Chapter 2

But Lucas acted as if nothing had happened, pulling out a chair for me while explaining:

"I happened to run into Amber, and she said she's always wanted to apologize to you in person, so I invited her along."

"Dr. Chen, I know I've wronged you and your father..." Amber's eyes reddened as she spoke, "I was young and foolish back then, which led me to make a terrible mistake."

"I've been repenting all these years, unable to sleep well at night, always dreaming of your father..."

How dare she call my father her mentor!

When she first entered the field, my father had guided her every step of the way, from reading medical records to hands-on training, treating her like his own daughter.

And how did she repay him?

Because of her own mistake, she not only cost a patient's life but also pushed all the blame onto my father.

My father was stabbed in the back, labeled a quack, and died in despair!

All of this was thanks to Amber!

"Amber, you don't deserve to call my father your mentor!" I shouted in anger.

"Claire, Amber was just confused back then..." Lucas tried to smooth things over.

"Confused?" I laughed coldly, "Is 'confusion' enough to erase my father's lifelong reputation? To make up for the pain of his wrongful death?"

"Lucas, don't forget who swore to me that he would seek justice for my father!"

The image of Lucas earnestly promising to right the wrongs done to my father was still vivid in my mind, but now this man had become a complete stranger.

Lucas looked a bit guilty under my gaze, coughing lightly and avoiding my eyes:

"Claire, the hospital has hired Amber as a special consultant. You'll be seeing each other often from now on. For the sake of hospital unity, can't you just make peace with Amber?"

Special consultant?

I finally understood. Lucas had gone to great lengths to bring Amber back to the country and arrange for her to work at our hospital so they could be together!

I stared blankly at the two people before me, feeling utterly disgusted.

Seeing my expression, Amber knelt down: "Dr. Chen, I know you can't forgive me right now, but that's okay. I'll keep repenting until you accept me as your new colleague... I really want to work alongside you."

"Get out!" I couldn't hold back anymore and shouted at Amber.

"Claire! Can you stop making a scene!" Lucas grabbed Amber and shielded her behind him, "Have you considered how difficult these years have been for Amber? She left her home and country because of this incident."

"Your father's case happened so long ago. Does it really matter who was right or wrong? Why do you have to be so petty?"

I looked at Lucas in disbelief. This man who had once professed his love for me and vowed to take care of me for life.

He had seen me cry my eyes out and had sworn to seek justice for me.

But now, he was saying this was all trivial, that I was being petty!

"If it weren't for Amber... my father wouldn't have spent his final years being pointed at and called a quack," I said, my voice breaking as I clutched my chest in pain.

But Lucas didn't care at all, impatiently cutting me off.

"Enough, Claire! Can't you stop living in the past!"

"Look at yourself now. Where's the gentle woman you used to be? All you do is doubt and suspect, acting like a crazy old hag!"

"With a daughter like you, who knows if your dad was really innocent? Maybe he was the one trying to bite back in his confused state."

Every word Lucas said was like a hammer, pounding mercilessly at my heart.

I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe. "Lucas, do you have any conscience left? You..."

Before I could finish, my vision went black, and I felt myself falling backward uncontrollably.