Chapter 4

By the time I walked out of the hospital, night had fallen completely.

I pieced the entire string of events together from start to finish.

Dante reported me, Chief Hardy stopped answering my calls, and the Medical Affairs Office put me under investigation.

My patients were stolen, my paper was plagiarized, and pages of my case files were ripped away.

I didn't even want to consider the possibility.

Had Chief Hardy really signed off on all of this?

After a moment's thought, I opened the group chat and typed out a message.

"Everyone, there's something I need to clarify here. Dante took my case files, modified my draft paper, and put his name down as first author without my consent. This is blatant academic misconduct. I've backed up all the evidence and will submit it to the ethics committee if necessary."

The moment I sent it, a direct message from Dante popped up. "Rowan, don't be like this. It's childish. The paper's already been submitted anyway. What's the point of throwing a fit now?"

I ignored him.

Seconds later, Dante dropped a voice note into the group chat.

He sounded frantic and wronged, a stark contrast to his tone in my private messages.

"I honestly have no idea why Dr. Carver is making these accusations against me. Chief Hardy was the one who asked me to help organize that paper. I pulled so many all-nighters just to clean it up. I'm being completely wrongly accused here…

"If you guys don't believe me, I'll call Chief Hardy right now."

The chat erupted instantly.

"Yeah, clear the air right here so no one gets unfairly accused!"

"Don't be scared, Dante. We've got your back!"

Dante initiated a group voice call.

I hesitated for a second before joining.

Dante spoke up, his voice carrying just the right amount of raspiness. "I'm calling Chief Hardy right now. Everyone be my witness."

The line chimed, and then it connected.

My heart clenched tightly.

Didn't she say she was in a closed-door symposium with zero reception?

"Hello?" Chief Hardy's voice echoed through the speaker.

Dante sounded even more aggrieved. "Chief Hardy, I really don't know what to do. Dr. Carver is telling everyone I plagiarized his paper. Could you please clarify things for me?"

After a brief pause, Chief Hardy finally spoke. "Rowan hasn't been in the right headspace lately. I authorized Dante to take over that paper. There was no plagiarism."

My blood froze instantly.

"Rowan, stop making a scene."

The line went dead, and the group chat blew up in a frenzy.

"Blaming others just because you're off your game? What a joke."

"I feel so bad for Dante. Imagine being framed like that as an intern."

"Shouldn't someone be apologizing right now?"

I stared at the messages flooding the screen, my fingers trembling slightly.

Chief Hardy claimed she was off-grid at a symposium. Yet when Dante called, she picked up on the very first ring. She was teaming up with Dante against me.

Why?

I gripped my phone, the question looping endlessly in my mind.

Before I could process it any further, footsteps echoed down the hallway.

I looked up and saw Dante heading my way, flanked by a small crowd.

He tilted his head, a faint sneer playing at the corner of his lips. "Dr. Carver, you're still here?"

I said nothing.

He took a step closer and adopted a righteous stance. "Dr. Carver, what you said in the chat earlier was completely out of line. I helped you organize that paper, and instead of showing a shred of gratitude, you stabbed me in the back."

Someone behind him chimed in, "Right? Talk about being ungrateful."

Dante let out a sigh, his tone dripping with condescension. "Look, Dr. Carver, I know you're under investigation by the Medical Affairs Office and you're in a bad mood, so you're snapping at everyone.

"But you shouldn't take your frustration out on me. I didn't do anything to you. So, I came up with a solution for you."

With that, he extended a document toward me. "Sign this and resign voluntarily."

I frowned and didn't reach for it.

Dante's smile stiffened for a fraction of a second. "Rowan, it's going to look a lot worse for you when you get your license revoked and get fired."

A few chuckles of agreement echoed from behind him.

Just then, the elevator chimed. Everyone turned to look.

The doors slid open, and Chief Hardy stepped out.

The moment Dante spotted her, his face lit up with a smile. "Chief Hardy! You're back!"

Chief Hardy glanced at him, then shifted her gaze onto me. Her expression was a tangled mess of emotions.

Dante rushed forward. "Dr. Carver still insists my paper was plagiarized…"

I looked at Chief Hardy, holding onto a sliver of hope that she would speak up for me, as she knew the kind of person I was.

However, she didn't budge an inch.

The corner of my mouth twitched into a hollow smile. My voice was muffled as I called out, "Mom."

Everyone in the hallway froze.