live differently. Like princesses, just lying there with people waiting on them. When I was sick, I still had to work to support myself.” There was a flash of embarrassment on my brothers’ faces. After she left, they dismissed most of the housekeepers and caretakers, even the nutritionist who managed my health. “Sophia’s right, Ava. You’re too spoiled. You’re not even seriously ill. You lie around all day and let people serve you.” “Exactly. You’re grown up now. You need to start taking care of yourself and stop relying on others so much. Learn from Sophia. Look at how independent and capable she is.” So, I was forced to clean my room, do household chores, and even cook clumsily on my own. My soft hands blistered from the hot oil, but not one of them showed me any sympathy. Chris frowned in disgust. “Sophia was already cooking by the time she was six. You’re twenty-three and you’ve never stepped into a kitchen.” Matt gave me a scornful look. “No wonder Sophia says you’re spoiled. We really did coddle you too much.” Their attitudes grew colder by the day. They even forced me to be independent, like Sophia. However, ever since that surgery, my body’s been incredibly weak. I couldn’t handle heavy labor. I worked myself to the point of coughing blood, yet Damon would just cover his nose in disgust and say, “Where’d you even get that blood? You’re going all out just to fake illness, aren’t you? Is it because we’re close to Sophia? You hate her that much that you’ll compete over everything?” Matt didn’t even look at me, busy texting Sophia. “No wonder she said you’re manipulative. If she hadn’t exposed you, we’d still be fooled by your act.” Chris outright locked me in my room. “Stop pretending. Why can’t you be more like Sophia? If you were half as good as her, we wouldn’t hate you this much. Reflect on yourself. Don’t come out until you’ve figured it out!” But, without part of my liver, I can’t overexert myself. Without a kidney, I have to eat carefully. Living with a mechanical heart, I’ll be sickly for life. I’d never be like Sophia! I had tried so hard just to stay alive. Damon, Matt, Chris, can’t you stop hating me? Chapter 4 My soul followed my three brothers to the hospital where Sophia was staying. She was in the most luxurious VIP ward, attended by a full professional medical team. Even the roses on her bedside table had been flown in from Bulgravia that morning. Damon went to discuss the surgery with the doctor, while Matt and Chris stayed by Sophia’s side to soothe her nerves. During the operation, all three waited anxiously outside the OR until the surgery was complete. Afterward, Damon carefully helped her sip some water. She blinked innocently and asked, “Damon, where’s Ava? I haven’t seen her at all. Even when I was sick, she didn’t come and visit me. Does she still not like me?” Damon gently wiped the water from her lips, his expression darkening when he heard my name. “She’s probably still sulking. Her attitude’s gotten worse lately, always hiding and pulling these disappearing acts! Don’t worry about her. You just focus on recovering.” Matt and Chris chimed in as well. “Exactly. We know of her little tricks. Sophia, your only job right now is to get better. Don’t waste your energy worrying about someone unimportant.” I floated there in the air, silently listening to them belittle me. The pain in my chest was unbearable. So this is what I had become in their eyes—someone insignificant. Now that they had a new little sister to dote on, I was easily discarded. Even when they brought Sophia home from the hospital, none of them thought to call me. This time, they didn’t take her back to the apartment near the company. They returned to the villa and moved her into my room. Damon even rehired my old team of nutritionists and brought back the personal maids, all to serve Sophia around the clock. Sophia looked around at the room full of luxury items that once belonged to me, now all hers, and smiled with satisfaction. Then she turned to my brothers, a fragile expression on her face. “Where’s Ava? Didn’t you guys say I could try her cooking one day?” Prompted by her words, Damon finally picked up his phone to call me. However, no matter how many times he dialed, no one picked up. Damon smashed his phone on the table and cursed under his breath. “She’s been spoiled rotten. Won’t even answer my calls or come home. Is she running away? “I’d like to see how long she can keep this up. If she’s so tough, no need to come back!” “Chris, go change the lock code. Let’s see how long she can survive out there without anything!” Chris nodded and quickly changed the villa’s door code to Sophia’s birthday. Sophia feigned concern. “Isn’t that a bit much? I’m just staying here temporarily. Ava is the rightful owner of this home.” Matt didn’t even think before replying. “You’re going to be living here from now on. Even if Ava comes back, the villa has plenty of rooms. She can pick another one.” At that moment, the housekeeper, Maisie, finally couldn’t stay silent. “Sirs, Ms. Blythe’s never been away from home this long. What if something happened to her? She’s a good girl. She doesn’t just disappear like this.” She hesitated for a long time before gathering the courage to add, “Ms. Blythe’s always thinking about you. “She said Mr. Damon gets cold easily, Mr. Matt has chronic back pain, and Mr. Chris can’t sleep well. So she knitted a scarf for Mr. Damon, sewed a pillow for Mr. Matt, and made a music box for Mr. Chris.” Maisie took out the gifts and placed them gently on the table, wiping her eyes. “She spent so long preparing them. She was going to give them to you on her birthday, but none of you came home that day.” Chapter 5 Looking at the gifts I had prepared so carefully, tears streamed down my face again. It had taken me two whole months to make those gifts. Because of my body’s condition, I had to rest for a long time after every thirty minutes of work. Even so, I still fell ill twice during that period. The last time, my three brothers had brought Sophia along and saw me during one of those episodes. After that, everyone who took care of me was dismissed, and I was forced to take on heavy chores. I never took those gifts out again. Hearing what Maisie said, my three brothers fell into a long silence. Damon cleared his throat and spoke with difficulty. “Ava used to be such a good girl. It was only after Mom and Dad passed that she started lying. I failed to raise her right. But if she comes back this time and is willing to admit her mistakes, she’s still my little sister.” Matt and Chris looked a bit down as well. “No matter if Ava ran away from home on purpose or not, for Mom and Dad’s sake, we’ll forgive her.” Noticing the tense atmosphere, Sophia quickly clutched her side where her kidney was and cried out. “My kidney feels really uncomfortable. Is it because Ava’s kidney had problems? I just found a bunch of nightclub membership cards in her room. Could she have been out partying every night? Maybe her kidneys weren’t in good shape…” She pulled out a few black cards, and my brothers’ faces instantly turned grim. Chris said with disgust, “Some people just can’t be taught. Damon, stop blaming yourself. Let’s just pretend we never had this sister!” “From now on, no one is allowed to mention her again. Even if she wants to come back, I won’t let her through that door!” Damon said angrily. The three of them anxiously gathered around Sophia and rushed her to the hospital. Maisie wanted to speak up again, but Damon cut her off coldly. “You’re fired. Pack your things and get out. We don’t want to see you here when we return!” They left in such a hurry that they bumped into the table. The scarf and pillow fell to the floor, but not one of them looked down. They stepped right over them. The music box, still playing a soft melody, shattered on the floor the moment Damon picked Sophia up. After they were gone, Maisie quietly kneeled down. Tears streamed down her face as she gathered the trampled gifts into her arms. I ran after them, crying and yelling, “Please, don’t fire Maisie! She’s taken care of us since we were born. This house is her home, too. If you drive her out, where will she go?” However, no one could hear me. They brought Sophia into a hospital room. Matt and Chris tended to her carefully, while Damon went downstairs to find a doctor and ask about post-operation complications. As he passed by the nurses’ station, he overheard several nurses deep in a heated discussion. “Oh god, how terrifying! That’s the Blythes’ private hospital. How could something like this happen?” “Yeah! The police have the place cordoned off. I wonder if it was a murder. She died so horribly!” “Who knows? I heard the body was completely mangled. There was a huge hole cut open right where the kidney was.” At the words “the Blythes’ private hospital,” Damon stopped in his tracks. His face turned pale instantly. He spun around, grabbed one of the nurses by the arm, and demanded coldly. “What did you just say? What happened at the Blythes’ private hospital?”