On the day I'm supposed to get promoted as the deputy director, I pick up a 40-pound barbell before breaking my right arm with it.

Because of the injury, I missed the only title-evaluating surgery available in five years.

Everyone feels sorry for me, seeing as I've practically ruined my own future with my own hands. But I, on the other hand, am so excited about it that I've downed two bottles of vintage wine in one go.

Because in my past life, I spent ten hours in surgery and pulled the patient back from the brink of death.

But my wife, Megan Reese, immediately accused me of abusing my power as a doctor just to resolve a personal vendetta by killing her first love, Pierre Hopkins, on purpose.

She bribed the nurses who were in the same surgery as me. They were adamant that I used the wrong medication purposefully, which led to the patient dying from a rupture.

Not only was my career destroyed, but I also became a public enemy, hated by everyone.

My mom tried to seek justice on my behalf, only to get cyberbullied by the Internet users, who knew nothing about the truth, to the point that she broke down. In the end, she accidentally fell into the river and drowned.

When I received the tragic news, I chose to end my life by jumping off the hospital's rooftop.

After I died, Megan spent my assets however she wanted. She also lived happily ever after with Pierre, who apparently "came back to life".

When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day I'm supposed to perform a surgery on Pierre.

"How did Dr. Goodwin suddenly injure his hand?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's afraid that if the surgery fails tomorrow, he won't be able to save face as the newly promoted deputy director of the hospital."

I chose to ignore the gossip and speculation of my colleagues passing by.

Calmly, I continued walking toward Jamaal Monroe's office. He was the director.

My phone screen lit up with a message from Megan.

"Donovan, I'm leaving Pierre's surgery in your hands tomorrow. I trust you'll cure him. Love you, mwah."

It was the exact same message as in my previous life.

Back then, a simple "love you" from Megan would excite me. Now, nothing but a chill spread within me.

Mr. Monroe's face tightened into a deep frown as he looked at my bandaged right hand.

"How could you be so careless? Of all times to get injured, you choose now? I was counting on tomorrow morning's surgery to help you establish your authority within the hospital.

"I was hoping tomorrow’s surgery would help you build your authority here. Plenty of people still oppose you being deputy director."

I looked down at my injured right hand.

After a moment of silence, I said slowly, "I apologize for letting you down, Mr. Monroe. You should ask Dr. Reese to take over the surgery tomorrow. His seniority and practical skills are among the best in the hospital, after all."

Mr. Monroe sighed again. "Well, it seems that's the only way. You should take some time off to rest properly."

I left the hospital and took a taxi to Mom's place.

As I watched the streets flash by outside the window, I felt a sense of calm I had never known before.

Everyone else thought I had missed a perfect opportunity to prove myself. Only I knew that the surgery tomorrow, which seemed like it would bring me endless glory, was actually part of a massive plot to bring me down.

Before I could even take out my keys, the front door swung open from inside. Mom stood there, her eyes red-rimmed and her face full of worry as she looked at my injured hand.

"Donovan, how's your hand?"

Seeing Mom standing there alive in front of me, I felt my nose start to sting. I couldn't help but wrap her in a tight hug.

"Mom, I missed you."

Mom was taken aback at first, then gently patted my back.

"Donovan, did something happen at the hospital? Listen to me, go ask Mr. Monroe for leave. Stay home and rest for a while. I don't expect you to achieve greatness—I just want you to be okay."

A tear slid from the corner of my eye. I wanted Mom to be okay, too.

Given a second life, I will rewrite our fate—mine and Mom’s.

After composing myself, I forced a casual tone and said, "Don't worry, Mom. Mr. Monroe has already approved a month's leave for me."

"Tomorrow I'll go to the hospital one more time, and after that, I'll spend the rest of my time with you," I promised.

Hearing this, Mom happily nodded several times.

"What does an old lady like me need you staying with for? You should spend more time with Megan instead. It hasn't been easy for her alone at home all these years while you've been busy with work."

At the mention of Megan, my smile faded slightly.

Just then, another message from her came through.

"Donovan, why aren't you replying to my messages? Also, Pierre said you didn't make rounds today. What kind of attending physician does that? And how are the preparations going for tomorrow's surgery?"

In my previous life, I was practically living at the hospital. I studied journals and rewatched successful surgical cases over and over just to make sure Pierre's surgery would succeed.

But the moment I gave Pierre a new lease on life, Megan accused me of endangering a patient for my own selfish motives.

My once-bright future shattered into darkness right then.

To seal my conviction, Megan even bribed an operating room nurse, Sheila Bell. Under the glare of countless camera flashes, Sheila pointed at me and declared indignantly, "I saw Dr. Goodwin swap the patient's life-saving medication with my own eyes."

She even played the video of me fighting with Pierre. My own words, "Why aren't you dead yet?" ended up being the final nail in my coffin.

No matter how much I explained or screamed, it was useless against the so-called eyewitness testimony and evidence.

Everyone decided I was a monster in a white coat.

Only Mom stood firm, believing wholeheartedly in my innocence. But the more she spoke up for me, the more vicious the online attacks against her grew.

In the end, overwhelmed and disoriented, she accidentally slipped and drowned in a river. And on the day I was formally arrested, I jumped from the rooftop of the hospital.

After my death, my soul lingered by Megan's side, and I saw Pierre, who had somehow come back to life.

Maybe the universe could sense how much I hated him, and that was why I was given another shot at life.

In this life, Pierre's surgeon was Megan's father, Arnold Reese. I was looking forward to seeing just how she would try to pin the blame on me this time.

The next day, I arrived at the hospital early and shamelessly stuck by Mr. Monroe's side the whole day. When the time was almost right, I finally stood up to leave.

Just as I reached the operating room entrance, Megan surrounded me with a crowd of people. Since I had deliberately hidden my injured right hand inside my loose white coat, Megan didn't notice it was hurt at all.

She strode up to me and, without a word, slapped me across the face.

"Donovan, as a doctor, how could you let jealousy drive you to kill your own patient? You're not even fit to be called human!"

I pressed my tongue against the inside of my stinging cheek, and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone from Megan's group already discreetly pulling out a camera.

I chuckled inwardly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever kill my patient? Pierre's surgery—"

Megan's eyes were bloodshot, her emotions raw as she cut me off. "Did you think a simple 'the surgery failed' would be enough to clear your guilt? The fact of the matter is, you killed Pierre on purpose!"

Pierre's family grew increasingly worked up at her words. Giving me no chance to explain, they launched straight into punches and kicks.

"Scum like you don't deserve to be a doctor."

"I'll make you pay with your life!"

Fortunately, security arrived in time. Thus, all I ended up with was a punch in the face and a few footprints stamped across my white coat.

Hiding behind the security guard, I glared at Megan and shouted, "I didn't kill Pierre! Megan, you'd better have proof for what you're saying!"

Megan showed no trace of panic. Instead, she put on an expression of deep distress.

"Donovan, I may be your wife, but I am also a person with a conscience. I cannot turn a blind eye to your crimes, so don't blame me for doing this.

"Before justice and the law, I must uphold righteousness to bring justice for the deceased, even if it means exposing my own husband!"

Just then, Mr. Monroe, having received word, hurried over.

"I am Jamaal Monroe, the hospital director. What exactly is going on here? If you are deliberately causing trouble outside the operating room, I will have to call the police."

Megan spoke up before I could even get a word in. "Mr. Monroe, you came just in time. Donovan abused his position to intentionally cause a patient's death during surgery, so this hospital owes the family an explanation."

Mr. Monroe gave Megan a strange look. "If I recall correctly, you are Dr. Reese's daughter and Dr. Goodwin's wife, aren't you?"

Megan's expression stiffened for a moment.

"Yes, I am Donovan's wife. But that doesn't mean I can ignore my own conscience. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of my life."

Watching Megan standing there so self-righteously, I felt a sharp ache deep in my heart.

After she became my wife, I treasured her deeply and rarely said no to anything she wanted. Mom treated her as if she were her own daughter, too. Yet, in the end, all we got in return was a tragic fate.

Mr. Monroe looked puzzled by Megan's accusations.

"But Dr. Goodwin hasn't been in the operating room for days, and none of his surgeries have ever failed before."

"Didn't he just operate on Pierre today?" Megan immediately retorted sharply.

It was then that I spoke up calmly. "I didn't perform Pierre's surgery. In fact, I spent the entire day today in Mr. Monroe's office."

Mr. Monroe nodded, confirming that what I said was true.

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Megan clearly hadn't expected this outcome and stood frozen in place for a long moment.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she shouted at me, "I've got it! You must've finished the surgery early, then rushed straight to Mr. Monroe's office so he could unknowingly provide you with a false alibi."

I had to admit, I was almost impressed by just how wild Megan's imagination really was.

Just then, a young nurse pushed through the crowd and pointed at me.

"I can prove that Dr. Goodwin was the one who killed Pierre," she shouted indignantly.

I would recognize that pretty but venomous face anywhere, even if she were reduced to ashes.

In my previous life, Sheila stood there with that innocent face of hers and twisted the truth in front of the media and police.

But in this life, I didn't even set foot in the operating room, so what made her think she could still come after me with these accusations?

Suppressing the hatred in my heart, I looked at her coldly and said, "Ms. Bell, I've never wronged you, so why are you trying to frame me?"

Sheila's eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion as she replied emphatically, "Dr. Goodwin, it's true we have no personal grudge, but I can't ignore what I swore to uphold as a nurse.

"I saw with my own eyes that you switched Pierre's medication, and that's what killed him on the operating table. As for the reason… You suspected Pierre of seducing your wife, so you took revenge!"

With that, she played the very video that had sealed my fate in my previous life.

In the footage, I was in a heated argument with Pierre, who was wearing a hospital gown. Both of our faces were flushed with anger.

At the end of the video, the line "Why aren't you dead yet?" echoed hollowly down the empty corridor.