"It's one thing if you won't save him, but how dare you slander him like this too?!"

I watched Jeannie lose control with cold indifference. There was no sympathy left in me, only disgust. I turned, walked to the door, and pulled it open. "Get out."

Right in front of her, I slammed the examination room door shut. Her screams and breakdown were completely sealed off. The hallway fell silent for a few seconds, but then the pounding started again, and it was even more violent than before.

"Carson! Open this door! You selfish bastard! Do you think some fake report is enough to fool me?! I'm telling you, Elliot's condition can't wait! You're donating that kidney today whether you want to or not!"

I sat down in my office chair and took a sip of the cold water on my desk. Five hundred thousand dollars in wedding savings and a canceled wedding banquet.

I stared at the bank notification on my phone.

For the sake of her first love who was dying from advanced AIDS, she had drained my money dry. Now, she wanted to take my kidney too.

The pounding on the door quickly attracted nurses and patients from the hallway.

"Ma'am, please stop causing a disturbance outside the examination room. If you keep hitting the door, we'll have to call security."

Jeannie's voice became as sharp as nails scraping across glass. "Security? Fine, call them! Let everyone come and see what kind of cold-blooded monster your attending physician is! He's letting someone die! He won't even save his own fiancée's first love!

"He makes tens of thousands a month! What's the big deal about losing one kidney? He still has another one! Elliot is only 25 years old! He's still so young!"

I set down my cup and stood up. Then, I opened the door. The hallway was crowded with spectators.

The moment Jeannie saw me, she rushed forward and tried to grab my clothes again. I stepped aside, causing her to stumble and nearly fall.

"Are you done yet?" I asked.

Jeannie pointed a finger straight at my face. "Carson, I'm asking you one last time. Are you donating that kidney or not?"

I looked at her face, which was twisted with rage. "No. I'd rather cut my kidney out and chop it into pieces before giving it to that piece of trash."

Jeannie trembled from head to toe. Her teeth clenched tightly, and her eyes were filled with hatred. "Fine, Carson. Don't regret this. You think Elliot is doomed just because you won't donate your kidney? I'm telling you right now, even if I lose everything, even if it costs me my life, I'll cure him! And as for you..."

An icy smile spread across her face. "I'll make sure you pay for what you did today."

With that, she shoved through the crowd and stormed away, her high heels slamming against the floor.

The head nurse walked over, concern written all over her face. "Dr. Lloyd... Should we call the police?"

I shook my head. "No need. She'll come back to me on her own soon enough."

…

After finishing my rounds the next morning, I returned to my office.

Out of habit, I pulled open the bottom drawer of my desk. It was a secure drawer used to store important departmental medications. The lock had been forced open. The three vials of X-40 anti-rejection targeted medication that had been inside were gone.

X-40 was still in the clinical trial stage. For patients suffering from severe kidney failure, it worked wonders, rapidly repairing damaged kidney cells. However, it came with one fatal side effect. It placed extreme suppression on the human immune system.

An ordinary patient could survive the effects with the help of additional medications. However, for someone with advanced AIDS whose immune system had already collapsed... The drug was nothing less than a death sentence.

I stared at the empty drawer. I did not raise any alarm. Instead, I turned around and went to the security office to review the hallway surveillance footage.

There she was on the screen. Jeannie sneaked into my office, looking around nervously. Ten minutes later, she hurried out in a panic. One side of her handbag was visibly bulging.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Jeannie's number.

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up. "Hello?"

There was a smugness in Jeannie's voice that she could not quite hide.

"You took the medication?" I asked without wasting time.

Jeannie let out an icy laugh on the other end. "So what if I did? Carson, if you won't donate your kidney, what's wrong with me taking a few vials of medicine? The drugs belong to the hospital anyway. Just write them off as damaged or missing. Do you really have to be this stingy?"

I walked over to the window and looked down at the busy crowd moving through the streets below. "That medication isn't something you can use casually."

Jeannie exploded immediately. "Stop trying to scare me! I already asked other doctors. It's the newest anti-rejection breakthrough drug, and Elliot feels so much better after taking it!"

I lifted an eyebrow. "He already took it?"

"That's right!" Jeannie's voice shot up several octaves. "I already gave him one injection! Carson, let me tell you something. Once Elliot gets better, I'm leaving with him immediately.

"As for the 500,000 dollars in wedding funds, consider it payment for those few vials of medicine. We're even!"

I almost laughed at her absurd logic.

Five hundred thousand dollars in wedding funds and three vials of a priceless experimental drug that was still in clinical trials. Yet, she thought a casual 'We're even' settled everything.

"Jeannie, do you even know that drug causes severe immune suppression? If he really is—"

"Shut up!" She cut me off so abruptly that I could not finish. "You're just jealous of Elliot! You don't want to see him recover! First, you made up lies about him having AIDS, and now, you're trying to scare me with side effects? Carson, how can you be so vicious?"

I held the phone farther away to keep her shrill screaming from rupturing my eardrums.

"I'm vicious?"

"I'm warning you, if you dare call the police on me, I'll expose you online for refusing to donate your kidney! I'll make sure the whole internet knows you're a hypocrite who lets people die! I'll ruin your reputation!"

After screaming herself breathless, she seemed to be waiting for me to beg.

I stayed silent for two seconds before answering, "Do whatever you want. I just hope you won't regret it."

Then, I hung up. The screen went dark in my hand. I walked over to the sink and carefully washed my hands.

She had taken the bait.

If she insisted on driving herself into a dead end, there was no reason for me to stop her anymore.

That afternoon, the head of security came to see me. "Mr. Lloyd, about your desk drawer being forced open, do you want us to contact the police?"

I shook my head. "No need. I accidentally lost the key, and I had already moved the medication elsewhere."

The head of security visibly relaxed. "That's good. The drug is still in clinical trials. It'll be a huge problem if it's actually gone missing."

After he left, I sat back down in my office chair. Suddenly, my phone began vibrating nonstop. It was the hospital group chat. Someone had posted a video link and tagged me.

[Dr. Lloyd, you need to see this! Someone's spreading rumors about you online!]

I tapped the link, and a bold headline filled the screen: [Cold-Blooded Doctor Refuses to Save a Life, Killing Fiancée's First Love to Keep Their Wedding Fund for Himself]

The thumbnail showed Jeannie with tears streaming down her face.

I leaned back in my chair. "The show's finally starting."

In the video, Jeannie was wearing an old T-shirt that looked faded from countless washes. Her hair was messy, and her face looked pale and exhausted. She stared into the camera, crying so hard that it seemed she could barely breathe.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Jeannie. My fiancé is Carson, an attending physician at Central City Hospital. My first love, Elliot, was diagnosed with kidney failure yesterday and urgently needs a transplant.

"Carson's the perfect match, but he refuses to donate because he wants to keep all 500,000 dollars of our shared savings for himself! He even forged a fake AIDS report and used it to slander Elliot!

"Elliot is only 25 years old! He's never even held a girl's hand. How could he possibly have a disease like that?"

"Carson, are you even a doctor? How can you just stand by and watch someone die?"

The second half of the video consisted of an audio recording she had secretly taken of me.

It was only one sentence, but it was a harsh and merciless one.

"I'd rather cut my kidney out and chop it into pieces before giving it to that piece of trash."

The clip had been carefully edited and paired with mournful background music.

The moment it was uploaded, it exploded across every major platform. The fury of public opinion swallowed me whole.

[How is someone like him qualified to be a doctor? He's an animal!]

[Her first love is dying! Is losing one kidney really going to kill him?]

[He forged an AIDS report? That's illegal! The hospital should fire him immediately!]

[Expose him! Make sure he can't survive in this city!]

In less than half a day, every detail of my personal information was dug up and spread online. Someone even delivered funeral wreaths to the entrance of my examination room.

Reporters packed the hospital entrance so tightly that people could barely get through.

At 2:00 pm, the department director called me into his office. He looked exhausted, sighing nonstop. "Carson, all of us trust your medical skills and your character. However, the pressure from public opinion is overwhelming right now. Even upper management can't hold back the backlash anymore.

"Why don't you go home and take some time off? Once things calm down, we'll figure it out."

Looking at the troubled expression on his face, I nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry for causing trouble for the hospital."

I took off the white coat I had worn for five years and carefully folded it before placing it on my desk. After packing a few medical textbooks into my bag, I left the hospital.

The moment I stepped into the outpatient lobby, I ran straight into Jeannie. She was pushing a wheelchair. Elliot sat in it, his face pale and weak. Several internet influencers surrounded them, holding up their phones and livestreaming the whole thing.

The instant Jeannie saw me, she jumped in front of Elliot like a mother hen protecting her chick.

"Carson! You actually have the nerve to show your face! Look what you've done to Elliot!"

Elliot leaned against the wheelchair and coughed weakly. When he looked up at me, a flash of smug satisfaction slipped through his eyes. However, when he spoke, his voice sounded weak.

"Dr. Lloyd, I heard you've been suspended. I'm really sorry. This is all because of me. Jeannie is just worried. Please don't blame her. If you're angry, take it out on me. After all, I probably don't have many days left anyway."

The influencers immediately turned all their cameras toward me.

"Look! That's the cold-blooded doctor!"

"The patient is already in this condition, and he's still wearing that expression!"

Ignoring the cameras around me, I walked over to the wheelchair. Then, I looked down at Elliot from above.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

Elliot blinked. "What?"

I stared straight into his eyes. "I'm asking how you're feeling after that injection."

Elliot smiled. There was obvious provocation hidden behind that smile. "Pretty good. I actually feel stronger. Mr. Lloyd, thanks for the medication."

I nodded.

"You're welcome. Enjoy the last days of your life."

Jeannie exploded with rage. Her entire body trembled as she pointed at my face and started screaming, "Carson, who are you cursing?! You've already been fired! What exactly are you so arrogant about? Get out! The farther away you go, the better!"

I ignored her shouting completely and continued walking toward the exit.

"Carson! Don't think this is over! You owe us, and I'll make sure you pay back every bit of it with interest!"

…

I did not return to the hospital dormitory. Instead, I took a cab straight to the home that had once been my future with Jeannie.

I had purchased a luxury apartment in the city center and paid for it in full two years ago. The property deed carried only one name—mine.

When I reached the front door, I pulled out my key and tried to unlock it. However, no matter how hard I tried, the key would not fit into the lock.