I Cannot Trust You Anymore
Clutching my mother's death certificate in my trembling hands, I felt like an empty shell. My eyes were dry, unable to shed even a single tear. I was too numb to cry.
I called Zachary over and over again, but he never picked up.
When my mother's condition worsened, I begged him to pull some strings, to move her up the transplant list faster. He knew how desperate I was, but he still refused.
"If I did that," he said, "what about the patient who's next in line? That person has been waiting just as long. It wouldn't be fair."
Zachary grew up in a small border town and was the only child to graduate from a prestigious university. He had no family connections or privileges, and he became a well-known professor entirely by his own efforts and talent.
He despised injustice, both at the hospital and the university.
That was why it was so hard to believe that the man who claimed to uphold fairness had stolen my mother's kidney and given it to someone else!
I rushed to the door of Ella's mother's operating room and saw Zachary come out with my own eyes.
He told Ella that the operation had been a success, and she threw herself into his arms.
Zachary raised his hand, hesitated, then let it fall, unsure whether to push her away or not. When he looked up, he saw me standing there.
He quickly pulled her out of his embrace, no doubt worried about what the other hospital staff would say if they saw.
I bit down on my lip, rage boiling inside me as I walked up to him. "Did you just perform a kidney transplant?" I demanded.
His expression faltered. "Yes, I just finished. Why are you here?"
"How many transplants did you do today?"
"Just this one. What's wrong?" he said, confusion flickering across his face. Then, something seemed to click, and a look of understanding settled in. "I know you're worried about your mother, but don't be. She'll get her transplant soon."
I couldn't hold back any longer and slapped his face hard.
Before he could react, Ella stepped in front of him, shoving me aside. "How dare you hit him?" she shouted.
Zachary still looked dazed as to why I had slapped him. Many people were watching us.
He frowned and asked in a cold and low voice, "What the heck are you doing?"
My eyes were red as I let out a bitter laugh. "How could you give my mother's kidney to someone else? She waited three years for it!"
Panic flashed in his eyes. My voice was quite clear for others to hear, and he was afraid of that. "Let's talk about this in my office," he suggested.
He reached for my arm, but I pulled away sharply. "No, we'll talk right here. Let's hear how you explain this!"
Zachary lowered his voice. "Ella's mother was in critical condition. Your mother has been doing fine on dialysis. She can wait a little longer."
I stared at him, my husband, who suddenly seemed like a stranger to me. I felt that his principles, the ones he always prided himself on, were nothing but bullshit.
"This is theft!" I said, my voice cold and steady.
"Margaret!" He interrupted me sharply. "Watch what you say."
Before I could respond, Ella spoke up. "Margaret, please, don't be mad at Zachary. It's my fault. I was so scared for my mother that I begged him for help. I'm sorry…"
She looked apologetic, and tears filled her eyes instantly. She bowed to me repeatedly.
'Just because you didn't want her mother to die, so you decided my mother's life didn't matter?' I thought, my heart filling with a grief too vast to bear. I couldn't understand or forgive her!
Dialysis had been excruciating for my mother. She had waited three years before she got a new kidney. But just when it was finally her turn, it was stolen from her. I couldn't accept it.
"Then, give my mother her kidney back," I said, my voice trembling with fury.
"That's enough!" Zachary's voice boomed just as a nurse wheeled Ella's mother out of the operating room.
Zachary turned to Ella and softly told her to take her mother back to the ward, and he would handle the situation here.
Once she was gone, he grabbed my shoulders and squeezed them tight. "Margaret, stop this. Ella's mother didn't have time. Your mother is doing fine on dialysis. She won't die anytime soon—"
I glared at him. He realized he had said something wrong, so he quickly backtracked. "I mean, I'll ensure your mother receives proper treatment. Trust me."
