She knew the exact moment her life began to fall apart, and this was it.
"You are fired, Miss Stones, and your matter will be reported to the State Medical Board."
Dr. Levathon voice echoed loudly in her ears, each word hitting harder than the last. It felt like her ears were bleeding without blood.
She could still recall the cold, careless looks on their faces and how easily they believed everything set up against her.
None of them cared to look at her as they left the boardroom, leaving her standing there with her shame.
Riley was lost, completely confused about what to do or say. Everything that had happened felt like a nightmare she wished would end soon.
The hard stares from her colleagues made her heart ache even more. Nobody cared about the thousand explanations she gave. Not one person believed her words the way they believed the lies her boss made up.
The surgery that morning wasn't her fault. Dr. Levathon was the one who called her to perform it. He never told her there was no chance of survival. He said the chances were seventy-thirty, but in truth, it was fifty-fifty.
Dr. Levathon set her up. He was the hospital director and had never liked her. She didn't even know why. He rarely let her handle major surgeries, no matter how good she was. But when this case came up, he saw his chance.
Mr. God damn Levathon gave the patient's family false hope, knowing the man wouldn't make it. Then he handed the surgery to her and later claimed he had warned her not to do it.
It was a lie, but everyone believed him. The patient's family demanded justice, and she became the scapegoat.
Picking up her box, Riley tried to ignore the whispers and the dirty looks from the people she had spent three years working with.
Her chest felt heavy as she walked away, knowing this was how her dream ended—not because she failed, but because someone wanted her to.
She took the elevator, thankful it did not disappoint her at least not today. As soon as she got outside, the bustling sounds of cars and voices filled her ears, reminding her that life outside still moved on while hers had just stopped.
She walked to her car with tears in her eyes. Riley opened the passenger door and dropped the box inside before walking around to the driver's seat.
The moment she sat down, the weight of everything she had been holding in pressed on her chest.
Cold chills covered her body as she tried to understand why things were falling apart when she thought she had gotten everything right. Everything had been going well lately, she could swear to it.
Her father had finally recovered from his illness and was doing much better. Michael and Markson, her little brothers, had just graduated from kindergarten and were moving to grade one next term.
And she? Her wedding to Scott, her childhood sweetheart, was only three days away. Preparations were already made, and both families were excited and waiting for the big day.
With all that happiness surrounding her, Riley had no idea how to break the sad news to everyone. She had lost her job, and there was a big chance her medical license would be taken away too.
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she brought out her phone from the pocket of her trousers. The photo of her brothers on her wallpaper reminded her of the moment she shared with them before leaving for work yesterday.
Micheal's voice echoed in her ear. "I want to be a surgeon like you, big sister."
"We want to wear that white coat and work in the same theater beside you someday," Mark said and kissed her cheek.
Riley smiled painfully as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. The twins' voices tormented her but she was going to handle this. She would find a way to fix the problem because it cannot end like this.
Dr. Levaathon must not end up the winner.
She swiped right on the screen of her phone with trembling fingers and unlocked it. There was a message from her mother asking if the surgery was successful and telling her that they were taking the twins out for shopping.
Her chest ached more as she ignored the message and went to her recent calls. There was no missed call from Scott despite the calls and messages she had sent him last night.
It was strange because he should have replied to at least one of her messages since he was on leave from work.
Scott's silence made her heart ache more and all she wanted was to talk to him first. She believed they could think of something together before facing her family with the truth.
Riley closed the door of her car and drove off to his mansion. The drive should have taken twenty minutes but she took thirty because her mind was filled with too many thoughts. She could hardly think straight.
But one thought stood out among the rest. Her dear fiancé would fix everything. He always knew how to handle things when they got out of hand. He would know what to do now too.
Her car came to a stop in front of his mansion. She got out, not caring about anything else but what she was going to tell him.
Her hands shook a little as she inserted the spare key he gave her a few days after their engagement. She opened the door and stepped into the living room.
The house was quiet. There was no one around. But her eyes caught a bottle of red wine and two glasses on the table. One of the glasses was lying on its side with wine spilled across the table.
Riley frowned as she walked closer. What were they celebrating last night that she was not told about? She picked up the glasses and the bottle, carried them to the kitchen, and came back with a napkin to wipe the table. The house needed cleaning and she remembered the cleaner would not show up until tomorrow.
Even though she had a spare key, Riley had never moved into his house. She wanted to wait until after the wedding. It felt right that way. She had told herself that many times.
When she was done cleaning, she noticed how silent the whole place was except for a faint sound coming from upstairs. She stopped to listen but could not make out what it was. Her brows drew together as she took quick steps toward the staircase.
Her heart began to race as she climbed the stairs. The sound got clearer the closer she got to the master bedroom, the same room she was supposed to share with Scott after their wedding.
The door was slightly open. She was about to push it when the sound from inside made her freeze.
"Yes, baby. Go deeper… yes!" the woman's voice cried out in pleasure.
Riley stood still. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She knew that voice. It belonged to her cousin, Betty.