The new reporter intern deliberately falsified the situation at the fire scene to secure a full-time position and create a headline.

Because of her, firefighters who rushed in to fight the fire and nearly a thousand company employees were killed in an explosion.

There were no bodies left to salvage.

My husband, who was also my superior, gave false testimony for her sake and claimed I was the one who had made the decision.

I lost my job, and everyone cursed me, telling me to die.

On the day of the trial, a grieving family member of one of the victims threw a bottle of acid at me. I died in unbearable pain as the acid ate me alive.

Meanwhile, my husband was busy comforting the intern. "Don't be afraid. She deserved this."

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day she made that false coverage.

"Janice, let me cover the scene," The intern said in a young, eager voice. Ruby Thomas wore her work attire and never complained despite holding a heavy camera in her hand.

I looked like a senior colleague picking on her for no reason when I stood next to her.

I heard myself say, "No, you're still an intern. You're still not familiar with how to handle emergencies on your own."

A familiar male voice cut in next. "Let Ruby handle it. You were a rookie once, so you should give her a chance to grow."

That was when I finally woke up.

The man who had just spoken was my husband, Danny Smith, who was also my superior.

Ruby was a new intern. She was one breaking story away from landing a full-time position.

In my previous life, I had also turned down her request. Then, my husband had criticized me for targeting her and refusing to give her a chance in front of all the other staff.

He had then decided for me and sent Ruby to the fire, not even assigning anyone experienced to go with her.

I had had no choice but to stay at the office and pay attention to the coverage, and I thought this would just be another close call. I never expected Ruby to falsify a coverage just to get that job.

There were still more than a thousand employees in the factory along with the plant's stockpile of explosive materials, yet she had hidden all of that information and gone on air claiming there was no one trapped, acting as if the explosive materials did not exist.

The firefighters believed her and rushed in to organize the evacuation. In an instant, the entire factory blew up and killed all the employees and every firefighter who had gone inside.

Nothing was left of them.

She had done all of it just to create a piece of sensational news, and when it hit the front page, she received the notice that she had passed her probation.

However, too many people had died. Their families were devastated, and amidst the public outrage, someone secretly lodged a report saying she had lied about the fire.

When the police burst into the company, Danny pushed me forward instead.

He wrapped his arms around the sobbing Ruby and said to me, "Janice, just turn yourself in. You sent an intern to the scene alone when you're the senior. She's just an intern, so of course this is your fault!"

The footage from the office's security camera had been destroyed, so the video of me refusing Ruby's request was gone. He went as far as to lie on the spot, claiming I had ignored his objections and insisted on sending an intern to the scene.

He even pulled out the finalized assignment sheet, and my signature was on it.

He helped Ruby fabricate the evidence, and I ended up in prison.

The explosion had taken too many lives. I was thrown into the middle of the mob, lost my job, and was drowned in abuse online. Everyone cursed at me and wanted me dead.

On the day of the trial, the furious families broke through the bailiffs, and a bottle of sulfuric acid was hurled at me. I collapsed on the floor as the acid splashed on me, screaming and rolling until the pain eventually killed me. Only then did I realize it had all been a plan to get rid of me.

Danny did not care whether I lived or died. He had run to comfort the shaken Ruby instead. "Don't be scared. She deserved all of this."

The last image in my memory was of Ruby being held in my husband's arms, smiling smugly, and it was carved deep into my mind.

I hated them.

I hated their cruelty and their need to wipe me out completely.

But luckily, I was given another chance.

I had regressed to the day she had falsified that coverage.

The pain of acid burning through me pulled my mind back to the present. As soon as Danny finished speaking, Ruby gave him a shy smile, and they exchanged a look right in front of me.

The next second, Danny reached out and patted her head. "Once you finish covering this story, you'll be confirmed full-time."

Ruby's eyes lit up, but before she could say anything else, I stopped them. "So, you don't need me anymore? Should I resign now and leave you two to do it together?"

I wasn't going to just let it go this time. I didn't want to let them get away with this, and I definitely didn't want innocent people to die for this.

My bluntness turned the mood in the office heavier in a heartbeat.

Ruby's eyes turned red, just like a scolded child, making Danny yell at me immediately. "Watch your tongue, Janice! Ruby and I are just coworkers! I stepped in because I saw you picking on a newcomer. As your husband, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing! Instead of reflecting on yourself, you're even refusing to change for the better?!"

I couldn't help but smile coldly internally. Coworkers? It looked more like something else entirely to me. He was already fooling around, yet he still wanted to act like he was doing nothing wrong!

"No means no. This breaks company policy. An intern can't go to a scene without a senior reporter!" I said.

At the mention of company policy, Danny scoffed instead. "Are you trying to push me out, Janice? Unfortunately, as long as I'm your superior, you'll have to listen to my orders! Ruby is going, and that's final!"

He then took Ruby's hand and left.

I had expected Danny to use his authority to suppress me. What I didn't expect was for him to drive her there himself. He made it clear to everyone in the company that anyone who tried to stop her would be fired.

I tore off my badge and drove after them, but not before going to the security room.

When I arrived, Ruby was already talking with the firefighters. There was absolutely no guilt on her face as she treated their lives as though they were nothing!

"Alright. We'll start the evacuation right away. Thank you for the information." I ran over and managed to hear that line, and my anxiety overtook me. I didn't know how to stop all of this.

I ran toward them, but Danny stepped in front of me.

He glared at me and said, "What are you doing here, Janice? You wanted a senior reporter present, right? That's why I'm here. What else do you want?!"

Time was running out, so I tried to run past him nervously, but he grabbed my arm. "Stay right here! I'm not letting you delay Ruby!"

His tone was full of righteousness. If I weren't his wife, I probably would have even offered him a round of applause.

It was almost too late, and the lead firefighter had already entered the factory.

I shouted in horror, "Stop! There are explosive materials inside!"

Luckily, I was loud enough, and the firefighter at the rear heard me and immediately pulled the others back.

The heat from the flames fed my urgency, and I knew that if I were any slower, the people inside would die from the smoke or from the explosion caused by the explosive materials.

The team leader walked over, his expression stern. "What did you say? How do you know there are explosives?!"

Ruby stood there in her work attire while I was in casual clothes, so I knew she looked more credible.

Still, I didn't care anymore.

As my mind raced, I suddenly pointed at a woman kneeling nearby who was sobbing uncontrollably. "She knew about it! She said it just now!"

In my last life, she was one of the workers who worked in that factory. Her husband was also one of the men who had died in the explosion.

Before the firefighters could check anything, Ruby yelled and sobbed. "Why must you keep targeting me, Janice? There's a fire! Why are you still trying to stop me when there's something as urgent as a fire?!"

The firefighters looked confused and kept glancing between us.

Danny also stepped in front of her and pointed at me. "Let them go in for the evacuation! How long are you going to keep this up?!"

I was furious. They could target me all they wanted, but the people in that factory were innocent. They did not even care enough to perform basic fact-checking.

I ignored them and ran over. After a quick explanation, I brought the woman over.

"Please save my husband. He's still inside!" She cried.

I cut her off gently and put a hand on her shoulder, calming her. "He'll be alright. But you have to tell me how many people are still inside, and if there's anything flammable or explosive stored in there."

Her sobbing eased before she nodded repeatedly, then pointed with a shaking hand toward the far side of the plant. "Yes! There's a truckload of metallic sodium stored inside. The fire spread too fast, and they're all still stored in the back."

Metal sodium would react explosively with water, which meant that they did not have much time left.

I had already done everything I could, so the rest was up to the firefighters.

However, there was still one person who could not let it go.

When Ruby saw that the firefighters were starting to believe me, she tugged at her sleeve and said, "Who knows if you just hired an actress to lie for you because you can't stand me."

She raised her voice just enough so that everyone could hear her.

Danny's expression hardened as he raised his head. "Exactly! Ruby already checked, and I trust her! This woman is obviously working with you, so don't think you can fool me."

Ruby kept her head down, but I still caught that faint smile on her face.

The fireman in charge frowned and sternly asked, "Which of you is telling the truth? You're the person in charge here, so you'd better think it through carefully!"

Danny's shoulders slumped immediately while Ruby's eyes darted away, unable to meet the firefighter's gaze.

I let out a cold snort. "Actors? You two are the ones acting! Don't you care about those lives out there?!"

The female worker, who had been sobbing, snapped out of it and lunged at Ruby, wanting to scratch her as she recovered from being accused of being a hired actress by Ruby. "Are you really a reporter?! There are over a thousand people inside, yet you lied! Are you trying to get them all killed?!"

Ruby ducked behind Danny and acted soft and fragile. "I didn't mean to... I really didn't..."

Then, her eyes darted around before adding, "But… I'm still new! Janice inspected the scene! I just repeated what she told me!"

With one sentence, she threw me back into the pit in front of everyone.

This time, even the worker glared at me.

Without solid information, the firefighters could not go in. They had already sent someone to check as soon as they realized the report might be wrong, but time was too short. There was still no evidence of who was telling the truth.

They were at a deadlock.

Ruby had too many tricks, and Danny kept on defending her by using the fact that she was new.

Unfortunately for her, that was exactly what I had been waiting for.

I smiled and stared straight at her. "Ruby, are you really saying you didn't inspect the scene?"

Danny jumped in before she could answer. "Of course, you inspected it. Otherwise, why are you even here?"

The two of them were practically announcing that I wanted the workers to die.

I pulled my phone from my bag and tapped open a video.

"Ms. Janice, let me cover the scene."

"Let Ruby handle it..."

Their voices played back, one after the other. In the footage, you could see Danny leading Ruby away at the end.

I raised my eyebrow and looked at Ruby's pale face. "So, who did the inspection? Don't tell me you have no idea who did that!"