The Cost of Saving My Daughter

"I guess her kindness was all an act. If she’s this ruthless to her own daughter, how could she ever be sincere to strangers?"

"Exactly! What kind of mother wouldn’t save her own child? She’s no different from an animal!"

"Even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs. It’s heartbreaking that her daughter, so loving and selfless, risked her life to save such a heartless mother!"

The crowd's scornful words stung like daggers, their anger directed squarely at me.

Even the patients I had once treated, who had praised me for my compassion, now looked at me with disgust and contempt.

Amidst the storm of condemnation, my father-in-law wiped his tears, his voice trembling as he said earnestly, "Anna, I can’t believe you’re truly this cold-hearted. You’re not the kind of person people are saying you are."

He paused, then continued with a shaky voice, "When you gave birth to Hayley, you faced life-threatening labor. You almost didn’t make it. Yet even in the midst of your suffering, you begged the doctors to save the baby first."

"You said this child was more important than your own life—that as long as she survived, nothing else mattered."

"Hayley is the child you brought into this world with your life. How could you now stand by and watch her slip away because of you?"

Tears streamed down his face as he looked at me, pleading and hopeful. But I didn’t respond. I stood there silently, unmoved.

Seeing my indifference, Taylor’s patience snapped. His voice rose, his words sharp with desperation, "Anna, the person lying in that operating room is our daughter! She risked her life to save you—her own mother!"

"How can you be so heartless?"

I turned to him and replied seriously, "I’ve told you—I can’t do anything."

My voice was firm, my resolve unshaken. The hope in Taylor’s eyes and my in-laws' expressions evaporated.

The crowd, already seething, erupted with anger. Their insults became louder, more venomous.

"How could she be this cruel? What kind of mother does this?"

"She’s a disgrace to all parents! Her poor daughter!"

Some began pulling out their phones, recording and broadcasting the scene live.

"Everyone needs to see what kind of person Director Carson truly is!"

Their posts flooded social media, and soon, the entire Internet was ablaze with outrage.

"If she really cared, she wouldn’t be standing around doing nothing!"

"Look at her—calm and unbothered while her daughter’s life hangs by a thread. It’s disgusting!"

Onlookers started throwing eggs and rotting vegetables at me in anger. I stood silently amidst the garbage, their accusations raining down.

Even Taylor, once my staunchest supporter, had reached his breaking point. His gaze, once filled with love and admiration, now burned with rage.

"Anna," he said, his voice trembling with barely contained fury, "I’m asking you one last time—will you save Hayley?"

His eyes, red and swollen, glared at me with a ferocity I had never seen before. But my response remained calm, resolute, "I will not jeopardize my career for personal reasons."

Slap!

Taylor’s hand struck my face, the sharp sound echoing in the tense air. His voice, trembling with anger, cut through the silence, "So your career is more important than your own daughter’s life?"

He grabbed my arm roughly, his voice now a roar, "I won’t stand by and watch Hayley die in that emergency room!"

"Today, you will save her—or so help me, Anna, if anything happens to Hayley, I’ll make sure you pay for it!"

Without waiting for a response, Taylor dragged me toward the hospital’s emergency room, his grip unyielding.

My in-laws followed closely behind, their faces etched with desperation and fear.

The crowd erupted in applause, cheering as they followed the live broadcast in real time.

When Taylor finally toughened up and took action, the live comments exploded with satisfaction, celebrating his resolve.

The atmosphere at the scene was electric, the tension mounting as Taylor dragged me to the emergency room.

But just as we reached the door, it swung open.

The attending doctor stepped out, his face somber as he sighed heavily.

"The patient couldn’t be saved. She has passed away."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

In the stunned silence, my daughter’s lifeless body was wheeled out on a gurney.

Taylor and my father-in-law rushed to her side, their anguished cries filling the air.

My mother-in-law, overcome with shock and grief, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

Ignoring the chaos, I calmly pulled out my phone and dialed the police.

"Hello, I need to report a case. My daughter has been killed," I said, my voice steady.