Serena, my boyfriend Jake’s junior intern, boasted about delivering babies with one hand. Her attempt failed disastrously—she screamed at the mother’s exposed abdomen, covering her face in horror: “Her anatomy is different! Textbooks never mentioned this!” I rushed to the hospital at midnight and saved the mother. Serena faced public outrage and heavy consequences. Jake wanted to defend her, but I stopped him: “Back her now, and you’ll lose your Young Investigator award—and the internet will tear you apart.” Overwhelmed by abuse, Serena drowned herself, leaving a note soaked in her own blood, accusing Jake of betrayal. He burned it in silence. Years later, Jake became a top medical scholar. During my labor, he operated—with one hand. Glaring at my unhealed womb, he dangled the bloody baby at my face: “See? One-handed delivery works. Why did you crush Serena? If I’d backed her then, she’d be where I am now!” He threw the infant to the floor. Consumed by rage and despair, I died with my child. Reawakening, I found Jake fiercely defending Serena—oblivious that her victim was the sister of a ruthless tycoon whose vendetta would destroy him. … The moment I realized I was back to the day Serena was showing off her one-handed delivery, I immediately switched off my phone. I slept straight through until morning. The next day, when I turned on my phone, sure enough, there were 99+ missed calls. In my previous life, Serena, realizing the mess she’d made, had called me late that night, begging me to clean it up. Despite having just finished three surgeries and barely getting an hour of sleep, I had rushed back to the hospital through a snowstorm, operating from dusk till dawn. I saved both the mother and the baby. Because of this, the mother’s brother, the head of A-City’s top conglomerate, didn't punish Serena severely. He merely ensured she received the appropriate disciplinary action. If Serena had just endured that period, she might have continued her career and even thrived. But she had been coddled by my boyfriend, Jake, since childhood and had never known hardship. Faced with a deluge of online abuse, she simply jumped into the river. When I arrived at the hospital, Serena was slumped on the floor outside the operating room, weeping. My colleagues were frantic, their scrubs stained with blood. “It’s all your fault! Your hands were shaking, but you just had to try that one-handed stunt!” “Just because Director Thorne brought you in, you think you can do whatever you want?!” “Now look what’s happened! We can barely keep the patient alive. She’ll die if this goes on much longer! If her brother finds out, none of us who were involved in this surgery will ever work again!” The "beep-beep" of alarming medical equipment echoed from inside the operating room. My colleagues collapsed onto the floor, their faces ghostly pale. “It’s over… it’s all over…” A newly arrived colleague burst into tears. “Why wasn't Dr. Armitage on call last night? If she had been here, she would have found a way…” “It’s truly hopeless now…” Serena looked up, and the moment she saw me, her eyes lit up. “It’s her!” She pointed at me. “I was calling her all night! But I couldn’t get through! It’s not us who killed the patient! It’s her, who could have saved her but deliberately switched off her phone!” Everyone turned their heads sharply to look at me. “Dr. Armitage!” “Dr. Armitage, did you really switch off your phone on purpose?” “Of course!” Serena stood up, pulling out her phone to show everyone the 99 missed calls she’d made to me. Her eyes red, she walked towards me, step by step. “Dr. Armitage, this is a matter of life and death. Which of us doctors doesn't keep their phone on 24/7? “You knew there was a C-section scheduled for last night, and you're the most capable person in OB/GYN. “To switch off your phone at such a critical moment, Lily Armitage, what were your intentions?!” “Slap!” A sudden, sharp slap landed on her face. I looked down at her. “Serena, have you lost your mind?” Other department colleagues heard the commotion and rushed to the scene. I snapped, my voice sharp. “The on-call schedule clearly states that you were scheduled for surgery last night, not me! “Yes, I didn’t notice my phone was out of battery, but the person truly responsible for this surgery is Dr. Brooks, who signed the on-call sheet!” Serena’s face paled. “When a life is at stake, what does ‘on-call’ or ‘not on-call’ matter? Your phone is never off, except last night. “Ha, Lily Armitage, it’s fine if you target me, but you can’t gamble with a human life!” She spoke with such righteous indignation that some uninformed patients began to speculate that I had deliberately skipped out on my shift, leaving the mess for Serena, a newcomer. All just to see her fail and make a fool of herself. But before I could speak, a colleague couldn't hold back. “Serena, shut your mouth! Do you have any idea Dr. Armitage did three major surgeries back-to-back yesterday? She only managed to grab two bites of bread and a sip of glucose water in between!” “Exactly! You spend your time in the office with the AC on, and we have to cover your rounds. How would you know how hard Dr. Armitage works?!” “She didn’t get home until midnight yesterday. Is it really that strange to forget to charge your phone after a whole day, then just crash into bed?!” The family members of the patient I saved yesterday also chimed in. “Besides, Dr. Armitage fulfilled her responsibilities during her working hours. Last night was simply not her shift!” All the onlookers suddenly understood. Even the colleagues who had assisted Serena in the surgery couldn't stand it anymore. “Alright, Dr. Brooks, last night was indeed not within Dr. Armitage’s responsibilities. We can only blame our bad luck.” Serena stumbled and fell to the floor. Her lips were white. “What’s everyone doing here?” The Chief of Staff’s angry roar filled the air. Behind him, Jake, his face grim, strode purposefully towards us. I was about to speak. But he walked right past me. He went directly to Serena, gently helping her to her feet. “It’s okay, I’ll find a way to help you. You’ll be alright.” Under the Chief of Staff’s intimidating gaze, the crowd quickly dispersed. I was called into his office. The moment the door closed, his stern expression vanished, replaced by panic. “Lily! Even though this isn’t your fault, you have to save this patient! “She’s the sister of Preston Thorne. If she dies in our hospital, no one, from top to bottom, including you, will have a place to work anymore!” I sighed. In truth, the reason I dared to turn off my phone was because I knew my colleagues could keep the patient stable. Even if I came after I woke up, there would still be a way to save her. That way, there would be room for negotiation in the subsequent events. I looked at the Chief of Staff. “Today’s incident is not only Serena’s responsibility but also Jake’s.” The Chief of Staff froze. I handed him a document signed by Jake. “Jake personally approved Serena’s one-handed delivery procedure. “We’re taking such a huge risk, all to cover for these two. So, Chief of Staff, I can clean up this mess. “However, Serena isn’t the only one who needs to be punished.” I pressed my hands on the desk. “If Jake isn’t dealt with properly, similar incidents will keep happening. “And I’m not sure I’ll be able to save our hospital then.” The Chief of Staff’s expression grew serious. Jake was his protégé, someone who had followed him since medical school. However, when it came to the hospital’s core interests, even a protégé had to be dealt with. Moreover, he now relied on me to save Preston Thorne’s sister – Nora Thorne. “That scoundrel! He’s gotten so reckless, thinking he can do anything because I promoted him!” He slammed the agreement onto the desk. “Don’t worry! Not only will his upcoming Young Investigator application be rejected by me, but his promotion report will also be killed! “After this, he’ll only be able to do odd jobs at the entry level. He can forget about ever holding a core position in the hospital again!” I curved my lips into a small smile. I signed the agreement. This meant that Jake’s path to soaring from Young Investigator to Fellow, which he had taken in my previous life, was now— Severed. From morning until evening. Nora Thorne’s vital signs gradually returned to normal. The baby’s life was also saved and was being closely monitored in the intensive care unit. My scrubs were soaked with sweat. The moment I stepped out of the operating room, I “thump!” collapsed to the floor. It took a full bottle of glucose given by a colleague before I slowly regained consciousness. My colleagues who had assisted Serena in the surgery earlier cried and clutched my hand. “Thank you, Dr. Armitage. Without you, we really don’t know what we would have done…” “Yes, Preston Thorne is a lunatic. If he knew his sister died on our watch, our families might also…” I comforted my colleagues. Finally, I could leave work and go home for some much-needed rest. As I reached the underground parking garage, footsteps behind me made me spin around. No one… I muttered to myself, then turned and continued walking. Suddenly, everything went black. “Mmph!” I thrashed violently but was still dragged into a dark room. My right hand was forcibly grabbed and pressed onto a table. In the dim light, I vaguely saw the silhouette of the person in front of me. “Jake!” The hand gripping me stiffened. I was tied to a chair, struggling frantically. “Jake! It’s you! I know it’s you, right?! “What do you want? We can talk! I beg you… let me go, I saved Serena’s life!” The person in front of me paused. When he spoke again, it was just a sigh. “No, while you saved her from Preston Thorne’s wrath. “But you ultimately still put her in an unfair and unjust situation. “I’m sorry, if you truly want to help her, you’ll have to lose a hand. “That way, no one will think you performed the surgery, and everyone will believe Serena was the one who turned things around. “I’ll talk to the colleagues. I’ll also delete your surgical records. Lily, this time, please help her.” My eyes widened. “Jake!” The cleaver was raised high. I struggled with all my might. “I’m a doctor! How will I live if I lose my hand?!” The cleaver paused. The dim yellow light illuminated a flicker of reluctance in his eyes. “I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life, Lily.” “Wait!” I shouted. “If you cut off my hand, you won't be able to be a doctor either!” He shook his head. “Lily, Chief of Staff Lee is my mentor. He won’t let things escalate to that point. “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to stay in the medical field and protect you for life.” “He’s already given up on you!” His body stiffened. He chuckled. “No, he hasn't.” “Thud!” “Argh!” A heart-wrenching scream. Sweat and tears streamed down my forehead. For a promise to “save her,” Jake was capable of going to such lengths… I couldn’t feel my right hand anymore. I didn’t dare to turn and look. I couldn’t imagine what my right hand had become. “Lily, it’s alright now, it’s alright, shhh…” A towel wrapped around my right hand. Jake kissed my wrist. “Don’t worry, I’ll be by your side for the rest of my life.” I heard my own trembling voice. “Get out…” “Lily…” “Get out of here!” Amidst my violent gasps, Jake released me. “Lily, I’m sorry. “But until the dust settles, I’ll have to keep you here, I’m sorry. “Serena’s reputation cannot be tarnished.” I smiled, tears rolling down my cheeks. “You’re really that afraid of me going out and telling the truth.” “I’m sorry…” The door closed in front of me. The room plunged into complete darkness. My consciousness also faded into chaos.
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