Chapter 2

Mark had once told me about Emily.

He’d said she was the girlfriend of a former medical student he’d mentored, who tragically died in a car accident.

Emily was already pregnant at the time, and eventually, her son, Jason, was diagnosed with kidney failure. Mark went out of his way to transfer Jason to our hospital, urging me to take special care of Emily and her son.

Recently, though, testing had shown that Emily wasn’t a compatible kidney donor for Jason and that news seemed to have taken a toll on her mental state.

Reminded of this, I spoke sincerely, “Look, I understand how desperate you are about Jason’s condition. Waiting for a kidney donor is a long process. But accusing me of being a homewrecker isn’t going to get him priority in the system.

“Emily, you need to face reality. Mark and I have been married since graduation. I’m his legal family.”

One of the senior leaders in the hospital nodded in agreement. “I supervised Mark when he first joined the hospital. I even approved his leave for the wedding.”

“I’m not mentally ill! Don’t try to gaslight everyone into thinking you’re not a mistress!”

Emily scoffed, turning to the leader. “Just because you know he got married doesn’t mean you know he married Anna. Can you prove Mark actually married her?”

The leader hesitated, then shook his head.

My father is a well-known figure in the health department, and Mark was adamant about not relying on family connections when we married.

He’d even insisted on not having a wedding, and my father reluctantly agreed. Now, here I was, left with no way to prove it.

“My son, Jason, is Mark’s only son! If you doubt it, let’s have a DNA test!”

The determined look in her eyes made me waver. Looking down at her son’s face, I could see a faint resemblance to Mark.

The truth hit me like a cold wave: my husband had fathered a child with Emily, and I was the one being labeled as the other woman.

Judging from the timing, he must have started seeing her while I was pregnant. The realization was paralyzing, leaving me feeling like I’d fallen into an icy pit.

Just as I was struggling to process this, a female doctor from Mark’s department spoke up, breaking the tense silence. “This is just hearsay! I’ve seen Dr. Miller and Mark together at the hospital housing complex, and they even greeted me when they were out walking together. If Dr. Miller were a homewrecker, would Mark flaunt their relationship so openly?”

Several other doctors chimed in, trying to defend me.

“Exactly! If this were some secret affair, they wouldn’t live in hospital housing together. That’s way too blatant!”

“I only knew about Mark’s daughter. I never once heard him mention a son with a serious illness.”

“Dr. Miller isn’t a homewrecker. My own daughter goes to the same elementary school as Dr. Miller’s daughter. I’ve seen Mark pick her up before.”

Emily noticed the shift in public opinion and narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, she pinched her son’s arm, making him cry out. He ran to me, grabbing my pant leg and sobbing, “Dr. Miller, even if you won’t save me, please give my dad back!”

“My son is five and hasn’t even been able to start kindergarten because of his illness, while Dr. Miller’s daughter is in a prestigious elementary school.

“How can a legitimate wife be humiliated like this by a mistress? Are you all just going to stand by?”

Emily’s voice broke into sobs as she dragged Jason to the center of the stage, dropping to her knees and banging her head on the floor.

The sight moved some of the onlookers to tears. Even the hospital leaders were giving me disapproving looks, their expressions now filled with contempt.

“This is too much. Being a homewrecker is bad enough, but to endanger a child’s life? A doctor like this has no place here.”

“We’re supposed to heal others, but Dr. Miller seems to have forgotten the Hippocratic Oath.”

The elderly female leader who had tried to reason with Emily was now visibly enraged. She rushed forward, helping Emily to her feet. “Don’t worry, Emily. You have our support. Speak your mind. We’ll make sure justice is served!”

Emily’s face softened, but her eyes glinted with satisfaction. She kept her head lowered, looking pitiful, before finally speaking, her tone filled with sorrow. “As long as she admits her guilt, I won’t demand harsh punishment.”

Pretending to think for a moment, she added with a sly smile, “How about this? To make things right, let her donate her daughter’s kidney to my son.”