During my craniotomy, that backstabbing medical student, Ashley Miller, deliberately swapped out my anesthesia. I was wide awake the whole time, tears streaming down my face, but she told everyone it was an “awake craniotomy.” My last call before surgery, I cried to my fiancé, Chase, for help, but he cut me off, annoyed: "Brooke, not everyone is as two-faced as you are." "Ashley’s being incredibly generous, giving you this surgery after everything. Just cooperate, okay? Stop making a scene!" Then, she snatched the phone away. My scalp was sliced open, my skull drilled into. I was tortured to death, leaving a dying declaration pointing the finger at Ashley Miller. But Chase testified for Ashley: "Brooke's chances of surviving the surgery were always slim. Her death has nothing to do with Ashley." I blinked, and I was back in the OR, the moment they switched the anesthesia. … "Brooke, you think those scraps you threw my way to 'help' me made you better than me?" "So what if you’re a Park Avenue princess? Chase treats you like dirt, anyway. I just mentioned it once, and he handed you over to me to experiment on." Ashley's voice was low and icy, right by my ear. My mind was swimming with the diluted anesthetic, and I snapped my eyes open. The sharp smell of disinfectant, the blinding surgical lights – it all hit me. I was back. Back to the day of my craniotomy, with Ashley performing the surgery. In the last life, she swapped my meds with a low dose of anesthetic, leaving me conscious during the whole thing, fully aware of the agonizing pain and terror of having my skull cut open. "What do you say, wanna call Chase again and double-check?" Snapping back to reality, Ashley had already dialed Chase's number. She raised an eyebrow at me, a smug look on her face, and tossed the phone onto my chest, then turned to prep her surgical tools. Just like last time, Chase's voice was cold and impatient: "Ashley comes from old money. She's way too good to risk her reputation by hurting you." "Just cooperate with the awake craniotomy, and you’ll live. It’ll also get her a promotion. Win-win, Brooke. Can you stop being so dramatic?" He knew damn well that awake craniotomies weren’t for everyone, especially when it was only Ashley's second surgery. She could barely hold a scalpel steady. Maybe the low dose of anesthetic was kicking in, because I couldn’t feel my limbs anymore. Chase said my name. He said something else, but I couldn't make it out. I didn’t beg him to save me this time. I hung up and, with shaking hands, tried to call Dad. My family never liked Chase. I secretly hooked him up with connections and resources, turning him into a hotshot businessman. Only then did they back off. If they knew Chase and Ashley were screwing me over like this, they'd go ballistic. "Dad…" But she snatched the phone away as soon as I dialed. Ashley hung up right in front of me. "I knew you’d pull something." Ashley deliberately waved her trembling hands in my face. Her eyes, shielded by the surgical mask, were full of hate. Shadows moved around me, creeping over my head. The surgical lights were so bright I couldn't see what she was doing, and the idea of what might happen was worse than seeing it. I could still feel the excruciating pain of my last life. The cold, sharp scalpel pressed against my scalp. My heart was about to burst, but I couldn’t move. Just when I thought I was doomed to repeat the same nightmare, the OR door swung open. My best friend, Chloe, glanced at the heart monitor and stopped Ashley: "Ashley, are you crazy? The anesthesia's not strong enough. She's still conscious. How can you start surgery without enough meds?" Chloe glared at everyone else in the room: "Ashley's out of line, and you're all going along with it? If the chief finds out, you're all screwed!" The others looked at each other, uneasy. 2 Ashley scoffed: "You mean Chase? Funny you mention him, he just called and said he’s giving me full control over Brooke's surgery." "Don't believe me? Want me to call him again?" After Ashley shot them a hard look, the other people in the room all looked down. Last time, Ashley waltzed all over the hospital, pretending to be me, with Chase always backing her up. No one dared to cross her. Chloe was furious. "Get out of my way!" Ashley shoved her, and Chloe stumbled, knocking over a scalpel, which cut her cheek. "Who's the surgeon here? You or me? Keep interfering, and I'll have the chief fire you!" Chloe squeezed my hand reassuringly, then turned to leave. I grabbed her pinkie finger. Last time, Chloe was so angry she went to Chase. After I died, Chase blamed her for everything, ruining her reputation. She ended up jumping off a bridge. I didn't want to hurt her again. I forced the words out: "Don't…Chase. Go… CEO…Miller Group…" Chloe frantically nodded, tears streaming down her face. But Ashley grabbed her and slapped her across the face: "The surgery's not done yet. Where do you think you're going? Gonna run to Daddy? You wish." "Ashley… let…Chloe…go!" I was beyond angry, but I was weak and helpless, barely able to speak. I could only stare at her: "That’s…Dad… touch… me… you’ll… pay… tenfold!" Ashley laughed, ignoring my warning: "You say you're a Park Avenue princess? Look around. Does anyone here believe you?" Everyone avoided eye contact, pretending they didn't see anything. They clearly agreed with Ashley. My heart sank. Ashley leaned closer, whispering in my ear: "Besides, even if you are who you say you are, if you die here today, Daddy will let me into the family. I'll be the real Park Avenue princess." "Fake will become real." My eyes widened. I was consumed by hate, but my tongue was numb. I drooled, unable to say a word. Ashley smiled, satisfied. As she gloated, Chloe suddenly broke free and ran for the door. But a few guys in black suits came in and grabbed Chloe, shoving her in front of Ashley. "Ms. Miller, the chief said to go ahead with the surgery. We'll make sure no one bothers you." "Whether the surgery is a success or not, we won't let anything bad happen to you." Ashley raised her eyebrows at me, mocking me. My heart dropped. I realized Chase was back too. He'd even sent security to keep my dying words from getting out. This was the man I’d loved for seven years. It was all so twisted. An injection knocked Chloe out cold. The bodyguards lined up at the OR door, and Ashley moved over me. The low dose of anesthesia only left me weak. My mind was clear enough to feel my scalp being cut open. I was shaking all over. I could barely speak, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the bloodbath. My heart pounded in my chest, and my blood pressure spiked. Then the phone rang. A nurse ran in, her face white, and handed it to Ashley: "Dr. Miller, Ms. Miller wants you to take this call." 3 Ashley flinched, and the blade made a long cut on my scalp. I felt a flicker of hope and whispered: "Sis…" But Ashley clamped her hand over my mouth. Her bloody hand pressed down on the respirator and the tubes in my nose and throat. Blood streamed from the wound on my head, and I could only stare at Ashley. I couldn’t say a word. Even breathing was hard. Ashley turned her head, lowering her voice: "Sis, the surgery's not done yet. Yeah, Dr. Jones is the main surgeon. I'm just assisting. No, it's going well." "Don't worry, we're doing our best. I’ll call you later…" "She’s lying!" Chloe yelled, gritting her teeth. Ashley glared and nodded at the bodyguards, who covered Chloe's mouth and gave her another shot. I struggled to make a sound to get to my sister, but it was useless. A few nurses held down my hands, copying Ashley and covering my mouth. Ashley held the phone with one hand and the scalpel with the other, making random cuts on my scalp: "It's okay, Sis, don't worry." "Patients under anesthesia often get confused and say crazy things. It’s normal." Every cut made tears stream down my face, and I couldn’t stop shaking. Last time, Ashley was on her phone while doing a C-section, and she screwed up and left a piece of gauze in the woman's stomach. By the time they found it, the woman was burning up with sepsis. Chase paid to keep it quiet. Ashley was trying to kill me. She hung up, and a nurse leaned in, hesitant: "Dr. Miller, the patient's blood pressure is dangerously high. Her heart rate is too fast. She's going to suffocate." Ashley didn’t say anything, just gave her a look. The nurse shut her mouth and backed away. My vision was going white, and my head was spinning. I couldn't tell if it was the anesthesia or lack of oxygen. I thought I heard the sound of the drill. Buzzing, buzzing, just like last time. Why was this happening again? But I didn't want to die. I looked at the lights, unable to breathe. Then, I heard voices. Chase walked in, wearing a white coat, and I tensed up. But he didn't even glance at me. He smiled and patted Ashley on the head: "How much longer? Your sister's waiting outside to take us all out to dinner when you’re done." His voice was sweet and gentle, a total contrast to how he treated me. I’d been disappointed too many times. I barely reacted to seeing him. Only the word "sister" kept me from passing out. I don’t know what Chase said, but Ashley laughed and leaned into him. The drill slipped. It felt like my scalp was being ripped off. I clenched my jaw, staring at the surgical instruments thirty centimeters away. Fingers, move, move, please… I focused all my strength and waved my arm. Chase rushed over and held me down. The drill fell to the floor, hitting the surgical table and knocking the instruments to the ground. "Crash—" "What's all that noise? Did something happen to my baby sister?" My sister's voice. Then the door opened a crack.
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