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."

Max's mother's face lit up. Upon hearing Nick's name, she instantly felt more relaxed.

"Is he the genius forensic pathologist I've heard so much about? I feel a lot more at ease if he's the one conducting the autopsy.

"I'm finally going to find the person who killed my poor son," she cried.

During my last life, I was just as excited for Max's autopsy results to be revealed. However, when that finally happened, Nick's report ended up incriminating me even further.

I know about their dirty tricks, and I wasn't the same person I was before.

"What's the matter, Natalie? Do you not wish to proceed with the autopsy? What are you so afraid of?" When I hesitated, Mia mocked me.

I stared at the text message that I'd typed beforehand and pressed send.

Subsequently, I looked directly into Nick's eyes and asked solemnly, "I know you're an extremely skilled forensic pathologist, Nick. You'll definitely find out the truth and prove that I'm innocent, right?"

Nick readjusted his glasses and glanced at me with an earnest yet condescending expression.

"I won't frame an innocent person. I'll make sure to identify the actual perpetrator," he declared.

Alright, then. I was going to give Nick one last chance. If he didn't identify the actual culprit, he'd be digging his own grave.

"Okay, I agree to let Nick conduct the autopsy."

…

While waiting for the autopsy results, David approached me.

With an earnest voice, he said, "Listen to me, Nat. You should confess before the autopsy report is released so you can ask for a lighter sentence.

"Since it was just a medical error, you'll only be sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison. Even if you do end up in jail, I can still use my connections to make sure you're well taken care of. You'll still be loved by the entire family once you're released from prison."

Mia was eagerly nodding along to what David was saying.

The first time this incident took place, I panicked. Hence, David managed to persuade me to do as he said without any trouble.

Back then, I thought that he'd genuinely cared about my well-being and was incredibly touched by his actions. Consequently, I was beaten to death in front of the police station by Max's family before I was even sentenced in court.

David just wanted me to take the blame for Mia's mistakes.

I lifted my head and shot Mia a look.

"Did you hear that, Mia?" I spat. "There's still time for you to confess to your crimes."

David sprang from his chair. "What's wrong with you, Natalie? I told you to confess, not ask Mia to take the fall for you."

I shrugged and scoffed at him. "I'm pretty sure the truth will come to light once the autopsy report is ready."

Mia was fuming.

"Alright, then. I tried to help you, Natalie. Since you're being ungrateful, I guess you'll just have to suffer the consequences of your actions," David spat.

Until the results of the autopsy were released, there was no telling who would truly suffer the consequences of Max's death.

…

Two days later, everyone gathered at the police station once again.

Nick solemnly explained his findings based on the autopsy report. Then, he pointed his finger at me and accused me of killing Max.

"The patient died of an allergic reaction to penicillin. His time of death was between 5:00 am to 6:00 am. This means that Natalie gave him the wrong drug, which caused him to suffer an anaphylactic shock," he declared.