Chapter 1

Three years after the lethal radiation exposure, the Institute finally tracked me down.

I signed the body donation consent form and placed one last call to my mother.

The other end was alive with laughter and loud music—she was throwing a lavish birthday bash for her adopted daughter, Mia.

My mother’s voice was like ice, dripping with sheer disgust:

"Dying? If you’re actually dying, that’s the best news I’ve heard all year."

Those were the last words my mother ever said to me.

Yet months later, when she discovered that the groundbreaking biological specimen that won her the nation’s highest scientific prize was made of my own flesh and bone...

She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably in front of the entire world.

My body had completely deteriorated. My muscles had broken down, and my skin hung loose and rotting.

I sat slouched in a wheelchair, head hanging low, facing the scientists sent by the Institute.

They stared at my decaying body, their eyes filled with horror, pity, and grief.

I agreed to their request for full-body donation. With the absolute last ounce of my strength, I signed my name on the release form.

I knew my time was up.

I had only one dying wish: to make one final call to my mother.

I was too weak to even lift my phone. A kind researcher held it up against my ear for me.

My contact list had long been wiped clean—only one number remained: Mom.

Ever since the radiation leak, I had locked myself away in this dark room. I didn't want my contaminated body to harm anyone else.

Friends, classmates, teachers... they all faded from my life, one by one. Facing death, the only thread tying me to the outside world was Evelyn.

The call connected. The raucous joy on the other end spilled violently into my suffocatingly quiet room.

I knew today was Mia’s birthday. Evelyn had rented out an upscale venue to celebrate her precious adopted daughter.

The sound of giggling teenagers, relatives showering Mia with gifts, and guests kissing Evelyn’s feet... all of it surrounded me, crushing my lonely, dying soul.

Listening to their warmth and happiness, I choked back my tears and whispered:

"Mom... I'm about to die. I just signed the body donation papers."

"I... I just really wanted to see you one last time. Could you please come visit me?"

My mother, Dr. Evelyn Vance, let out a venomous scoff.

"Dying? Good! If you’re really dying, that’s the best damn thing that could happen!"

"Summer, I’ve been waiting for you to drop dead for years!"

Her cruel words echoed off the bare walls, acting like a cold blade that sliced my very last shred of hope to ribbons.

Beside me, the young researcher’s face turned bright red with fury. He reached for the phone, wanting to scream at her.

I just smiled weakly and shook my head, whispering to him:

"She's... she's just busy today. She doesn't have time."

"Besides, I ruined her life. I can't blame her."

The room fell dead silent. I knew what they were thinking.

What kind of monster treats her own biological daughter like garbage?

Still, I didn’t want them to hate my mom. I didn't want anyone to see how cruel she could be.

Even after a lifetime of her emotional abuse, even though my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest...

I swallowed all the pain.

I naively thought that if she ever found out everything I had sacrificed for her, she would finally love me.

Too bad I would never live to see that day.

After the researchers left, the only thing remaining in the room was a small, tattered plush bear sitting on the desk.

A final rush of adrenaline surged through my veins. I wrapped my trembling arms around the bear my mother had bought me years ago.

I tilted my head back and stared out the window at the stars.

The night sky was deep and beautiful. The crescent moon curved gently, just like the soft, warm smiles Evelyn used to give when she was happy.

In a fading haze, I hallucinated Evelyn stepping down from the moon, smiling and reaching out her hand to hold me.

The next second, the flatline alarm on the heart monitor blared across the room.

A long, piercing beep.

A perfectly flat green line.

Finally. My miserable, agonizing life was over.

I thought eternal darkness would swallow me, but then my eyes fluttered open again.

A familiar figure was bustling around an ultra-modern laboratory.

"Mom...?"