Chapter One: 12:44 A.M.

He spoke softly enough to sound civilized and loudly enough for everyone to hear. He had scheduled my thirty-seven-hour shift. We were short two doctors because he had reassigned them to entertain donors at the hospital anniversary. Now my “unstable state” had become a personal failure. While I washed my hands, Xiao Qiao appeared at the door. “Dr. Su, I saved screenshots of the original rota.” I watched pale red foam circle the drain. “Delete them.” “But Director He—” “Delete them.” My voice rose. Her face went white, and she left. The woman in the mirror had bruised hollows beneath her eyes and a mouth turned down at the corners. She looked like my mother during her last months.