My head was throbbing. I couldn't figure out what was going on, no matter how hard I tried.

Nick and I were childhood friends. He'd always protected me and looked after me like a knight in shining armor. So, why did he help Mia frame me?

I buried myself in work and ignored Mia the entire night. She was pacing around the nurses' station and seemed incredibly anxious.

It was almost 5:00 am by now, and she was still sitting on her chair while holding a medical tray. It didn't seem like she was planning to administer Max's next IV drip at all.

Eventually, all of our colleagues left to tend to their own matters. Then, when Mia and I were the only ones left at the nurses' station, she shot me a glance before quietly heading to room 302.

When it was almost time for Max's family to cause a scene, I got up from my seat and found a place to hide. Not a moment later, I heard familiar, gut-wrenching cries coming from room 302.

"Wake up, my dear grandson! You're scaring your grandma."

"Son? What happened to you, my boy? Please wake up."

"Max, my baby. The doctor told us you'd be able to return home soon. How could this happen? How are we supposed to live without you?"

After some commotion, the trio angrily made their way to the nurses' station.

Furious, Max's father demanded to meet the nurse on duty and the one responsible for administering the IV medication.

Mia, who was fearfully hiding in a corner, scanned her surroundings and tried to locate my whereabouts.

The other nurses pointed at her with a terrified expression and said, "Mia is the one who's been tending to Max all this time."

Before Mia could say anything, Max's father marched up to her and punched her in the eye. Then, just as Mia regained her footing, Max's mother kicked her in the stomach.

After being simultaneously attacked by Max's parents, Mia was now lying on the floor, wailing in agony.

Subsequently, Max's grandmother pinned her to the ground and began violently yanking on her hair.

"You're the one who killed my beloved grandson!" Max's grandmother exclaimed in anger. "I've disliked you for quite some time now. You're nothing but a troublemaker."

She continued, "You'll pay for what you did. I'm going to kill you!"

When I walked over to the nurses' station, Mia, who was covered in blood, caught sight of me.

"I was on duty, but Natalie was the one who gave him the drugs. She must've messed up!" She pointed a finger at me and yelled.

In my previous life, I was just about to get off work after a long shift when Max's family confronted me at the nurses' station.

When they demanded answers, Mia immediately pinned the blame on me.

"Natalie was on duty that night. She was the one who administered the fluids. I had nothing to do with it," she'd told them.

Before I could explain myself, I was violently beaten up by Max's family members.

Max Campbell was seven, and he was an only child. His father looked like a powerful man, and his mother was a lawyer. His grandmother, on the other hand, was known for being an unreasonable woman.

As a young woman who just turned 25, I had no way of defending myself against them. I was powerless and helpless.

In my current life, I refused to let Mia use the same tricks to twist the truth again.

When Max's family members turned to glare at me, I immediately held my hands up and said, "Don't try to pin the blame on me. I didn't help her administer anything last night. Everyone here can prove it."

The other nurses piped up one after another.

"Although Mia asked Natalie to fill in for her yesterday, Natalie turned her down. Mia went to administer the IV herself," one said.

"Says who?" Mia yelled hysterically. "When I asked her again at around 5:00 am, she agreed to help me. None of you were there during that time!"

Mia's blood-covered face and shrill voice made her look extremely horrifying.

"A patient just died. Which one of you wants to insist that I was the one who gave him the IV?

"From the way I see it, Natalie probably gave him the wrong drug. Now, she's trying to pin the blame on me because she's afraid of the consequences!" she spat.

Since the incident resulted in a person's death, no one dared to utter another word.

When Max's family started glaring at me with seething anger, I defended myself and said, "I didn't even enter the room. If you don't believe me, check the surveillance footage."

"The cameras in the hallway are broken. You're just trying to avoid responsibility," Mia spat.

A subtle, smug smile crept its way to her lips. It seemed like she had it all thought out.

It all made sense now. She already knew that the surveillance cameras in the hallway were broken. That was why she entered the room when none of the other nurses were around.

She was planning to frame me from the very beginning.

Max's father's patience was wearing thin, and he couldn't stand our bickering any longer.

He aggressively kicked the desk at the nurses' station. The monitor that was placed on top of the desk toppled over as a result.

"One of you needs to pay for killing my son!" he bellowed.

"The police are here!" someone from the crowd suddenly exclaimed.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. Then, I caught a glimpse of David's familiar face through the crowd.

He ended up coming to the scene after all.

When David saw Mia on the floor, he looked confused.

"Why are you the one who's been beaten up?" he asked quizzically.

Mia sobbed as she cradled her injured face. "I wasn't the one who gave Max the IV infusion, David. You need to help me."

Wait a minute. This incident took place very suddenly, and no one at the scene of the crime called the police.

So, how did David get to the hospital so quickly? It felt like he knew that someone was going to die before it even happened.

As I was staring at him with a puzzled expression, he marched over to me and slapped me across the face.

He hit me so hard that my ears started ringing.

"I'm so disappointed in you, Natalie. You should be more responsible and own up to your mistakes," he barked.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. David seemed like a completely different person.

After he told me off, he turned toward Max's family and immediately put on a kind and friendly expression.

"I'd like to apologize on behalf of Natalie. I hope you'll take her young age into consideration and don't be too harsh on her.

"Once this is all over, I will throw her into prison myself and make sure she gets punished by the law."

Before even conducting any form of investigation, David, my biological brother, was already telling everyone that I was guilty. His actions didn't just make me feel disappointed. They completely wiped out any remaining love or respect I had for him.

Crying, I cradled my red and swollen cheek and said, "I didn't give him the IV. Mia did. My fingerprints aren't even on the drug vial. If you don't believe me, check it for yourself."

Mia froze for a moment. Then, she looked at me with a teary expression and cried, "Are you still trying to pin the blame on me when I've already been beaten up for your mistakes?"

In the end, Max's mother stepped forward and said, "Alright, then. Let's ask the police to conduct an investigation. I'd like to find the person behind my son's death so I can make them pay for their actions."

While tests were being run, everyone at the scene was anxiously waiting for the results.

I wasn't feeling nervous. I didn't touch the drug vial, so there was no way my fingerprints would show up in the results.

However, I was soon proven wrong once again.

Nick was also present at the police station. He was quietly observing from the sidelines with a solemn look on his face.

Holding the test results, David scanned the crowd before stopping when he saw me.

"The fingerprints on Natalie's right hand match the ones on the drug vial. This is concrete proof that Natalie was the one who administered the IV," he announced.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately turned to look at me.

Nick's expression was grim. He looked like he was heartbroken.

"That's impossible!" I yelled.

There was no way my fingerprints could've been on the vial unless David falsified the evidence.

We lived in the same household. If he truly wanted to, he would've been able to obtain my fingerprints without any difficulty.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't have any evidence to refute his claims.

David had always been a righteous and honest police officer. I found it disappointing that he would abuse his position like this.

In my previous life, I foolishly assumed that I'd made a mistake, and I'd disappointed him as a result. No matter how horribly he treated me, I'd never resented him for it.

As it turned out, David and Mia had been plotting to frame me since the very beginning.

Based on what I remembered, David had always been a loving brother to me. However, when he had to choose between me and Mia, he'd always prioritize Mia and sacrifice me instead.

Since that was the case, I'd be better off without a brother like him.

Before Max's parents could lunge at me, I yelled, "Don't you think this entire situation is highly suspicious? By the time you discovered what happened to Max, his body showed signs of livor mortis. That wouldn't have been possible if he'd just passed."

I continued, "Judging by how pronounced the lividity is, the patient must've died before 2:00 am. I was helping out in the ER during that time. The doctors in the surgery room can prove it."

As long as I can prove that Max died at around 2:00 am, I'd be able to prove that I didn't kill him.

"If you want to find the actual culprit behind your son's death, I'd suggest you conduct an autopsy on the body. I'm sure Max would've wanted the truth to come to light as well."

Max's parents looked devastated. After falling silent for a few moments, they nodded their heads in agreement.

"We agree to your suggestion. Let's conduct an autopsy."

Mia looked like she had come prepared. She exchanged glances with Nick and said, "If that's the case, let's have Dr. Nick Carter conduct the autopsy. I'm sure we'll be able to find the culprit if he's on the case."