The male doctor responsible for treating my wounds was Daniel Reed from my department.

When he saw my face, his hands paused.

His pupils shrank sharply.

"Dr. Doherty? You... why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the operating room resuscitating the patient right now?"

As soon as he said that, the police officer beside me spoke first.

"Oh? She is a doctor at your hospital? She accidentally fell into a deep shaft. We just rescued her."

Daniel froze.

His gaze fell on my face.

His mouth opened, then closed, as if he wanted to speak several times but stopped himself.

It seemed he knew something.

But in front of the police officers, he did not dare say another word.

He could only silently pick up his instruments and carefully treat my wounds.

The debridement and suturing process was clear and torturous.

The cut on my forehead alone needed three stitches.

My right leg was placed in a cast because of the fracture.

Then I was pushed into the exam room for a head CT.

Fortunately, the results showed only a mild concussion and nothing serious.

Once I appeared more conscious, two police officers walked into the observation room with a notebook.

They needed to take my statement as part of the routine accident inquiry.

"Dr. Doherty, please recount the full process of how you fell into the shaft."

Leaning against the headboard, I acted as if I were trying hard to remember.

"After finishing my night shift, I had just walked out the front gate when a colleague from the department called and told me to return to the operating room immediately to help with a resuscitation.

"I was anxious and a little dazed, so I did not notice the open shaft on the road. I stepped into it and fell straight down."

The officers listened and nodded repeatedly.

Soon after, someone from the hospital's surveillance room hurried over.

They carried the complete road surveillance footage and handed it to the officers for verification.

The surveillance footage was clear and complete. It matched my statement exactly.

After watching it, the officers confirmed that this was purely an accident.

Just then, I suddenly cried out.

I pretended to be anxious.

"Oh no! Oh no! They are still waiting for me to return for surgery! How did I lose so much time here?"

I tried my best to show the normal reaction an emergency physician should have.

Ignoring my injuries and the officers' attempts to stop me, I struggled to get up.

"Push me over there! I have to get back to the operating room!"

The officers quickly tried to calm me down.

"Dr. Doherty, please stay calm. Your current physical condition is not suitable for surgery."

But I acted frantic, forcing myself upright and insisting on sitting in a wheelchair.

"No! I am worried. I have to go over and check!"

No one could stop me.

But when I was hurriedly wheeled to the operating room entrance, the atmosphere there was already deathly still.

A crowd of crying, devastated family members had filled the hallway.

The operating room light had gone out.

The resuscitation was over.

Standing before the family members was Olivia Hart in surgical scrubs.

She lowered her eyes and let out a deliberately heavy sigh.

"I am sorry. We did everything we could. The resuscitation failed, and the patient has been pronounced dead."

The family members instantly collapsed.

Their heart-wrenching sobs exploded through the hallway.

Then Olivia changed the subject.

Her tone carried a subtle accusation as she intentionally pointed the blame toward me.

"Actually, there was a strong chance he could have been saved. Unfortunately, the lead surgeon, Dr. Evelyn Doherty, made repeated mistakes, and that was why..."

Her words were like sparks falling into a pile of explosives, instantly igniting everyone's rage.

"Where is Evelyn Doherty? Why doesn't she dare come out?"

"A doctor who treats human life like nothing! We need an explanation!"

The family members were immediately enraged, screaming that I had to pay with my life.

I sat in the wheelchair, quietly watching her twist the truth.

In the chaos, one family member locked his gaze onto the badge on my chest and read each word aloud.

"Emergency Department physician, Evelyn Doherty!"

The moment he said that, everyone turned to look at me.

The patient's wife had been sitting on the floor sobbing. When she heard this, she completely lost control.

She scrambled up from the ground, eyes bloodshot, and rushed toward me like a madwoman.

"It's you! You are the one whose negligence killed my husband!"

She grabbed my collar, her fingernails digging deeply into my skin.

The violent tugging sent waves of pain through my right leg.

The surrounding family members surged forward, completely out of control.

Shoving, cursing, and accusations came one after another.

"Killer doctor!"

"Does your conscience not hurt after killing someone?"

"You have to pay with your life!"

With my right leg broken, I had no ability to fight back.

I could only grip the wheelchair tightly, endure the pain and humiliation, and try to explain.

But again and again, my words were drowned out by the furious shouts.

"It was not me! I had nothing to do with this surgery. I never participated in the resuscitation!"

But in front of the enraged family members, my defense sounded pale and powerless.

Standing behind the crowd, Olivia coldly watched as they surrounded and bullied me.

A vicious smile hid at the corner of her mouth.

"Dr. Doherty, are you still trying to argue even now?"

She raised her voice, pretending to be heartbroken.

"You caused a medical accident, yet instead of taking responsibility, you deliberately faked a fracture. You are clearly trying to escape accountability!"

Those words cemented my "crime."

The scene spiraled completely out of control.

In the chaos, a young man roared, "Faking a fracture, are you? Let me see you fake it now!"

Before his words finished, he lifted his foot and kicked hard into the side of my wheelchair.

The unstable wheelchair flipped over instantly.

I lost my balance and crashed onto the cold floor.

Then the family member raised his foot and stomped with all his strength on my freshly cast right leg.

"Ah!"

A bone-piercing pain tore through my entire body.

I could no longer hold back and screamed sharply.

I curled up on the ground, trembling from the pain.

Hearing the commotion, the police officers and Daniel hurried over.

The officers quickly rushed into the scene and shielded me behind them.

"Stop! This is a hospital!"

The patient's wife grabbed the police officer's sleeve.

"Officer! This is the doctor who killed my husband through malpractice! You have to arrest her and put her in prison!"

Accusations rose again from every direction.

Everyone believed I was the culprit behind this medical accident.

Only Olivia looked confused when she saw the officers.

Clearly, she had no idea what had happened outside.

The leading officer coldly swept his gaze over the shouting family members.

Then he asked clearly, word by word, "So what you are saying is that Dr. Evelyn Doherty made a surgical error in the operating room just now and caused the patient's death?"

The family members answered without hesitation.

"That's right! It was her!"

The officer gave a cold laugh.

"Then that is truly absurd."

He took out his phone and held it high, facing everyone present.

"Then take a good look at this."

The moment everyone saw what was on the phone, Olivia's pupils shrank sharply.

All color drained from her face.

The family members' expressions changed at once.

The entire hallway fell silent.