His Mother's Shadow

From Lover to Mother

The colleagues who had indeed turned on their cameras to record were left completely aghast. "They call this treatment? This is clearly an affair!"

Elliot snatched my phone and smashed it hard against the ground. "That's enough! You might not care about humility, but I do! Amber Loft, you're seriously shameless. How dare you play something like that in public!"

His face was flushed red with anger as he shielded Diana behind him, his chest heaving in seemingly indignant fury. The way he looked at me practically spelled out that I was a villainess who'd put him on the spot.

I nearly burst out laughing. I wasn't the one having an affair, so why would I be embarrassed?

"Honey, what are you talking about? Didn't you say this was treatment?" I blinked innocently.

The other doctors couldn't stand it anymore.

"How is this treatment? Dr. Loft, you've been completely fooled by these two!"

"Diana always prides Amber on being her sister-in-law, but she's hooking up with Elliot behind her back. Ugh, how disgusting."

Diana's face turned crimson in the face of their harsh accusations. She started sobbing. "Amber, I've always treated you well. Why are you humiliating me like this? Elliot really just sees me as his mother!"

I curled my lips into a mocking smile. However, Elliot suddenly roared at me before I could speak, "I want a divorce! I can't spend another day with a jealous woman like you. A filthy woman like you disgusts me!"

"Fine. Let's get divorced."

Elliot quickly drafted the divorce agreement and brought it to me, clearly afraid I might cling to him. He handed over all the property without hesitation. I didn't say anything. Instead, I just signed it.

At that moment, the system's voice sounded again. "Amber, the wish-granting function will take effect tonight."

"Alright."

This night, Diana would completely become Elliot's mother.

…

I stepped out and saw several patients thanking Elliot and Diana after I ended my session with my patients. They were even presenting them with commendation banners.

I frowned, wondering when those two had treated any patients.

Diana walked over arm-in-arm with Elliot, her expression smug. "Amber, I'm so sorry. Those patients you admitted on New Year's night mistook us for you. They all came to thank us and even said they'd write commendation letters for us."

I replied flatly, "You stole my credit and still have the nerve to show off in front of me?"

Elliot frowned. "We all work at the same hospital. Why make such a big deal out of it? They're just commendation letters. Whose name is on them doesn't matter."

The year-end evaluation was coming up.

The number of commendation letters directly affected promotions. Of course, they wouldn't think it mattered. Why would they, when they were the ones benefiting from it?

Diana leaned closer and whispered, "Just wait for tonight's year-end summary meeting and see who comes out on top. Elliot already promised me that he'll propose once I become a teaching assistant. We'll be sharing the same bed tonight."

Tonight.

All I could think about was the system's wish activating this night.

Just as expected, Elliot and Diana ranked first thanks to the credit they had stolen from me at the annual summary. Diana successfully became a teaching assistant, and Elliot even pulled out a ring, making a grand public proposal in front of the entire hospital.

Everyone cheered and egged them on, but the colleague beside me suddenly asked, "Dr. Loft, do you smell something strange on Diana? It's like… an old person's smell."

Elliot's mother had been quite old before she died.

If Diana were turning into her… I suppose it only made sense if she'd start showing those traits, wouldn't she?

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask," I replied evenly.

…

That night, Elliot and Diana consummated their wedding in the on-call room.

The moment Diana took off her coat, Elliot caught a strange smell that made him frown. "What's going on with you lately? You always smell weird."

Diana lowered her head and sniffed herself. "No, I don't…"

When she lifted her head again and met his eyes, he let out a piercing scream. How could he not, when what he saw was the face of his mother? The same mother who'd been dead for over a decade.