Chapter 4

Wynne handed me the voice recorder, and I was shoved out the door, clutching it in my hand.

This time, it wasn't Del who came to pick me up. It was my mom.

When I saw her wrinkled face, I just couldn't help crying anymore.

"Mom..." I choked out.

She was still alive, and she hadn't worn herself out worrying about me.

My mom stroked my face and said, "Eileen, why didn't you tell me earlier? What kind of jerk is that boyfriend of yours—he seriously stormed into my office and caused all that drama just because of another woman."

I nestled into her embrace and nodded quietly. "Yeah, what a jerk."

'Now that I've dealt with my own mess, it's their turn to pay.' I thought.

As soon as I got back to my hospital room, Del rushed in, looking all anxious. "Eileen, do you even realize that Irene is about to get suspended because of you? Why are you just lying here? Go explain yourself."

He felt like a total stranger to me. For the first time, I finally saw him for who he really was.

"I just had surgery. What, am I supposed to jump up and go thank your precious Irene like she's some goddess, and grovel at her feet?" I snapped back.

He was stunned that I knew Irene's real identity, but he still had the nerve to play the boyfriend card. "You need to drop the charges against Irene right now. I'm your boyfriend—how could you even do this to me?"

I couldn't stand it one second longer. I picked up a water cup and chucked it right at him.

"From now on, we're done. You're not my boyfriend anymore. Not a single charge is coming off—I want you and Irene to get exactly what you deserve!" I yelled.

Del stood there, dumbfounded, his eyes wide. "Have you lost your mind?

"Dr. Willis practically put her whole career on the line just to save you, and this is what you do in return? Now you're going to blame me, too? Wasn't all of this supposed to be for your sake?"

'He talks such a good game—does he really think acting all holier-than-thou is enough to cover up what he's really hiding inside?' I thought.

When I stayed silent, Del suddenly hauled me to my feet.

The second my stitches were pulled, the pain hit me hard. My face went white, and I was too weak to fight him off.

By the time Del dragged me into Irene's office, I was greeted by a crowd—everyone was gathered around, watching the show.

My mom had gone back to grab my clothes; if she was still here, you better believe I'd make sure she caught every bit of this drama.

The hospital execs stood between Conrad and Irene, all with stern faces, locked in a tense discussion.

Irene's eyes were rimmed red. She put on such a pitiful look that anyone might feel a pang of sympathy. "I already said it was an emergency.

"The patient went into shock from the pain—what better proof do you need? How else am I supposed to explain? I did nothing wrong."

The patients nearby, riled up and protective, shouted, "Dr. Willis is like a legendary healer. She didn't do anything wrong—the patient's the one at fault. You can't suspend Dr. Willis!"

The leadership shot Conrad some troubled looks. Irene had some real skill—getting all these patients to rally around her like this wasn't something just anyone could pull off.

"I brought Eileen here!" Del yelled, dragging me forward through the crowd. He forced me down roughly, full of righteous fury. "Why won't you just admit you're wrong, after what you've caused Dr. Willis?!"

I clutched my stomach in agony, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

"Stop right there! Are you even her relative? She just came out of surgery—this is how you treat her?" Conrad scolded sternly.

He helped me up, and I seized the chance to slip away from Del's grasp, quickly settling behind Conrad.

After taking a shaky breath, I steadied myself and spoke out, "Dr. Willis, everyone calls you some miracle doctor, the angel in white. But last night, you looked like a devil to me. How do you explain that?"

Irene shot me an icy look. "Everything I did was just to save you!"

Just as I was about to speak again, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Hey, check out this recording! Dr. Willis was just being kind, telling her not to get another abortion—and look at how she treats Dr. Willis in return.

"Probably just trying to hide whatever Dr. Willis uncovered!" He turned the volume all the way up, making sure everyone heard the whole mess from last night.

"Your uterine lining is thin... Abortions...

"You should love yourself more. This is hurting your body. I'm only looking out for you..."

All the audio showed was Irene talking to me gently, while the only thing I said was, "How do you know I've had abortions, Dr. Willis?"

When the audio cut off, all those loyal defenders of Irene glared at me like I was their sworn enemy—if looks could stab, I'd be bleeding out on the floor. In their eyes, I'd suddenly become the wicked villain, the one hell-bent on ruining their beloved angel in white.

But I just laughed, laughing so hard that tears rolled down my cheeks.

"She's got no way to wriggle out of this, so she's playing crazy now!" someone in the crowd sneered.

"Should've just left her on the operating table—total waste of time saving someone like her!" another person spat.

"Dr. Willis is an angel—who could be so twisted to try and drag her name through the mud?" someone else sniped.

All that nasty talk? Compared to what I dealt with in my previous life, their words were nothing—they couldn't even scratch me.

Del heard the recording too, and, full of righteous indignation, jabbed a finger at me. "You whore! If I'd known you went and got abortions, that you're this disgusting, I'd never have wasted my time with someone like you!"

I tilted my head with a sneer. "You, with me? Come on, weren't you always hung up on Irene Willis? She's your dream girl, right—your unattainable ideal. Last night, she finally owned up to it herself."

I shook the recorder in my hand and pressed play.

"So, let's all hear exactly how your precious girl 'saved' me," I said, my voice full of biting sarcasm.