Chapter 4

Faye's words hit like a thunderbolt, and the scene fell silent for just a moment. Then, she pulled Cindy Murphy out of the crowd.

Cindy's eyes darted around, refusing to meet mine.

She said in a voice barely above a whisper, "W…When he treated my back injury last time, he used the massage as an excuse t...to touch me inappropriately..."

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Aaron seized the opportunity to step forward, pointing at me accusingly. "And who knows if the amounts on these receipts are even real? I heard you've been colluding with employees at the pharmaceutical company, inflating purchase prices and pocketing kickbacks!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange man pushed through the crowd.

He claimed to be an employee from the pharmaceutical company, saying, "I can testify! The amounts on his invoices are all fake! He's been working with our manager to scam people this whole time!"

The lead investigator's face turned ashen as he looked at me, his tone severe. "If this is true, you've committed commercial fraud, which carries jail time!"

It was ridiculous. I saved lives and somehow ended up a criminal.

Pointing to the surveillance camera in the corner of the clinic, I said carefully and deliberately, "Whether or not I sexually harassed anyone, the surveillance footage can prove my innocence. As for this so-called pharmaceutical employee, I don't even know him! The company I get my medications from isn't the one they're claiming! You can check my call records and bank transfers."

The investigation team immediately assigned people to verify the information.

Seeing one scheme fail, Faye immediately concocted another. "Don't let him distract you. His most serious crime is practicing medicine illegally!"

She pointed dramatically at Ryan Dawson, her voice dripping with righteousness. "Ryan's hand was ruined because of his botched surgery!"

Hearing that, Ryan immediately clutched his arm and started wailing. "That's right! It was him! He performed an illegal surgery on me in this unlicensed clinic! My wound still hurts every single day. He must have left me with permanent damage!"

The lead investigator's expression had turned completely grim. "If the allegations of illegal practice and causing bodily harm are true, your medical license will be revoked immediately!"

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something.

Suddenly, Faye rushed over to my mom, her eyes full of contempt. "Like mother, like son! She's trash, so, of course, the kid she's raised is trash too!"

My mom was already worked up. After being cursed at, her vision went black, and she collapsed backward.

"Mom!" I rushed over like a madman and caught her, pressing on her pressure point and calling out desperately.

After what felt like forever, my mom slowly regained consciousness, her breathing weak. I knew I had to get her to the hospital immediately. So, I hoisted her onto my back and tried to push through the crowd.

However, Faye led the townspeople to form a human wall, blocking my path completely. She held up her phone with a twisted smile.

She shouted, "Think you can play the victim and run? Not a chance! Return the money you scammed from us first!"

"Yeah! Give us our money back!"

Another yelled, "Don't even think about leaving without a refund!"

The cold, greedy faces before me completely ignored my mom, whose life was hanging by a thread on my back.

In that moment, my lifelong belief in the Hippocratic Oath was completely shattered.

I carefully set my mom down in a chair, then went inside and dragged out a wooden chest. When I opened the chest, it was filled with cash our family had received over the decades from villagers who came for treatment.

It was supposed to be my mom's retirement fund.

I grabbed a fistful of bills and hurled them at the crowd. "You want money, is that it?"

I took another handful. "Fine!"

Then, I took another. "Here's every cent I've collected over the years... Take it all back!"

The bills floated down like falling snow. The faces that had been filled with righteous anger just moments ago were instantly replaced with wild excitement and greed.

They scrambled madly to grab the money from the ground, revealing their ugliest sides.

I walked over to the clinic's sign, the one my dad had hand-carved, and my mom had protected her entire life. Then, I stepped onto a stool and, using every ounce of strength I had, tore it down.

In front of everyone, I smashed it onto the ground.

The sound of the sign shattering was sharp and piercing.

Facing the mob still scrambling for money outside, I used the last bit of strength I had to announce loudly, "The clinic is permanently closed. I'm taking my mother and leaving this place. From this day forward, your sicknesses, your health, your very lives have nothing to do with me anymore!"