My Daughter's Life-saving Item Was Lost By My Mother

Tara Goodwin, my daughter, had acute sepsis and needed my cord blood. I just got divorced and was exhausted.

I had to entrust Dana Rowe, my mom, to the maternity hospital to pick it up, but I waited for a long time, and she was nowhere to be seen. I ran out to look for her and got hit by a car.

I cried, begged her to bring it to me quickly, and crawled back to the hospital with my bleeding legs.

In the next second, I saw Tara die on the operating table with my own eyes.

Her body was all pale, and she stared at the surgical light till the second she died.

How desperate she must have been when she died! I held her cold body and wailed, my heart tearing apart...

The next day, Joan Wolfe, my mom's adopted daughter, posted on Twitter, "I successfully entered the late stage of pregnancy. Thanks a lot, Dana, for taking great care of me!"

In the attached photo, my mom happily stroked Joan's belly, as if Joan's baby was her grandchild.

I was devastated and asked my mom, "Is this why you gave up on Tara?"

It wasn't until I cremated Tara that my mom replied to me.

"Tara is a kid. How serious could her illness be? Joan is pregnant. That is the big deal!"

***

The tears on my face were already dry. I wiped them away and silently went home with Tara's urn in my arms.

In fact, I wasn't surprised that Mom abandoned me and Tara for Joan.

After all, Joan was the great daughter she approved of, whereas I was just her stupid daughter, and she never wanted to bring me up when talking to others.

But this time, her favoritism cost Tara's life. Yet she was still celebrating the upcoming birth of another baby.

I felt so bitter and resentful. Mom, I'm your biological daughter. Tara is your biological granddaughter!

But when I saw Mom entering the room, I swallowed my words back.

I no longer cared about who she loved or cared about.

"Why are you back?"

Mom frowned, and it seemed she was pretty angry as she protected Joan behind her.

She made it sound like I shouldn't appear in my own home.

Joan put on an act. She leaned against Mom, tears welling up in her eyes. "Emma, don't blame her for staying with me. I had a nightmare yesterday. I dreamed that my baby was sick like Tara. I was scared and couldn't sleep, so she came to accompany me."

I bit my lip tightly, trembling all over, looking at the arrogant Joan. She made it sound like Tara was some kind of evil!

Mom was a prestigious director. She had given all kinds of examinations to Joan since Joan was pregnant. Nothing would happen to Joan's baby.

I suddenly felt like a defeated lioness. In this silent battle, I lost my own child.

"Mom, I'll cut ties with you from this moment on. This is gonna be the last time I see you!"

From the moment Tara died, I should have known that Mom didn't love me at all.

Mom, however, still thought that I was jealous of Joan.

"Emma, stop throwing tantrums whenever you feel like it. I am a doctor, and I must ensure the safety of Joan's baby!"

I laughed. Joan had a dream, and Mom was already so nervous. On the contrary, Tara had been hospitalized for days, yet Mom never gave a damn.

The day when Joan became Mom's student, Mom always praised how perfect Joan was. Joan was hardworking, ambitious, thoughtful, and mature, and she liked Joan at first sight.

I just wanted Mom to be happy, so I was OK with her recognizing Joan as her adopted daughter. She could tell the outsiders that she was Joan's mom, Joan could come to our place to rest for the sake of her baby, and Joan could even have most of Mom's property.

And in the end, she indeed became my mom's daughter, whereas I ended up being the ungrateful outsider.

I took a deep breath and looked at my mom indifferently. "Treat her however you want from now on. I won't care anymore."

After saying that, I grabbed my few belongings and was about to leave. The place was still full, and it seemed like nothing was missing at all.

Mom finally noticed something wrong and anxiously grabbed me. "Are you going to see Tara? How is she?"

Suddenly, my heart twitched, and I felt bitter.

When Tara fell sick, she insisted that Tara was just throwing a tantrum and refusing to go to school, so I didn't take it seriously. A few days ago, Tara was in so much pain that she fainted at the kindergarten. Then the doctor said she had acute sepsis!

It had been days. If Mom had cared about Tara just a little bit, she could have gone to the hospital and checked on Tara herself. Yet all she did was ask me how Tara had been!

I forcefully shook off her hand, causing her to almost lose her balance.

"None of your concern. After all, you care about no one but Joan's baby!"

I was always meek when talking to Mom. I had never talked back.

She was stunned, looking at my back with a hint of reluctance.

She was about to catch up to me when Joan's wailing stopped her.

"Mom! My stomach hurts so much! Is Tara jealous and secretly cursing my baby?"

Mom immediately turned around and checked on her anxiously.

I was filled with fury.

Without thinking, I grabbed Joan's hair and slapped her hard!

"You're crazy, Emma!"

Mom was guilty at first. Yet immediately, her expression changed, and she roared at me angrily.

She pushed me away fiercely, her eyes filled with anger.

"If you're upset, come at me. Picking on Joan is uncalled for!"

I looked coldly at Joan. "Don't slander Tara. She's the sweetest, most obedient girl."

Joan started to sob, looking utterly pitiful.

"Was I wrong? The last time she saw me, she said she didn't like me and wanted me to leave this family!"

"That's because you insisted on feeding her peanut butter, even though she told you she was allergic to peanuts! You forced her to eat it!"

"Enough!" mom shouted loudly, glaring at me.

"You think she's right?" I asked Mom, my eyelashes trembling.

She didn't say anything, but I got her answer from her hands which were protecting Joan tightly.

At some point, I found that Joan frequently stepped between Mom and me, and Mom would always praise her gently, saying that Joan was the best daughter she had ever had.

Mom never liked being kissed on the face or hugged, yet she'd kiss Joan and hug Joan happily.

To win Mom's love back, I became unlike myself. Joan could cook, so I started to stay in the kitchen all day long and learn to cook, and I even burned my eyebrows.

Joan could play the piano and please Mom, so I spent all my time practicing flute just so that Mom would praise me too.

But when I proudly played the flute in front of Mom, she felt embarrassed and said I disgraced her since I wasn't as talented as Joan at all, yet I insisted on making a fool of myself.

Hearing her words, I felt cold all over. My excitement was totally replaced by sadness.

I forgot how I escaped from Joan's mocking gaze that day. All I could remember was that I never acted spoiled to Mom again.

Once, when I was cooking, she offered to help me cut vegetables, and when she touched my hand, I avoided it like I was scalded by boiling water. She said I was ungrateful.

I was divorced, and no one was there to take care of Tara. Otherwise, I'd never ask her to go get the blood which could save Tara's life.

I looked at Mom in despair, and the last hint of hope in my heart was gone.

I was almost exhausted. "Give me Tara's umbilical cord blood, and I'll leave now."

Mom screamed, "You want the blood? Now? You're getting addicted to playing pitiful, aren't you?"

Joan immediately sobbed pitifully and said, "Mom, my head hurts so much. And the baby is kicking me. Does he feel pain, too?"

Mom became even more furious. She jumped up and pointed at my head. "Apologize, or forget about getting the blood today!"

I raised my head and said with a determined look, "I'll never apologize! Give it to me!"

"You're pissing me off!"

Actually, my legs were trembling under the long skirt. I had always been afraid of my mom. Whenever she raised her voice, I'd immediately apologize.

Maybe back then, I thought she was my most beloved mom, and she only loved me.

But now, everything had changed.

Joan became anxious. She stomped her feet, saying, "Mom, don't give her the blood! I need it to replenish my body!"

Shocked, I immediately looked at Joan, wanting to grab her and make her say it again.

Use Tara's life-saving blood to replenish her body? How dare she!

Mom's patience was completely worn out. She clapped her hands, asking the doctors taking care of Joan who were outside come in.

She blinked, and those several doctors firmly held me down. I stumbled and knelt on the floor.

Joan came forward, grabbed my hair, and slammed my head against the floor tiles.

In an instant, blood oozed out, splattering the tiles.

My head was in severe pain, but I held on and didn't utter a sound.

"Enough! She had her lesson," Mom said sternly.

They let me go, and I collapsed weakly on the floor.

"Apologize, and I'll forgive you." Mom stood in front of me complacently, showing great disdain for my miserable look.

Something warm flew out of my nose, and suddenly, I laughed.

I wiped the nosebleed and spat at her, saying, "Dream on!"

Mom clenched her fists and said contemptuously.

"Apologize. Then I'll get the best doctor abroad to treat Tara. And she'll get one of my houses."

She then smiled smugly. She probably thought I'd agree at once with gratitude. After all, I had always wanted to cure Tara.

But now, it was too late!

A month ago, I heard that the most professional and authoritative doctor from abroad was coming to my mom's hospital to give a lecture, so I begged her to take a look at Tara.

My mom refused, saying that I was wasting her time. I ignored everything else, barged into her meeting, knelt down, and begged her, yet I ruined one of her collaborations. She was furious and immediately arranged for that doctor to go to another branch hospital in a different region so that I could never have a chance to see him again.

I stood up slowly, enduring the pain in my leg, and said, "I said it already. I'm cutting ties with you. And I won't apologize to her."

My mom raised an eyebrow. "You don't wanna save Tara anymore? Isn't she the person you love the most?"

She looked at me with contempt and disdain.

I was about to say something when Joan suddenly said sarcastically.

"Tara isn't sick at all! She disgusts me as a mother! No mother in this world will use her healthy daughter to be an excuse to win others' sympathy! You know what? I think she's feeling guilty!"

I was furious and cursed, "You're sick! You don't get to talk about Tara!"

My outburst angered Mom again. She sneered and took out her phone.

"You'll continue to think I'm bluffing if I let you off easily.

"Lizzie, remember the girl named Tara Goodwin? She's been staying in the special needs ward for children. We'll no longer treat her. Suspend her treatment. I'll tell her parents to go pick her up."

After hanging up the phone, she had someone take out a few bags from the fridge.

It was my umbilical cord blood!

"Give it back to me! It belongs to Tara!" I desperately tried to snatch the bags back, but I was pushed to the floor again.

I could only raise my head in a sorry state and watch my mom lift up those bags of blood.

I was about to collapse as I felt my nose sore, and I said in a broken voice, "It belongs to Tara... Give it back to me!"

My mom snorted and let go of the bags without hesitation. The bags fell to the floor and burst open. Joan's dog rushed over and licked it with relish.

My whole world was spinning. I frantically broke free like a wild beast, and all I could see was the dog licking its mouth in satisfaction.

My eyes turned red, and my lips trembled as I pounced on it, prying open its mouth. "You beast! Give it back to me!"

When Tara was born, she had nothing. There was only a long umbilical cord connecting the two of us. And now, she was dead, and I couldn't even hold on to the blood, which was the intimate thing between us. I felt that I lost her twice.

Mom and Joan were startled by my craziness and stepped back, frowning.

Mom's phone rang, which brought her back to her senses. She answered in a panic, and on the other end, Lizzie Males, her assistant, stuttered.

"I just found out that the kid you mentioned... Tara Goodwin, is it? She died the day before yesterday."

"What?"

My mom's expression froze, and her eyes were widened.