Chapter 2

The next morning, I was woken up by a bone-chilling cold deep in my joints.

My fever hadn't broken. My head felt heavy, like it was filled with lead.

I had to go to the funeral home. I couldn't miss today's shift, or I would lose my attendance bonus.

Dragging my stiff, wooden legs, I made it to the funeral home, only to find a crowd gathered at the entrance.

As soon as I appeared, a barrage of cameras pointed straight at me.

"That's her! The killer doctor!"

"She’s hiding here making money off dead people! How disgusting!"

Someone even thrust a phone right into my face.

On the screen was the trending headline: #EvilFemaleDoctorNowProfiteeringOffTheDead.

It was paired with a photo of me working yesterday. The angle made me look dark and sinister.

The article detailed the medical accident from three years ago. It claimed I had failed to get a kickback and deliberately botched the surgery.

Some even said I used patients as human lab rats for my research!

There was even a photo of me kneeling at Ethan’s house last night.

The caption read:

"Soft-hearted billionaire takes her in, only for the wicked woman to smash his late mother's photo in revenge."

They were trying to ruin me completely.

The manager of the funeral home looked at me helplessly.

"Serena, maybe you should lay low for a while."

"If you stay, we can't do our jobs."

The families of the deceased were also there, extremely agitated.

Someone threw an egg. The yolk ran down my forehead, smelling foul.

Rotten vegetables and stones rained down on me.

Like a sewer rat, I fled in humiliation.

I wanted to explain. I wanted to say I didn't do it.

But no one listened.

Covered in filth, I went back to my rented apartment.

It was a tiny, damp room in a rundown neighborhood, but I had lived there for three years.

My landlord was standing at the door, flanked by a few burly neighbors.

"Oh, look who's back. The big star," the landlord sneered, crossing her arms.

"Pack your trash and get out. I don't rent to murderers. It's bad luck."

I leaned against the doorframe, fighting off the dizziness.

"Ma'am, my lease isn't up yet..."

"Lease? A piece of trash like you wants to talk about a lease?"

A neighbor pointed at my face. "Exactly! The cops were just here asking questions. This is a respectable community. We don't want scum like you here!"

Looking at their hateful faces, I felt utterly powerless.

"I can pay more."

I pulled two thousand dollars in cash from my pocket. It was my only living expense.

"Just let me stay for one more month. Just one."

Once I saved enough to go to Switzerland, I would leave.

I humbly offered her the cash.

The landlord glanced at the money and suddenly slapped it out of my hand.

The bills scattered everywhere.

"Keep your dirty money and get out!"

She kicked the door open, ran inside, and threw my suitcase out.

The suitcase tumbled down the stairs, bursting open. My clothes, toiletries, and my most precious medical journal scattered across the floor.

I was pushed and shoved out.

"If you don't leave now, I'm letting the dogs out!"

The iron gate slammed shut in my face.

I knelt on the ground, picking up my belongings one by one.

My fingers were too stiff to hold a pen. It took me ten minutes just to pick up my journal.

My phone kept vibrating in my pocket.

I pulled it out. It was flooded with hateful texts from random numbers.

"Go die!"

"How can you still show your face?"

"If I were you, I'd have killed myself already."

Weakly dragging my broken suitcase, I found a bench in a nearby park to spend the night.

It was a brutally long night.

I checked my bank app.

I was still ten thousand dollars short.

If I could just work a few odd jobs, or sell the jade bracelet my mother left me...

I could finally go to Switzerland for assisted suicide. It was my final wish.

I wanted to die with dignity. As a former genius doctor, it was the last shred of pride I had left.

When dawn broke, I tried to stand up.

But my knees felt like they had been poured with concrete. I couldn't bend them at all.

My condition was worsening fast.