The golden window to treat an amniotic fluid embolism lasted barely 15 minutes. It was literally doctors racing against death itself.

Over the past three years, Lauren had saved five patients with amniotic fluid embolism and had failed only once. Due to this success rate, she rose and became the head obstetrician at Mercy Hospital for Women.

When Patrick's call was connected, he desperately rambled, "Lauren, get to the hospital now! Hannah has an amniotic fluid embolism, and only you can save her!"

There were sounds of kids laughing and shouting on the other end of the line, glasses clinking, and adults chatting in the background.

"Uncle Patrick, did you lose your mind too? Are you seriously playing along with Charles' crazy act? Enough is enough! I spend every single day of the year taking care of him. I just wanted one peaceful day to myself, and you can't even let me have that?

"Isaac and I don't have anything going on. His family just came back to visit, and I'm having dinner with them. So please stop calling me!"

Patrick panicked. "Lauren, I'm not lying! Hannah is in a dire state. She has an amniotic fluid embolism, and only you can save her now! I'm begging you–please come back, or you'll regret it!"

"I'd only regret it if I went back!" Lauren's voice came out emotionless.

Hearing Lauren's voice, Gina broke down and grabbed the phone, sobbing, "Lauren, Patrick isn't lying to you! Hannah really is in trouble! Even if you don't believe Charles or Patrick, you'll believe me, won't you? Come back right now!"

I sighed inwardly. To me, Gina was not a good person. After all, she knew Lauren was cheating, but she still helped in hiding it. Nonetheless, to Hannah, she was a good mother.

"Lauren, did you hear that? Your own mother wouldn't lie to you! Why aren't you coming back?" Patrick practically shouted in frustration.

"Mom, you..." Lauren's voice wavered with hesitation.

"Ahh! My eye! My eye!"

A man's pained cry rang out, accompanied by an adult scolding a child.

"How could you shoot a marble at your uncle's face like that?"

Suddenly, Lauren's concerned voice came through the phone. "Isaac, does it hurt? Don't move. I'm a doctor, let me take a look!"

Then, her voice turned urgent yet ice-cold as she spoke into the phone. "Mom, stop fooling around. Even if what you're saying is true, it doesn't matter. I've had quite a bit to drink and can't drive. I can't make it back."

With that, she hung up.

The phone slipped from Gina's hands and hit the floor with a sharp crack. Then, she dropped to her knees, her head hitting the ground as she lay there motionless.

Patrick sank beside her, tears streaming down his face. "What happened to her? How could she become like this? How can she ignore her family for some man? She's a demon!"

I helped Gina to her feet and saw the red mark swelling on her forehead from where she had hit the ground. I almost pitied her. Almost.

Still, I could not feel sorry for her. After all, in my past life, she had played her part in driving me to my death.

I did not know how much time had passed when the operating room doors opened again.

"I'm sorry. We did everything we could."

Hannah and her baby were both gone. Gina seemed like a shell of herself, refusing to eat or drink, only clutching Hannah's clothes and crying.

Patrick was furious and repeated the entire hospital ordeal to every relative, cursing Lauren as a monster.

When Hannah's in-laws learned about the news, they broke down sobbing. Jacob rushed back from out of town that same day. The moment he saw his dead wife and son, his face twisted in anguish, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

Jacob refused to accept that Hannah was gone. He had only been on a business trip for three days. Before the trip, they had talked about their future together and imagined the life they would build as a family of three.

When he learned the truth from his parents, he wiped his tears and quietly arranged the funeral with me.

No one thought to inform Lauren, especially after finding out that she had been at a hotel across from the hospital, having dinner with Isaac and his family. She did not even bother to check if the news was true.

Even Gina lost faith in her.

Of course, I would never let Lauren miss something this important. The day before Hannah's burial, I made sure someone told her.

It drizzled that morning. I stood beside my car, holding an umbrella, watching people carry Hannah's casket out from the funeral home. In my past life, this was the day Jacob had hacked me to death with a knife, my blood mixing with the rainwater to create a red carpet for Hannah.

Before the casket even made it through the doorway, Lauren's car screeched to a halt. She stormed out, running toward me furiously.

I stared at her blankly. I did not even manage to say anything yet when she slapped my face hard.

She glared at the memorial photo I was holding and hissed, "You rat! You did all this just to trick me into coming back?"

I fell to the ground. The photo frame slipped from my hands and landed in the mud, covering half of Hannah's face. Only her cold eyes were visible, quietly staring at Lauren as if watching everything unfold.

Lauren's eyes turned bloodshot, filled with fury, or maybe fear. She looked nothing like the gentle, poised doctor she once was, more like a madwoman losing control. "You animal! I'll make you pay for lying to me, for cursing Hannah! I'll beat you to death!"

I did not fight back, letting Lauren punch and kick me while I stared at Hannah's photo.

'Look closely, Hannah. Remember who your real enemy is. When you get to the other side and complain to the powers that be, don't accuse the wrong person.'

"Enough! What are you doing?!"

People inside the funeral home heard the commotion and rushed out.

Patrick shoved Lauren away and shouted through his tears, "You monster! Hannah could've been saved! We called you so many times... Gina was practically on her knees begging you! Just because that rat said one thing, you refused to save her! You killed Hannah, and now you dare show up at her funeral to cause a scene? What do you want?!"

Lauren stumbled backward a few steps, fear showing through her forced composure. "Uncle Patrick, what are you talking about? How could Hannah be dead? He's lying! You're all lying! Are you just pitying him because he's sick, and that's why you're playing along with his lies?"

I curled up, letting the rain pour down my face.

So, Lauren had known I was sick at this point.

"You're all lying to me! I want to see Hannah!" Lauren shouted as she tried to rush into the funeral home. "Hannah! Hannah!"

However, she froze the next moment.

The black casket, carried by eight men, was slowly lifted out the door.