My gaze swept over the terrified figures on the floor. Lifting the megaphone again, I repeated my warning:

"Twenty minutes left. If my daughter hasn’t opened her eyes by then, I start killing."

"Five people—none of you will be spared. Perfectly fair."

David Miller’s voice rose in frustration.

"You’re asking the impossible! She’s already dead—how can doctors bring her back?"

"Do you expect them to raise the dead? Even a miracle worker couldn’t do it!"

I almost roared in reply.

"My daughter is not dead!"

"I was there when the crash happened! She hurt her leg—maybe the bone was broken—but she was conscious!"

"In the ambulance, she held my hand and told me she didn’t feel any pain. How is it possible that less than an hour after entering the operating room, she’s gone?"

I slammed my hand against the door, eyes burning red.

"I want to see the OR security footage! Do you dare show it to me?"

"You claim the cameras were broken? What a convenient coincidence! You’re hiding something!"

Miller was silent for a few seconds, then spoke again, his tone carrying a soothing sort of promise.

"Ms. Parker, please, calm down! The operating room footage is being repaired by our tech team—it’ll be ready soon."

"Professor William Harris, the city’s top surgeon, is on his way. As long as there’s even the slightest chance, we won’t give up!"

"Trust us. Open the door and release the hostages, okay? This standoff helps no one."

I gave a cold, short laugh.

Professor Harris was clearly abroad right now—I had called him myself right after Lily’s accident. There was no way he could be on his way here.

Such a cheap stalling tactic. Did they think I was a child?

But Miller kept pleading.

"Put yourself in their position, Ms. Parker. If you harm these innocent medical workers today, even if Lily is in heaven, she won’t be at peace. She’ll blame you…"

My knees went weak, my heart aching so hard I could barely breathe.

My Lily should be running in the sunshine, clinging to me with a smile—how could she be “in heaven”?

Just then, in the corner, the youngest nurse began furiously pushing the gauze out of her mouth with her tongue.

She gasped for air, trembling all over, and sobbed as she begged me:

"Ms. Parker, I know your pain. I have a daughter too—she’s only three. Please let me go…"

"I can’t die. My daughter can’t lose her mother."

Her voice was thick with tears. She dropped to her knees and kowtowed to me over and over, her forehead quickly swelling red.

For a split second, as a mother, I almost wavered.

But then, under the operating table, I saw my daughter’s bracelet—

The one I had prayed for on my knees, climbing nine thousand steps during her high fever last year, a talisman meant to keep her safe.

Now it lay here, broken.

I knelt down and picked up the severed red string. In that moment, every ounce of pity and hesitation drained out of me.

If I let them go, who would give me back my Lily?

I lifted my head sharply, avoiding the nurse’s desperate eyes, and shouted toward the door:

"Twenty minutes left!"

"If my daughter isn’t revived by then, I’ll shoot Nurse Liu first!"

Expressionless, I aimed the gun at the young nurse who had cried herself into unconsciousness.

Outside, the uproar reached its peak.

The police line was nearly broken by furious patient families. Reporters rushed in with cameras and heavy equipment.

I didn’t need to see it to know that right now, on the giant screen outside, the live broadcast of this “mad mother” holding hospital staff hostage was blowing up everywhere.

But that was fine—this was exactly what I wanted.

The only way to save my daughter was to make this as big and loud as possible.

At that moment, a woman’s heart-wrenching screams pierced the door.

"You demon! Let my daughter go! She’s only twenty-six, still so young—why should she be your outlet for revenge?"

"Officer, shoot her now!"

"This lunatic belongs in hell! Maybe she’s the one who cursed her own daughter to death!"

Hearing the venom in those curses, I closed my eyes, feeling no ripple of emotion.

Because I knew—my daughter wasn’t dead.

I grabbed the spare microphone by the door, and my voice blasted through the operating room’s PA system, echoing across the entire floor.

"I told you—my daughter isn’t dead, and I won’t be going to hell!"

"Tell Richard Walker to figure out how to bring her back, or we all die together!"

I stared at the clock on the wall, the corners of my lips curling into a bitter smile.

If it meant getting Lily back, I didn’t care if I went to hell.

All I wanted was for my daughter to live.

David Miller’s voice came again from outside, hoarse as though cornered.

"Ms. Parker, have you considered that maybe you’re looking in the wrong direction? What if your daughter’s accident wasn’t really an accident?"

"Think carefully—has there been any serious conflict in your family lately?"

I froze. In my mind suddenly appeared the sharp, critical face of my mother-in-law.

When she learned I only wanted one child so I could give my daughter all my love, she’d told me again and again:

"No matter how precious you raise a girl, she’s still a loss to the family! Have another while you’re still young—a son! The Parker family cannot end with you!"

Even my husband, who adored our daughter, never spoke up to defend me.

And then there was the driver. At the scene of the crash, I’d only caught a glimpse of his side profile—

But something about the shape of his face stirred a strange sense of familiarity, as if I’d seen him somewhere before.

A chill shot up my spine.

Could all of this have been a setup from the very beginning?

But why?

One question after another swirled, threatening to drown me.

The shock made my vision blur, and I had to clutch the operating table to stay upright.

No. I couldn’t lose focus now.

The most important thing was Lily. Whoever was behind this, I had to save her first—time was running out.

I pressed the microphone button again, my voice trembling slightly but firm as steel.

"Officer Miller, thank you for the reminder, but right now, I only care about my daughter living."

"You can take all the time you want to investigate the truth, but one thing is non-negotiable—you must save her. And I know they can!"

"Otherwise, there’s nothing more to discuss. And just so you know—your time is up."

Outside fell into dead silence. Inside, the five medical workers were gasping and sobbing, on the verge of collapse.

The young nurse at gunpoint trembled so violently she couldn’t even beg anymore.

I looked at her with no expression, as if she were an object that had nothing to do with me.

My right hand rose steadily, aiming straight for her heart. Without a flicker of hesitation, I pulled the trigger.

The gunshot exploded in the operating room, deafening.

The nurse’s body jerked back, slamming into the wall, a red bloom spreading across her chest. Seconds later, she was still.

The remaining four hostages let out shrill, desperate screams, curling in on themselves in terror.

Outside, after a brief, stunned silence, came roars of fury and grief.

"My daughter! You monster! I’ll kill you!"

"She killed her—she really killed her! Officers, what are you waiting for? Fire! Blow the door! Kill this murderer!"