Chapter 1

In my previous life, my boyfriend's adopted sister, Rita Wood, had come to the hospital where I worked. She claimed that her throat hurt and wanted me to prescribe her some medicine.

I had asked her whether she had any allergies. She had firmly said no.

When I insisted on having her sign an informed consent form, she promptly called my boyfriend, Ryan Wood.

I only prescribed her the medication after receiving his confirmation.

Alas, Rita was rushed to the emergency room. She had showed signs of miscarriage caused by an allergic reaction to the medication I'd given her.

"My sister nearly lost her baby! It's over." Those were the last words Ryan had said to me.

I was later held accountable and fell deeply into debt.

To pay it off, I took on three jobs and worked myself to the bone. Eventually, I collapsed on one particularly exhausting night.

I never woke up again.

…

"Cleo, my throat hurts. Can you give me some anti-inflammatory medication?"

My heart lurched when I heard the familiar voice.

I stared blankly at the outpatient slip, my eyes slowly shifting to the date. It took me a long while to come to the conclusion that I'd indeed been reborn.

As my eyes fell on Rita's innocent expression, I nearly gave in to the urge to skin her alive right then and there.

I couldn't help but recall how I had stupidly fallen for her innocent facade and how I came to treat her like a sister. I thought about my end and how she had played a part in it.

Still, I managed to say smoothly, "Rita, why didn't you tell me that you were coming? You wouldn't have needed to make an appointment if you had. I could've just gotten you the medicine after work. There's no need for you to spend any money on this."

Rita was all smiles when she heard my response. "Thank you so much, Cleo! I'll wait for you at the entrance then."

My lips curled into a smirk as I watched her leave. Then, I went ahead and helped her sort out the cancellation paperwork.

After that, I emailed my resignation to the hospital director, William Smith. Naturally, I also wrapped everything up before my departure.

In my previous life, I had chosen to work at this very hospital as a means to repay my mentor's kindness.

However, I never expected that the hospital wouldn't just fail to protect my privacy when the incident happened, but would also play a part in exposing it. They had played a critical role in making me public enemy number one.

Now that I had gotten a second chance at life, I wasn't going to let history repeat itself. Besides, with my credentials, I could easily get a job at any hospital I wanted.

I saw Rita waiting for me by the entrance when I clocked out. Her exquisite makeup was smudged.

When she saw me, she immediately started complaining, "Your hospital's so crowded. I tried to find a place to sit, but I couldn't find any. I also saw a long line at the pharmacy. Thank goodness, I have you around. You can just get the medicine for me."

I checked the time and sighed, feigning regret. "I'm so sorry, Rita. It's already past working hours. I don't have the authority to get you your medicine right now."

"What? Then why did I wait for you all this time?"

Her innocent mask slipped the second she heard that I couldn't help her.

"Did you do this on purpose?" she snapped. "I'm telling Ryan!"

"Why don't we do this instead? I'll treat you to dinner at that new restaurant nearby as an apology," I offered.

Rita said huffily, "Fine. Let's invite Ryan to join us. I haven't seen him in a while."

I nodded. "Alright."

…

I had chosen a Heulonian restaurant. Thus, the menu was teeming with fresh but raw seafood.

I placed several orders and specifically informed the staff to serve Rita first.

When I saw her staring at the seafood and not taking a bite, I couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Rita, don't you love seafood? Why aren't you having any?"