Chapter 2

Corinne froze for a moment. She clearly hadn’t expected me to be this decisive.

After all, we had grown up together, and she knew me inside out. She understood how soft-hearted I was, and how easily I hesitated when pressured.

In my previous life, she had used that kindness and hesitation to make me give up the surgery slot again and again for Isaac.

In the end, not only did Isaac’s situation lead to Mom’s death and Dad being run over by a car, but I was also framed, dragged through online abuse, and driven to drink pesticide to prove my innocence.

Meanwhile, Grant and my inheritance all ended up in her hands. In the end, her whole family lived happily ever after.

The moment I thought of all that, I wanted to rip Corinne apart. I clenched my fists so tightly my knuckles went white, and I ground my teeth.

Even after hearing my outright refusal, Corinne still wouldn’t give up. She grabbed my hand, crying miserably, pressuring me, and trying to guilt-trip me.

"Jazzlyn, how can you do this? How can you be so heartless?

"Isaac is still so young. How can you just stand there and watch him coughing up blood, on the verge of dying? I never thought you’d turn into someone like so selfish and cruel!"

Her acting was flawless. Had I not been reborn, I surely would have succumbed to her scheme once more, ending in my own ruin.

Fortunately, I had already witnessed the true extent of her malice. I felt no lingering compassion for her. I understood that I needed to sever ties instantly, or she would find some other method to entangle me.

By then, the nurses had already moved Mom into the operating theater.

Suddenly, however, an unfamiliar nurse rushed toward us from out of nowhere. With only a cursory glance at Isaac, she declared that his state was far more critical than my mother's.

"What? Isaac swallowed a blade? Then he needs surgery right away! His condition is even more critical than that car accident patient just now. He can’t wait any longer!"

She immediately called for someone to take him into the operating room, but I stopped her on the spot. "How can you be so sure he swallowed a blade just by looking at him?" I demanded, my grip tight on her wrist.

Corinne stared at me in shock. "Jazzlyn! What are you doing? Are you actually stopping Isaac from getting medical treatment? Are you even human? Just because your mom’s life matters, Isaac’s life doesn’t?"

The nurse, Jody Grant, avoided my gaze. I ignored Corinne completely. All she wanted was attention. She thrived on saying things like this to draw everyone’s focus in the ER.

I spoke calmly, "You said Isaac accidentally swallowed a blade. Do you have any proof? Has he had any scans done to confirm it? You also said you went to several hospitals and none had a doctor who could operate. Do you really think anyone would believe that?

"My mom was in a highway crash. She has multiple broken ribs. Are you saying that’s less serious than Isaac’s condition?

"First come, first served. I’m not giving up the surgery slot. And don’t even think about interfering.

"As for you, Jody—wherever you came from—if you keep causing trouble, I’m calling the police."

In my previous life, I had been too panicked over Mom’s accident. I hadn’t questioned a single word about Isaac swallowing a blade or her demand that I give up the surgery.

Now that I thought about it, the entire situation was full of holes.

How could two emergencies happen at the exact same time, and the only surgeon available just happened to be Dad?

There was Jody who randomly appeared out of nowhere to stir things up, as well as the police who took people away without checking the facts.

The fake cause of death for Isaac… how did he fake his death and disappear?

These questions circled in my mind, each one more unsettling than the last.

This couldn’t be a coincidence. Someone had carefully orchestrated all of this to trap me. There was no way my family would just coincidentally fall apart like that.

No way I would end up dead, leaving everything to Grant.

This time, I would not fall into the trap again. I would break it.

Corinne and Jody were both stunned into silence by my words.

Corinne awkwardly took Isaac to get examined, looking for a doctor to assess his condition.

I stood firmly outside Mom’s operating room, not letting anyone get close. I didn’t expect Jody to come running back in a panic shortly after that.

She gripped Isaac’s critical condition notice in her hand.

"Something’s wrong! The patient has gone into shock and is in critical condition. Get Dr. Brennan out here immediately!"