Chapter 3

At that moment, Chad stepped up to speak for Lauren.

He said, "Adam, it was just an honest mistake on Lauren's part.

"Bethany not only misunderstood her and wanted to punish her, but even threatened Lauren with her residency certificate, forcing her to kneel and apologize. That's way out of line."

Adam slammed his hand on the table, his anger boiling over.

He demanded, "Are you saying Bethany wanted to punish her and even threatened her with her residency certificate?"

Chad nodded, shooting me a cold look.

He said, "Yeah. Lauren's always been soft and never stands up for herself. She thought it was all her fault for upsetting Bethany, so she tried to kill herself by taking sleeping pills. Luckily, we found her in time, or we might have lost her for good."

I couldn't tell if Chad and Leon were really blind to Lauren's manipulative side, or if they just liked playing the white knight for her, always enabling her no matter what.

Listening to the two of them spin the story and act like they're the victims, I couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh.

I said, "There are cameras outside the operating room. We can just check the footage and see who's really at fault. No need to make up such cheap lies to smear me..."

Adam slapped me, cutting me off mid-sentence.

He snapped, "The evidence is solid. What are you still trying to argue about? You really think everyone here would gang up just to smear you?

"I know exactly what kind of person Lauren is."

"And you actually dared to threaten her? Who gave you the right to mess with her residency certificate?"

I flinched, my face burning from the slap.

I couldn't believe it. Adam, someone everyone looked up to, just pinned the blame on me without even checking the facts.

Could this really be the Adam I thought I knew?

I just felt cold inside.

I wanted to keep defending myself, but Adam just turned his back on me, his tone cold.

He said, "Bethany, you picked on an intern, threw your weight around, and totally crossed the line as a doctor.

"You're suspended. Go home and reflect. Come back when you've figured out what you did wrong.

"Your promotion to associate chief is canceled, and your pay's getting slashed three levels. That's your punishment."

Everyone in the department was crowded outside, listening in. These punishments were the ultimate humiliation.

After this, there was no way I would ever survive in the medical field.

I yelled, "Adam, you're abusing your authority!

"I'm going to report this to the hospital, and I'm not leaving anything out!"

I rushed forward to block Adam, but Chad and Leon each grabbed an arm, pinning me in place.

I looked up at Adam, that distant, unfeeling leader who now seemed so far above everyone else.

How did things end up like this?

Back when I first started my internship, Adam was my mentor, incorruptible, always standing up for what's right.

What happened to him?

Leon locked his hands on my shoulders, holding me tight.

He said, "Come on, don't be so naive. You really think reporting this will change anything? The cameras outside the OR has already been deleted. If you keep this up, you're just gonna make yourself look even worse."

"No..." I whispered, my voice barely audible.

I could care less about how my coworkers treated me. After all, we were just colleagues, nothing more.

The reason I chose medicine was because, as a kid, I saw Adam on TV saying, "Doctors should have a kind heart." I truly admired him from the bottom of my heart.

To me, he was like both a father and a mentor.

But now, all I could do was stand there and watch as Adam turned to Lauren and said, "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one's going to bully you. Once you're officially in, just keep at it. Give it a few years and you'll be the youngest chief physician in the whole hospital."

I watched Adam acting all gentle and caring toward Lauren, like she was his favorite.

In that moment, Lauren and I locked eyes, and I could clearly see the challenge and smug satisfaction flashing in her gaze.

I gave them both a cold stare and scoffed.

I said, "Sorry, but I don't see a competent chief physician here.

"All I see is a lost cause, just dead weight that'll never amount to anything."

In this hospital, even if one had gotten all the connections and backing, if he were just deadweight with zero skills, he couldn't hold onto the associate chief physician spot for long.

I had put in five years here, performed hundreds of surgeries, and earned every bit of experience and respect. There was no way Lauren could just waltz in and take my place with her background and connections.

Lauren's cheeks burned with humiliation at my cutting words.

Adam turned back to look at me.

He said, "Having you here is just asking for trouble."

"Chad," Adam said, signaling him.

Adam gave Chad a meaningful look.

Chad pulled out a document, grabbed my hand roughly, forced my finger into the red ink pad, and pressed my fingerprint onto the paper.

I looked down.

It was a resignation letter.

By stamping my fingerprint, I was officially admitting to bullying and threatening Lauren, accepting responsibility, and resigning from the hospital of my own accord.

I shouted, "Such despicable behavior!

"I'll take this all the way to the hospital. I won't back down!"

Suddenly, someone in a hospital gown showed up at the doorway.

"Stop it, all of you!" the figure shouted.

"Dr. John!" the figure called out.

It was Bella Gilbert, the patient who died because of Lauren in my last life, but this time, I managed to save her.