Chapter 1

The air in the private observation room at Crestwood Animal Hospital was heavy and smelled of antiseptic and decay. Dr. Evelyn Reed stood beside the bed, her face calm and professional as she checked the IV drip connected to Mr. Harrison. Her patient, however, wasn't the frail old man gasping for his last breaths, but his golden retriever, Champ, who was lying quietly in a kennel by the window, his big brown eyes fixed on Evelyn.

Evelyn was known for her dedication. At thirty-eight, she was one of the most respected veterinarians in the city, her reputation built on a foundation of skill and genuine compassion. She was quiet, but her commitment to her animal patients was fierce.

Mr. Harrison, a man whose wealth was as vast as his public image was polished, had always been a difficult client. He presented himself as a doting owner, but Evelyn knew the truth. She had seen the subtle signs of neglect on Champ for years, the dullness in his show-dog coat, the slight tremor in his paws that spoke of anxiety, not age. She was the only one who bothered to give Champ the extra attention and care he desperately needed.

Her supervisor and ex-boyfriend, Dr. Mark Johnson, stood near the door, arms crossed. A few of the new veterinary interns, young and eager, hovered behind him, watching how a senior vet handled a high-profile end-of-life case.

Mr. Harrison' s breathing hitched. His watery eyes, clouded with age and malice, locked onto Evelyn. His voice, a dry rattle, filled the tense silence.

"Evelyn..." he rasped.

She leaned closer, expecting a final instruction about Champ. "Yes, Mr. Harrison?"

His bony hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. The grip was surprisingly strong, cold and clammy.

"My wife," he wheezed, his voice suddenly louder, theatrical. "My wife... who left me. Left me to die alone."

Evelyn froze. The interns gasped. Mark' s eyes widened.

"Mr. Harrison, I think you're confused," she said, trying to gently pull her hand away. "I'm Dr. Reed, your veterinarian."

"Don't lie!" he shrieked, his face contorting. "You abandoned me! You abandoned Champ! After all my money you took! You left me the moment I got sick!"

The accusation hung in the air, thick and poisonous. Evelyn looked at Mark, expecting him to intervene, to clear up this insane delusion. But he just stared, his expression unreadable. The interns whispered among themselves, their eyes now full of suspicion and shock. The dying man' s words were a public condemnation, witnessed by her colleagues, her students. It was a nightmare.

One of the interns, a young woman named Chloe who Evelyn had personally mentored, stepped forward. Her face was pale with righteous anger.

"How could you?" Chloe whispered, her voice trembling.

Before Evelyn could even process the question, Chloe' s hand flew up and a sharp, stinging pain exploded on her cheek. The force of the slap sent her stumbling backward. Her head hit the hard edge of a medical cart.

The world went dark.

A blinding white light. The smell of antiseptic.

Evelyn' s eyes snapped open. She was standing in the exact same spot, beside Mr. Harrison's bed. Her cheek didn't hurt. Her head was clear. She looked at her hands; they were steady.

Across the room, Champ whined softly in his kennel. Mark was by the door, arms crossed. The interns were behind him, watching. It was the same scene, frozen in time, rewound by a few impossible minutes. She remembered everything-the accusation, the slap, the darkness. It felt real, a vivid, painful memory. Had she fainted and dreamed it all?

No. It was too clear. It felt like a warning.

A cold dread washed over her. She knew what was coming next.

As if on cue, Mr. Harrison' s breathing hitched. His eyes found hers.

"Evelyn..." he rasped.

This time, she instinctively took a step back, her heart pounding against her ribs. She would not let him grab her.

His hand reached out, grasping at empty air. The malice in his eyes intensified when he failed to catch her.

"My wife," he wheezed again, the words a perfect, horrifying echo of the memory. "My wife... who left me. Left me to die alone."

The interns gasped, just as they had before. Mark' s expression shifted to one of shock.

The nightmare was repeating itself.

"You abandoned me!" Mr. Harrison shrieked, his voice cracking. "You abandoned Champ! After I gave you everything! You heartless monster!"

The words hit her again, but this time she was prepared for the fallout. She had to stop this before it spiraled.

"That is not true," Evelyn said, her voice firm and clear, cutting through the old man' s theatrics. "I am Dr. Reed, and I have only ever been Mr. Harrison's veterinarian."

But the seeds of doubt were already sown. The interns looked at each other, then at her, their expressions a mixture of confusion and dawning judgment.

Chloe, the same intern from her vision, stepped forward. Her face was a mask of disbelief and fury.

"His wife? He's saying you're his wife who abandoned him?" Chloe' s voice was sharp. "We all looked up to you, Dr. Reed. How could you be so cruel?"

Evelyn stared at her, the betrayal feeling just as sharp as the memory of the slap. "Chloe, you can't possibly believe this. He's a dying, confused man."

"He doesn't seem confused to me!" Chloe shot back. "He seems heartbroken! And you just stand there, so cold."

Before Evelyn could defend herself, Chloe lunged forward, her hand raised. "You deserve this!"

Evelyn reacted instantly. She sidestepped the slap, her body moving on pure adrenaline and the memory of the past pain. Chloe's hand swiped through empty air, and she stumbled off balance.

The other interns gasped. Chloe straightened up, her face burning with humiliation and rage.

"She's not just a monster, she's violent!" she cried out to the others.

"Enough," Mark said, finally stepping forward. His voice was cold, authoritative. He didn't look at Evelyn with any of the warmth they once shared. He looked at her like a problem to be managed.

He pulled out his phone. "I was hoping this was just a misunderstanding, Evelyn. I truly was."

He turned the screen toward her. It was a series of text messages, supposedly between her and Mr. Harrison. They were filled with affectionate terms, discussions of money, and promises of a life together. They were dated from over a year ago.

"You've been calling him 'my love' and talking about his 'generous gifts' for months," Mark said, his voice dripping with disappointment. "It's all right here. How can you deny this?"

Evelyn stared at the screen, her blood running cold. The messages were fake. They had to be. But they looked real.

The room was silent, except for Mr. Harrison's faint, triumphant smile.