In the midst of the prolonged silence, my father finally cracked: "Kelly is gone. We shouldn't dwell on our grief. Let's focus on raising our son to take care of us in our old age."

After saying this, he gave my mother a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

With tear-filled eyes, my mother yelled at him, "That was our daughter! That was a human life!"

My father dropped his facade and scoffed, "Hmph, what are you defending now that she's gone? You never showed much love for her when she was alive. Didn't you always complain about her not being a boy?"

Hearing this, my mother staggered, nearly collapsing to...