Broken Hand, Broken Vengeance

When I awoke, I found myself back on the day I was to operate on my husbands cherished former love.

In my past life, I spent ten grueling hours in surgery to save her, only to be framed by my husband afterward. He bribed a nurse to testify I gave the wrong drug, causing her death, and accused me of killing her out of jealousy.

My medical career was destroyed, and I was shunned by all. My mother, trying to defend me online, was driven to suicide by cyberbullying. Overwhelmed, I jumped from the hospital roof.

After I died, I saw my husband take my insurance and inheritance, then live happily with his reborn first love.

This time, on the morning of my scheduled promotion to Vice President, I took an iron weight and crushed my right hand. The injury made me miss the crucial surgery.

Everyone pitied me for ruining my future. Overjoyed, I went home and drank two bottles of fine Bordeaux.

"What the hell happened to Dr. Pierce's hand?" "Who knows? Maybe she was

terrified of botching tomorrow's surgery. A failure like that would humiliate

our newly appointed VP!"

I walked through the hospital corridors, completely ignoring the gossip and wild

speculation filtering out of the breakrooms. My face remained an mask of total

calm as I headed straight for the Director's office.

My phone screen lit up. A text from my husband, Declan. [Val, I'm leaving Serena

in your hands tomorrow. I know you'll fix her. Love you babe, xoxo.]

It was the exact same message he sent in my past life. Back then, my heart had

fluttered at the words "Love you." Now, only a venomous chill spread through my

veins.

Director Brooks stared at my heavily casted right hand, his forehead wrinkling

into a deep frown. "How could you be so careless, Valerie? Of all the times to

get injured." "I was planning to use tomorrow's surgery to solidify your

authority here. You know perfectly well there's still a faction opposing your

promotion to Vice President."

I lowered my eyes, letting my gaze fall onto my completely immobilized fingers.

After a long, deliberate pause, I spoke. "I'm so sorry, Director Brooks. I know

I let you down." "Let my father-in-law take the scalpel tomorrow. Adam has the

seniority and the surgical skills to outshine almost anyone in this hospital."

Director Brooks let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose we don't have a choice. Go

home, Valerie. Take some time to rest."

Leaving the hospital grounds, I hailed a cab and headed straight to my mother's

house. Watching the city streets blur past the window, my heart felt a strange,

profound peace.

Everyone pitied me for losing the perfect chance to prove my worth. But I was

the only one who knew the truth. That supposedly glorious surgery was nothing

but a massive, meticulously planned trap.

Before I could even fish my keys out of my purse, the front door swung open. My

mom stood there, her eyes red-rimmed as she stared at my bandaged hand. Pure

maternal panic was written all over her face. "Valerie! Honey, is your hand

going to be okay?"

Seeing my mother standing there, alive and breathing, a painful lump formed in

my throat. I practically threw my arms around her, hugging her tighter than I

ever had. "Mom, I missed you so much."

She stiffened in surprise for a second before gently rubbing my back.

"Sweetheart, did someone at work treat you badly?" "Listen to me. Tell your

bosses you need a leave of absence. Stay home and rest. I don't care about you

being a big shot doctor. I just want my daughter to be safe and happy."

A single tear slipped down my cheek. Mom, I want you to be safe too. I've been

given a second chance at life, and I swear to God I will rewrite both of our

fates.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I forced a lighthearted smile. "Don't worry,

Mom. The Director gave me a whole month off." "I just need to pop into the

hospital tomorrow to sort out some paperwork, and then I'm all yours."

My mom beamed, nodding repeatedly. "Oh, an old woman like me doesn't need

babysitting. You should spend that time with Declan. You've been working

yourself to the bone these past few years. It hasn't been easy on him being home

alone so much."

The warmth drained from my face the second I heard Declan's name. Right on cue,

my phone buzzed with another text from him. [Valerie, why aren't you replying?

Serena said you didn't even do rounds today. What kind of attending physician

are you? Are you even prepped for tomorrow's surgery?!]

In my previous life, I basically lived in the hospital archives trying to

guarantee Serena's survival. I read endless medical journals and watched

surgical recordings until my eyes bled.

But the moment I pulled Serena back from death's door, the husband I adored

threw me to the wolves. He accused me of treating human life like garbage just

to settle a petty, jealous grudge. My brilliant, hard-earned future was

shattered into a million dark pieces.

To make the charges stick, he bribed a scrub nurse. I can still remember the

blinding flash of the press cameras as that nurse pointed right at me, his face

twisted in fake outrage. "I saw Dr. Pierce swap the patient's life-saving

medication with my own two eyes!"

Worse, Declan leaked a video of an argument between Serena and me. In the clip,

I had lost my temper and shouted, "Why won't you just drop dead?!" Those words

became the final nail in my coffin.

No matter how loud I screamed, no matter how desperately I pleaded my innocence,

I couldn't fight their manufactured witnesses and fabricated evidence. The world

decided I was a monster hiding in a white lab coat.

Only my mother stood by me. But the harder she fought to clear my name, the more

viciously the internet tore her apart. It broke her mind, eventually leading to

her fatal fall into the river.

On the day the police came with a formal arrest warrant, I climbed to the

hospital roof and stepped off the ledge.

As a ghost, I haunted Declan's side just long enough to see Serena miraculously

come out of hiding, completely cured. Maybe the universe felt the suffocating

weight of my hatred, because it actually hit the rewind button.

This time around, Serena's surgeon was Declan's own biological father. Let's see

how he plans to dump this bucket of blood on my head now.

The next morning, I arrived at the hospital early. I practically superglued

myself to Director Brooks, staying in his office to discuss administrative

matters all day long.

When the timing felt right, I finally excused myself.

The moment I stepped toward the surgical wing, Declan appeared. He brought a

massive crowd of people with him, completely blocking my path. Because I kept my

cast hidden inside the deep pocket of my oversized white coat, Declan had no

idea my hand was crushed.

He stormed right up to me and slapped me hard across the face.

"Valerie Pierce! You call yourself a doctor?! You murdered your own patient out

of pure, petty jealousy! You are a sick, twisted psychopath!"

I pressed my tongue against the inside of my stinging cheek, tasting a hint of

copper. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone in Declan's mob already

holding up a phone, recording everything.

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "What the hell are you talking about? When did I

ever kill a patient? Serena's surgery..."

Declan's eyes were bloodshot. He looked completely unhinged as he cut me off.

"Did you really think calling it a surgical complication would let you get away

with murder?!" "You killed Serena on purpose!"

The crowd, supposedly Serena's grieving relatives, immediately began shouting.

They didn't give me a single second to speak, rushing forward to grab and shove

me. "You piece of trash! You shouldn't be allowed near a hospital!" "You're

going to pay for this with your life!"

Luckily, hospital security was already sprinting down the hall. I only took one

punch to the jaw and a few muddy footprints on my lab coat before the guards

formed a barricade.

Standing safely behind a burly security guard, I glared daggers at Declan. I

spoke slowly, enunciating every single syllable. "I didn't kill Serena. If

you're going to make accusations, Declan, you better have proof."

Declan didn't look panicked at all. Instead, he put on an Oscar-worthy

performance of a heartbroken, morally conflicted husband. "Valerie, I might be

your husband, but I'm a human being first. I can't just turn a blind eye to your

evil." "Don't blame me for this. Before God and the law, I have to do the right

thing. I have to get justice for the dead."

Right at that exact moment, Director Brooks hurried onto the scene, looking

furious.

"I am the Director of this hospital! What on earth is happening here? If you're

intentionally causing a riot outside my operating rooms, I will have you all

arrested."

Declan immediately spoke up, his tone dripping with fake respect. "Director

Brooks, thank god you're here. Valerie abused her medical authority to

intentionally murder a patient on the operating table. This hospital owes the

grieving family an explanation."

Director Brooks gave Declan a highly skeptical look. "If my memory serves me

right, you are Dr. Adam Pierce's son, and Valerie's husband."

Declan's facial muscles twitched for a split second. "I am. But I refuse to bury

my conscience just to protect my wife. If I cover for a murderer, I won't be

able to sleep at night."

Watching Declan act like the patron saint of justice physically hurt my chest.

Since the day we married, I had catered to his every whim. My mother treated him

like the son she never had. And in return, he pushed us into a literal grave.

Director Brooks crossed his arms, looking utterly baffled. "That makes no sense.

Valerie hasn't been scheduled for an OR rotation in days. And her surgical

record is flawless."

Declan's voice cracked an octave higher. "Are you blind? She literally just

operated on Serena this morning!"

I finally stepped out from behind the security guard. "I wasn't Serena's

surgeon. I spent the entire day inside Director Brooks' office."

The Director nodded firmly, verifying my alibi.

The chaotic hallway instantly dropped into a dead silence. Declan clearly hadn't

accounted for this plot twist. He stood frozen, his brain visibly

short-circuiting. Suddenly, a new thought seemed to spark in his eyes, and he

pointed a shaking finger at me. "I get it now! You finished the surgery early,

killed her, and then ran to the Director's office to establish a fake alibi

behind his back!"

Honestly, I had to admire his desperate imagination.

Right on cue, a young nurse pushed his way to the front of the mob. He pointed

directly at me, his chest heaving with rehearsed indignation. "I can prove it!

Dr. Pierce is the one who killed Serena!"

Looking at Toby's handsome, innocent-looking face, pure rage bubbled in my gut.

I would recognize this toxic little snake even if he were burned to ash.

In my past life, Toby used that exact same innocent face to lie to the press and

the police, turning my life into a living hell. But in this life, I hadn't even

set foot in the surgical wing. How the hell was he planning to frame me now?

Swallowing the venom in my throat, I stared him down. "Nurse Toby, I've never

done anything to you. Why are you trying to frame me?"

A flicker of guilt flashed in Toby's eyes, but he quickly masked it, speaking

with dramatic conviction. "You're right, Dr. Pierce. We have no personal issues.

But I took an oath to protect patients." "I saw it with my own two eyes! You

swapped Serena's IV meds. You made sure she died on that table." "And everyone

knows why. You suspected Serena of sleeping with your husband, so you took your

revenge!"

To seal the deal, Toby pulled out his phone and played the exact same video that

had doomed me in my past life.

The video played loudly. There I was, face flushed with anger, arguing with

Serena in her hospital gown. My voice echoed through the hallway speakers. "Why

won't you just drop dead?!"

The nurses and doctors who had gathered to watch the drama began whispering

furiously among themselves. "I always thought Dr. Pierce was so elegant. I

didn't know she was psycho behind closed doors. Does she have anger issues?"

"You really never know a person. How else do you think she became Vice President

so young?" "Do you think she really killed a patient over a guy?"

The family mob flared up again. A few heavily built men cracked their knuckles,

looking like they were ready to rush me. But the moment they lunged, twenty

hospital security guards slammed them back against the wall. Prevented from

throwing punches, they settled for screaming vicious curses at my face.

Even Director Brooks looked at me with a hint of doubt. Seeing this, a smug,

victorious gleam appeared in Declan's eyes. He seized the moment to deliver the

final blow. "Valerie, the motive, the witness, the evidence. It's all here. What

lies are you going to spin now?"

I didn't flinch. I just smoothed down the lapels of my coat. "A heavily edited

video clip with zero context isn't evidence of anything."

Toby ground his teeth, stepping closer. "Prove it's edited, Dr. Pierce. Prove

it."

I tilted my head, smiling coldly. "No, Toby. You prove I swapped the medication.

Tell everyone exactly when and where I did it."

Toby puffed out his chest, clearly prepared for the question. He sounded

entirely convinced of his own lie. "It was right before the surgery this

morning. In the prep room. You injected an unknown substance directly into

Serena's IV bag." "So I personally pushed the syringe?" I asked. "Yes! I saw you

do it!"

Hearing his confident answer, I locked eyes with Director Brooks. The Director's

face turned a violent shade of purple. He stepped forward, pointing a heavy

finger at Toby. "What department do you even work in, son?"

Under the Director's crushing authority, Toby's fake confidence began to crack.

"I... I'm a scrub nurse in the surgical wing, sir."

"If you work in the OR, why are you out here actively slandering one of our top

doctors?! Do you have any idea what happens to liars who try to destroy this

hospital from the inside?!"

Toby turned completely pale, stammering defensively. "Director, I swear I'm

telling the truth!" "You can't just throw a junior nurse like me under the bus

just to protect your precious Vice President!"

Declan shot me a filthy look before turning to the crowd, expertly fanning the

flames. "He's right! You can't threaten a whistleblower just to cover up

Valerie's crimes!" "Does human life mean absolutely nothing to you corporate

doctors?!" "I'm calling the cops right now. The police will get us the truth."

I took a step forward, my voice ringing loud and clear down the corridor.

"Please do. Call the police. Because I would love to ask a detective how a

surgeon with shattered fingers managed to push a syringe, let alone operate on a

patient."

Slowly, deliberately, I pulled my right hand out of my deep pocket. The massive,

thick cast securing my severely broken hand was finally exposed to the

fluorescent lights.

Declan and Toby stared at my cast. All the color drained from their faces

simultaneously.

But my broken hand wasn't the only nightmare waiting for Declan.

A split second later, the heavy electronic doors of the operating room slid

open. A surgeon wearing blood-spattered scrubs walked out. When he saw the

Director, a tired but relieved smile spread across his face. "Director Brooks.

The surgery was a total success. Once the anesthesia wears off, the patient can

be moved to a regular recovery room."

Declan let out a horrifying, high-pitched scream. "Dad?! Who did you just

operate on?!"