Trapped In A Cycle Of Bloody Deaths
Ruby · Completed · 5.4k Words
Introduction
In my first life, I took on a high-risk surgery, only to be brutally stabbed by a grieving family member afterward. Thirteen fatal wounds left me bleeding out on the floor.
In my second life, I faked an injury to avoid the operation, only to be shoved down a steep flight of stairs, resulting in extreme head trauma and a snapped neck.
In my third life, I performed the surgery alone. My reward was a cold gunshot straight through the skull.
In my fourth life, I live-streamed the entire procedure. The surgery went flawlessly, yet my throat was still slit, and my skull was crushed by a heavy blunt object.
On my deathbed, I finally glimpsed the horrifying secret hidden within the patient...
Chapter 1
Cordelia's POV
The anonymous post’s warning came true. I was trapped in an endless loop of death.
In my first life, I took on a high-risk surgery, only to be brutally stabbed by a grieving family member afterward. Thirteen fatal wounds left me bleeding out on the floor.
In my second life, I faked an injury to avoid the operation, only to be shoved down a steep flight of stairs, resulting in extreme head trauma and a snapped neck.
In my third life, I performed the surgery alone. My reward was a cold gunshot straight through the skull.
In my fourth life, I live-streamed the entire procedure. The surgery went flawlessly, yet my throat was still slit, and my skull was crushed by a heavy blunt object.
On my deathbed, I finally glimpsed the horrifying secret hidden within the patient...
"The arrogant hospital heiress, Cordelia Whitlock, was stabbed thirteen times by a grieving family member for treating human life like dirt. The mastermind behind it all? Her father’s long-hidden illegitimate son."
I stared at the anonymous post on my phone screen, let out a cold scoff, and tossed it into my locker.
It was an illogical prank. First, my late father didn't have any illegitimate children. Second, as top cardiothoracic surgeon at Harcourt, I had never botched a surgery.
"Cordelia, your lucky day."
Romilly Ashby leaned against the locker room door frame, arms crossed. As my bitter rival in the cardio ward for the past year, her eyes gleamed with an unnervingly generous light.
"The ER just wheeled in a special case. Sylvie Renner. Severe kyphosis—a hunchback—and an incredibly rare, tricky tumor on her heart." Romilly stepped closer, her heels clicking, dropping her voice. "Nail this excision, and the Chief of Surgery position is yours."
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Romilly, you'd sleep in the hospital for that Chief spot. Now you're tossing this prime cut of meat to me?"
"Let's be real, Cordelia. You're the only one in this hospital with the 'Hands of God' to pull this off." A fake smile curled on her lips. "I admit I'm not as good as you, much as I hate it. The difficulty is off the charts. Only you can handle it."
A familiar scent of cedarwood drifted from the hallway. Emory Vane, the Chief of General Surgery, approached with his steady gait. He placed a warm hand on my shoulder, his thumb casually brushing my collarbone.
"Help the hospital win this rare case. Consider it a personal favor to me, alright?" Emory's deep, tiger-like eyes locked onto mine, his voice low and persuasive.
I looked at the mature, dependable Emory.
Everyone at Whitlock Memorial thought I was just a star surgeon. No one knew that when my father died two years ago, he left me the controlling shares of the most prestigious private hospital in the city. I was the sole legal heir. And now, even Emory, my most trusted mentor, was paving the way for my career.
The shadow of that bizarre online post instantly vanished from my mind.
Afternoon. OR 4.
Everything was flawless. The tumor was precisely dissected. The sutures flew through my fingers without a single mistake.
"Washout complete. Come off bypass," I let out a breath. "Prepare for the heart to restart."
Seconds ticked by.
The line on the monitor remained a flat, dead gray.
Something was wrong.
Through my sterile gloves, the moment I touched Sylvie's heart, a bone-chilling cold shot up my spine.
No matter how I massaged it, some bizarre force seemed to be crushing the life out of the organ from the inside!
"Dr. Whitlock..." the anesthesiologist’s voice trembled. "The patient is dead."
I froze, hands covered in blood, staring fixedly at the heart that would never beat again. How? I didn't make a single mistake!
Exhausted and stained with blood, I pushed open the heavy doors of the surgical wing.
Sylvie’s husband, Silas Renner, stood a few feet away like a ghost. The normally honest, average-looking man now had bloodshot eyes. He clawed at his own hands, his gaze as hollow as a manipulated puppet's.
"Mr. Renner, I'm so sorry. There was an unforeseeable complication during the—"
"You killed her."
Silas's voice was eerily calm. He slowly pulled his hand out of his coat pocket.
"They told me... You famous doctors, fighting for that damn Chief position, you don't give a shit about the lives of poor people!"
"They? Who told you? Silas, you need to calm down—"
"Go to hell, you quack!"
A silver flash violently tore through the dim air.
The cold, rough blade of a hunting knife plunged deep into my abdomen. The agony instantly sucked all the oxygen from my lungs.
"You're going to pay for my wife!" Silas roared like a madman. He ripped the bloody blade out and plunged it ruthlessly into my spleen.
"Ugh!" Caught off guard, I collapsed onto the freezing tiles. Blood erupted, dyeing my white scrubs crimson.
After Silas stabbed me eight consecutive times, my vision blurred. Bloody foam choked my throat.
When he brought down the twelfth strike in a frenzy, I convulsed violently from the pain.
The absurd warning from that online post exploded in my mind like thunder. It was a death prophecy.
"Rot in hell!"
Accompanied by Silas's agonizing scream, the thirteenth strike pierced straight through my heart.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
The MC Hacker’s Stolen Princess
She did not come to find out her father had promised her to another man.
As the only daughter of Shane “Rook” Rourke, president of the Lost Coast Renegades MC, Taryn has always known club business comes first. But when Rook signs a treaty with the dangerous president of Iron Mesa, he crosses a line even she never imagined.
Safe passage through Arizona territory comes with a price.
Her.
Kellan Stroud is thirty, powerful, ruthless, and already waiting at Sturgis to meet the woman he expects to marry.
Taryn wants no part of him, no part of the agreement, and definitely no part of a future chosen for her by two men who think a signature is enough to decide where she belongs.
Then she meets Bobby Fuentes.
At twenty, Bobby is one of the youngest fully patched members of the Sons of Doom MC. He is quiet until he has something to say, dangerous when he needs to be, and smart enough to get into places no one else can. Hacking is what he does best.
Until Taryn gives him a new problem to solve.
One reckless connection at Sturgis becomes something neither of them can ignore, and when Bobby realizes exactly what Rook has promised away, walking away stops being an option.
But stealing another president’s future wife is not a misunderstanding.
It is an insult.
A betrayal.
And in the MC world, it can mean war.
Taryn refuses to be anyone’s property.
Bobby has never been good at following rules.
And Kellan Stroud does not forgive what he believes belongs to him.
The road out of Sturgis may cost them everything first.
Accardi
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.
Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
Reborn and Unleashed: The Boss Lady Takes No Prisoners
Now reborn, Vivian refuses to hide her strength. She's revealing her true identity, claiming her power, and rewriting her fate. No more submission, no more misunderstandings—this time, she'll take control of her life and her love.
As regretful brothers beg for forgiveness and powerful enemies fall at her feet, Vivian has one goal: to rise without mercy and make the man she once loved fall for her all over again—on her terms.
CHASING GHOSTS
The Mafia King's Unknown Doctor Wife
Exchanging Vows: The Swapped Wife Is a Top Shaman
MOONLIT CHASE
But no, I had to walk through the park at midnight like an idiot. Now I've seen something I can't unsee—a massive black wolf tearing apart three men, then shifting into the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on.
Kieran Vaughn. Wealthy lawyer, werewolf, and apparently, he thinks I'm his mate.
Here's the problem: I don't do relationships. I definitely don't do supernatural things. I absolutely don't do rich guys who think they can control my life just because their inner wolf has decided I smell like home.
When hunters start targeting me to get to him, Kieran drags me into his pristine penthouse for "protection." Now I'm living with a man who looks at me like I'm his last meal, whose touch sets my skin on fire, and who's barely holding onto his control.
He says everyone he loves dies. I say that's not my problem except it is because I'm falling for this broken, dangerous man and his beast.
And in his world? Love will get you killed.
The Lycan Kings and the White Wolf.
Everybody is Guilty Here
Middlesbrough's underworld is a dangerous game, and Matthew Smith finds himself right in the middle of it. A once-feared gang leader, he is now forced to be a pawn in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Matthew's only shot at freedom is helping the police bring down Mr. K, the elusive mafia boss of the city. The only problem is that the detective he is forced to work with is the same man who arrested him years ago.
Masahiro Payne is everything Matthew hates: cold, calculating, and relentless. But their only hope for survival is by pretending to be a happy couple, blending in amidst dangerous crime, deceit, and power struggles. The closer they find themselves to taking down Mr. K's empire, the more they are attracted to one another, an affair too potent to turn from.
As their undercover mission spirals into a web of lies and hidden desires, they face a growing threat from all sides. But the greatest risk is the one they can't control-their own feelings. With every touch, every stolen kiss, the line between their fake relationship and real emotions blurs.
In a world of betrayal, trust is a luxury, and falling for each other may be the deadliest mistake of all. Can they survive the deadly mafia games or will their passion be their demise?
The Legacy Game
When scholarship student Chris Linds stumbles onto a mystery someone has killed to protect, she becomes the next target. The only person standing between her and death is Ashen Ford, the academy's cold, untouchable Student Council President—and heir to one of Corvain's founding families.
As anonymous invitations summon twelve students into the legendary Legacy Game, alliances fracture, secrets surface, and every challenge brings another deadly truth to light. But the greatest secret isn't who will win.
It's why one winner vanished without a trace... and why someone will do anything to make sure history repeats itself.
Letters to a Dark Prince
Thrown into Isteros Academy—a world of old money, blood money, and cruel social games—she's an outsider by birth and an afterthought by design. Her sister Solyn is the school's untouchable queen and Mara is her favorite target.
Everyone expects Atreus to treat his fiancée’s scholarship sister like everyone else does—as if she doesn’t matter.
Instead, his dorm room sits directly across from hers, close enough that she can see his light go out at night. Some nights, he climbs the old maintenance trellis just to check on her. He teaches her chess. He shows up exactly when something's gone wrong—and never once asks to be thanked for it.
"Don't fall in love with one piece," he warns her, over a board neither of them treats like a game anymore. "It punishes the person who only sees half of it."
Mara doesn't understand why the boy who's supposed to make her life harder keeps quietly making it easier—not until she realizes the anonymous stranger she's been writing to every week already has a name.
His.
He doesn't know he's writing to her, either.
By the time they find out, it's too late to stop what's already happening. Far too dangerous for anyone to find out.
In an empty studio, in the middle of a rainstorm, she asks him: 'Am I the kind of girl who kisses a boy engaged to my sister?'
He doesn't answer.
So she asks: 'What are we?’
He told her not to fall in love with one piece.
She fell anyway.
And he was never far behind.
THE CHRONO WITCH: BENDING TIME TO SAVE HIM
What she wasn't ready for was finding out Zayn Ponteris had been dead the entire time.
The grief shatters something inside her. And before anyone can stop it, Kayla does something no sorceress should be able to do—she travels back in time.
Suddenly she's fifteen again, standing at their end of year formal, with Zayn alive and right in front of her, completely unaware that in another timeline she watched his parents mourn him.
This time, Kayla is determined to save him. Except nothing goes according to plan.
Zayn has a girlfriend. And the closer Kayla gets to changing his fate, the more she realizes her powers are bigger and more dangerous than she ever imagined.
The supernatural world is closing in. The clock is running out. And the one person standing between Kayla and everything hunting her is the same boy she keeps bending time to protect.
Kayla has no idea what's in store for her.
Because when you bend time, fate bends back.
