Chapter 7

Simone hugged Dorothy's urn. "Dorothy, I’ll see you again very soon."

The next day, she placed Dorothy's memorial portrait in a grave and scattered her ashes into the sea.

After doing all this, she went home.

As soon as she reached the upper floor, she ran into Lily at the top of the stairs.

Lily was wearing Martin's shirt and stopped her, smiling maliciously. "How does it feel to be rejected by your husband and your own son? If I were you, I would’ve killed myself a year ago to avoid coming back and embarrassing myself. "

Simone looked at her coldly. "Lily, you only have a middle school education, yet you used Martin's connections to fake your credentials and became an attending physician.

“A year ago, you performed surgery on a patient without having a shred of medical experience, killing the patient on the operating table.

“When the family made a fuss, Martin paid off the media to shift the blame onto my dad, making it look like he'd operated while drunk. The patient's family ended up killing him for it."

Simone added, "And then you staged a kidnapping, directing and starring in it yourself just to frame me and have Martin toss me into the sea. I've kept a tally of every single thing you've done. How are you planning to frame me this time?"

Lily's smile deepened. "So what if it was me? Do you have any proof? I may not know a damn thing, but I'll be promoted to associate chief physician soon. You're no match for me, Simone."

Just then, a noise came from the foyer.

Martin and Jack had come home.

Watching the sudden shift in Lily's expression, Simone let out a chuckle. "What? Planning to throw yourself down the stairs and pin it on me?"

Lily smirked and did not deny it. Catching a glimpse of Martin approaching, she began to lean forward, preparing to stage a fall.

In the next second, Simone raised her foot and brutally kicked Lily's stomach.

"Ah!" Lily shrieked, tumbling down the stairs and landing at Martin and Jack's feet.

Simone watched icily. If she was going to be blamed for pushing her anyway, she might as well make it official!

She was leaving tomorrow after all. What did it matter if she killed someone?

However, Lily dying just like that would let Lily off too easily, while her father's name would remain forever tainted.

Startled to find Lily at his feet, Martin looked up toward Simone on the upper floor, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Simone!" He roared, scooped up the unconscious Lily and shouted outside, "Get the car ready! We're going to the hospital!"

After Martin and Jack hurried away, Simone pulled a voice recorder from her pocket, expressionless. She returned to the bedroom and tucked both the voice recorder and a document into a folder.

Moments later, Martin's bodyguards burst in and took her to the hospital.

In the hospital corridor, Martin demanded coldly, "Did you push Lily?"

Jack lunged forward and shoved her hard. "She and Momma were the only ones on the stairs. Who else could it be?"

Simone shot Jack a cold glare and looked at Martin. "It wasn't me. She threw herself down the stairs to frame me."

Martin was so infuriated by her cold indifference that the veins in his forehead bulged. "I saw Lily go flying down the stairs myself! How dare you deny it!"

Simone forced a smile. "There's nothing more to say then. Call the police and have me arrested."

"How dare you!" Martin trembled with rage.

Just then, the emergency room door swung open, and a nurse rushed out. "Mr. Jenning, Dr. McRae has suffered severe blood loss and urgently needs a transfusion, but our blood bank is running critically low."

Martin grabbed Simone by the wrist. "I recall that you and Lily share the same blood type. Since you were the one who pushed her, she'll get as much blood as she needs from you!"

The bodyguards dragged Simone into the transfusion room and held her down, drawing bag after bag of blood for Lily.

Blood was drained from her body, continuously and relentlessly.

Her vision began to blur, and a creeping chill took hold of her.

Finally, the world faded into total darkness.

...

When she woke up again, she struggled to open her eyes until she caught sight of a familiar figure. "Jacob? Why are you both back?"

Standing before her were her brother, Jacob Sander, and his pregnant wife, Eloise Sander.

In her own world, she was an orphan who had never experienced familial love.

In this world, Fred and Jacob had shown her the true meaning of home.

"You're awake? Tell me, are you feeling any discomfort? Why do you look so pale?" Jacob's eyes filled with concern.

"Did Martin mistreat you? Don't worry. I've already requested a transfer back here. No one will ever be able to hurt you again from now on."

Simone shook her head, her throat tightening. She did not know how to tell them that she would soon be leaving this world. "Jacob, you and Eloise are expecting a baby. No matter what happens, take good care of yourselves."

They talked for a long time. Jacob and Eloise kept reminding her from the doorway when they left to take care of herself.

"Get some rest, Simone! We'll come by to see you again tomorrow."

Watching them walk away, Simone's eyes welled up with tears.

She feared this might be the last time they would ever see each other. She would be gone tomorrow.