Chapter 2

Faye's eyes became bloodshot with rage. She looked as if she wanted to hit me on the spot.

She released Ellie and stood up. Next, she pulled out her phone and showed everyone the chats between me and my husband. Some of the private exchanges in there made me blush.

In front of everyone, Faye began reading them out loud.

That night, Shane had decided to get intimate with me late at night even though we were out of condoms at home. Reluctantly, I told him to buy some contraceptives and specified the brand. He agreed and added some sweet nothings a husband would say to his wife.

But how did Faye know about this?

The name she kept using—Harvey—was my husband's younger brother's name. There must have been some misunderstanding, as my husband's name was Shane.

With this thought, I steadied myself and said, "You must be mistaken. My husband's name is Shane Peterson, and we've been married for a long time. You're talking about his younger brother—"

Before I could finish, Faye cut me off sharply, "Do you think you can lie your way out just by changing the name? I've got you, clear as day! Everyone, see for yourselves!"

Faye stormed toward me and yanked my collar down, exposing the kiss marks on my neck. Some people averted their eyes awkwardly, and I instinctively stepped back.

Completely enraged, Faye took out her phone and showed everyone a series of photos.

The man in the photos was my husband!

Shane was sleeping. He was bare-chested, and the kiss marks I'd left on him were all over his body. The suggestive angle of the photos felt like a blatant invasion. My heart sank at the sight of it.

Still clinging to a glimmer of hope, I tried to explain calmly, "Shane and I are legally married. We've been together for years. It's perfectly normal for us to be sleeping together. Is there some misunderstanding between you and Shane?"

A colleague of mine stepped in to defend me. "Shane has been married to Maeve for many years now. It's ridiculous of you to call her a mistress. Besides, the man in the photos is clearly Shane and not this 'Harvey' you keep bringing up."

Faye sneered, her words dripping with scorn. "My husband told me that Harvey is his real name. Shane is just an alias for dealing with shameless women like you who throw themselves at him!"

At that point, I couldn't hold back my anger any longer. "You keep calling him your husband. Are you even married to him? Are you sure Ellie is your daughter? If she is, then you're the mistress here, and your daughter is the illegitimate child!"

My words hit a nerve. Faye's fury was palpable as soon as my words fell.

She was hysterical as she clawed at my face with her sharp nails. I couldn't dodge in time. In the next second, I felt a stinging pain on my cheek. Faye had probably managed to scratch my face, which drew blood.

My colleagues were stunned.

The group of women who'd come with Faye clapped and cheered. They then hurled even more vicious insults at me. "She deserves to have her face scratched up! That lying, stubborn tramp!"

"Hey, didn't you hear that Maeve is Shane's lawful wife? I've worked with Maeve for years, and I'd know if she was lying," my colleague retorted, speaking up for me.

Hearing someone speak up for me only fueled Faye's fury more. Her expression further contorted with rage as she screamed, "You shameless bitch! If you hadn't pressured my husband to be with you and used your influence to force him to comply with your wishes, I'd be the one officially married to him!

"We were already married, and we consummated our marriage back in our hometown! We didn't get a marriage certificate back then because we were still too young. But I have a child with him. What do you have?"

"Yeah, they even have a child together! Aren't you ashamed of breaking up their family?"

"I get it! You used your power to make Harvey abandon his wife and child, right? You're a shameless homewrecker who relies on your connections to force others into submission. Why don't you just disappear?"

"She stole someone's husband and broke up a family. How could she cause the innocent child so much suffering? Oh my goodness! Could she have planned to take Ellie's heart during surgery?"

"How terrifying! Ellie is so young! This woman has a heart of stone!"

All of a sudden, everyone was staring at me with icy glares.

I felt like I'd fallen into a bottomless pit. My heart sank to my stomach, and I was stunned into silence.

Shane had married Faye under his brother's name back in his hometown and had a five-year-old daughter with her. She had come all the way here to confront me and even accused me of being a monster who would cut out a child's heart.

My colleagues tried their best to defend me. But Faye and her group only sneered and said in unison, "How do we know you're not trying to kill Ellie? Doctors aren't saints. Didn't a corrupt doctor scam a cancer patient not long ago? You cut up a healthy child's heart. Who knows why you did that?"

Their words made me tremble with anger.

I retorted coldly, "Ellie has had a heart condition since childhood. Moreover, our hospital would never harm a patient! Everyone's here, and Shane signed the consent for surgery!"

"Who knows? You're good at manipulating men. Mistresses have a track record of mistreating the children of the man they've latched themselves onto. You may be harboring evil intentions while doing the surgery!"

Faye cried louder and threw herself over Ellie's small body. "My poor child! Tell me if anything hurts. I'd rather die than let the mistress get away with this."

Anyone unfamiliar with the situation would believe I'd taken Ellie's heart out of malice once they saw Faye's heart-wrenching display.

I steadied myself and spoke up again, trying to keep my emotions in check.