Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The daycare bus crashed. Everyone was rushed to the ER in a chaotic blur of sirens.

In my past life, my son was the most critically injured. He should have been the first one in the operating room.

But my husband, Silas Thorne, the hospital director, wanted to play the saint. He insisted on putting our son at the very end of the line to prove his selflessness.

Because of his ego, our son bled out and died.

I opened my eyes to the sound of nurses praising me.

"Mrs. Thorne is so noble. To avoid any talk of favoritism, she's letting the other children go first."

I saw the gurney carrying my son, Leo, being pushed aside.

I screamed with every fiber of my being. "No! Save Leo first! He's dying!"

Silas stepped forward and delivered a stinging slap across my face.

"I am the director of this hospital. I won't have people thinking I'm biased. The other children come first."

I clutched my cheek, my teeth grinding so hard they nearly shattered.

"What if he dies, Silas?"

Silas adjusted his glasses, his expression cold and detached.

"He'll be fine. Stop being such a jinx."

My nails dug into my palms until I drew blood.

"Silas, he's your own flesh and blood!"

"He's only six years old! Look at him! He's covered in blood, crying for his daddy to save him. How can you stand to watch him suffer?"

"You're a doctor. You know his vitals are dropping. If you wait any longer, he will die!"

The memory of his cold, blue body from my previous life flashed before my eyes. In that life, his last words were telling me it didn't hurt so I wouldn't cry. The pain in my chest was suffocating.

Silas didn't even glance at the boy.

"I'm the director. Leo is my son, so he has to learn to sacrifice."

"If people find out I prioritized my own kid over others, what will they think of me? My career would be over."

As they tried to push another child into the surgery suite, I snapped.

I lunged forward and slapped him twice, as hard as I could.

"Is your career more important than your son's life?"

"Silas Thorne, he is your legacy! Is he worth less than your precious reputation?"

His face swelled instantly. The surrounding staff gasped and began to whisper.

Silas snarled, grabbing me by the collar. He swung his hand, hitting me over and over.

"You're just a woman. You don't understand anything!"

"Leo can wait. But if I lose my job, we all starve!"

After a dozen blows, blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. Every breath felt like a jagged blade in my lungs.

But the pain in my heart was far worse.

After ten years of marriage, I finally saw him for who he was.

To him, our son was just a pawn for his glory.

He threw me to the ground. I crawled forward, grabbing a nearby doctor's leg, my voice a broken rasp.

"My son is dying. He can't wait."

"Please, save him. Isn't the hospital supposed to prioritize the most critical cases? He's only six. I'm begging you."

They stood there like statues. I began to bang my head against the floor, tears and blood mixing on the cold tiles.

Everyone was shocked by my desperation.

Finally, a nurse knelt down, her voice dripping with artificial calm.

"Are you the doctor, or is Director Thorne the doctor?"

"He said the boy can wait, so he can wait. Besides, the director is doing this for the good of the hospital."

The others chimed in like a choir of demons.

"Exactly. It's just a little wait to boost our hospital's reputation. He's sacrificing for the greater good. His wife is so selfish."

"Women are all the same. Every second she wastes here puts the other kids at risk. If they die, it's her son's fault."

"The greater good?"

I forced my eyes open, trembling as I looked at Silas.

"Is that what you think too?"

"You're going to trade my son's life for a plaque on the wall? Why?"

"I'm not noble. I want my son alive. I'll sign the divorce papers right now if you just save him!"

"Enough!"

Silas stepped forward and kicked me in the ribs.

"Interfering with medical procedures is a crime."

"Security! Drag her out. Don't let her embarrass me any further."

The guards grabbed me like I was a piece of trash.