Chapter 2

Over the phone, Dad asked, "What? Holly was shot in the library?"

As soon as Dad hung up, he turned to me and said, "Your sister got hurt in the library. Mr. Shaffer said we need to get to the hospital right away."

Feigning ignorance, I followed Dad out the door. He sped all the way to Droveford Hospital. That place couldn't have been more familiar to me.

Mom was the hospital's star neurosurgeon, the best there was. Before long, everyone was gathered outside the operating room.

My grandparents from both sides were all there. My maternal grandmother, whom I call Granny, was wiping her tears.

She pointed an accusatory finger at me, choking out, "How do you have the nerve to show your face here? Where were you when something like this happened to Holly?"

Gramps, my maternal grandfather, didn't say a single word, but the look he gave me was filled with disappointment and condemnation.

My paternal grandparents, Grandpa and Grandma, were staring at me with the same look of disapproval. As Grandpa steadied Grandma, he yelled, "Yeah! Why didn't you go to the library with Holly? It's dangerous for her to be out alone!"

Dad stood off to the side, his expression making it clear that he blamed me, too. I felt like a target, pierced by countless arrows.

In this life, I chose to stay out of it, yet I still ended up as the scapegoat. As expected, no matter what I did, I could never do right by them.

Keeping my head down, I quietly defended myself, "I didn't know something would happen to Holly. Should I get Mom? She's working late anyway…"

The moment I mentioned Mom, a look of panic crossed Dad's gaze. He quickly grabbed my arm. "Your mom is busy. Don't bother her."

Right. She was busy flying out to Harrewville to buy a platinum bracelet for Trevor, after all.

It was only at this moment in my past life that I learned that Mom had taken time off work to go to Harrewville with Trevor.

Everyone knew that she wasn't in the city, but they'd all kept it from me. Grandma shot Dad a disapproving look. "What could be more important than Holly's surgery? Call Mary right now! Tell her to get here immediately!"

"Yes, exactly!"

Granny chimed in, "Nothing could be more important than this. Call her!"

Putting on an anxious act, I took out my phone and called Mom. I tried more than a dozen times, but no one answered.

"What is Mary Holden doing? How can she refuse to answer her phone at a time like this?"

Grandma was even more frantic now, her frustration with Mom obvious in her voice.

Dad quickly tried to smooth things over. "Mom, she's probably performing a surgery. You know how she is—once she's in the OR, she tunes everything out."

But the second the words left his mouth, the call connected. "Didn't I tell you not to bother me for no reason? Are you out of your mind, Norman Keller? Do you have any idea how busy I am?"

Tightening my grip around my phone, I spoke timidly. "Mom, Holly's been shot. She's at your hospital. Please come—"

Before I could even finish, she cut me off with a scoff. "Ha! Shot? Don't go wishing bad things on Holly! Holly is perfectly fine at the library studying for her exams. How could she possibly have been shot?

"If she ends up doing badly on her exams, it'll be because you jinxed her!"

She didn't believe me at all. Her response was the same as it had been in my previous life.

"Mom, it's true! Holly really was shot! She's right outside the operating room at your hospital! She was bleeding so much—"

"It's true, Mary! Please hurry over!" Granny shouted desperately into my phone.

Mom's voice instantly turned cold, her irritation unmistakable. "Mom, Norman's just talking nonsense. Why are you going along with him? Whatever. I don't have time for this nonsense. I'm busy with work. I'm hanging up now."

She then hung up without saying another word.

Grandma clutched her chest, her voice shaking. "What could be more important than Holly's life? She's lost her mind!"

Dad tried to defend Mom, "Mary might really have something incredibly important going on…"

Just then, a nurse rushed out of the operating room, looking frantic. "Are you Dr. Holden's family? You need to get her here right now! The patient has a severe brain hemorrhage.

"Her condition is critical, and Dr. Holden's the only one who can perform this surgery! She took the day off today, so she isn't in the hospital right now."