Elaine's POV

“Did you hear what happened? A woman came into the ER in the middle of the night with something stuck... inside!”

A nearby nurse leaned in, eyes gleaming with gossip. “I just saw her! I think her boyfriend carried her in. And get this. He looks all cold and uptight, like the reserved, no-fun type. Never would've guessed he was into kinky stuff behind closed doors.”

I frowned as a small group gathered, whispering excitedly.

So, I call them out. “Seriously? Have you all forgotten the hospital’s privacy policy? We don’t gossip about patients.”

Before I could say more, someone from the ER rushed over, grabbed my sleeve, and practically dragged me down the hall.

Expecting a tough case, I followed. But just outside the ER, I stopped short at the sound of a whiny, tearful voice from inside.

“I don’t want a male doctor! No, no, I won’t let a man do it!”

I reached for the door, ready to step in. But then I heard a voice I knew all too well, speaking gently.

“Don’t be scared, Laura. I already told them to find a female doctor for you.”

My hand froze mid-air.

But the doctor next to me, unaware of my hesitation, pushed the door open. And there it was. The scene inside hit me like a punch to the gut.

My husband of six years was holding a young woman, whom I had been financially supporting, in his arms. He was gently patting her back, comforting her like she meant the world to him.

I held back the tears burning at the corners of my eyes and forced myself to speak in a trembling voice.

“Milton, is this what you meant by sponsoring her? Right into your bed?”

——

The room fell deathly silent.

A fellow doctor, stunned, instinctively let go of the door. It slammed shut with a bang, jolting everyone back to reality.

Seeing their stunned faces and barely concealed panic, I sneered.

“What? Surprised to see me here?”

Tears streamed down Laura Fox’s face like they cost nothing. She looked at me with wide, pitiful eyes, stammering an apology.

“I’m so sorry, Elaine. Please don’t get the wrong idea. I was just scared, so I called Milton.”

Before I could respond, Milton West stepped forward, placing himself between us. His expression darkened with irritation as he interjected, “She’s still young, and she’s scared. She’s not feeling well. You don’t need to be so harsh.”

But noticing the look on my face, he softened his tone a little. “Anyway, good thing you're here. Laura really doesn’t want a male doctor. Can you just help her with the removal first? I’ll explain everything later.”

I drew in a deep breath, trying to keep it together. My colleagues were watching. I didn’t want them to see me break.

“In the eyes of a doctor, there’s no gender. All our ER staff are professionals—”

Milton didn’t let me finish. He cut me off, brows furrowed in frustration.

“Can you not make a scene right now? She’s in pain. Can’t you be more considerate?”

The tension was thick enough to cut with a scalpel, so one of the other doctors quickly tried to mediate.

“It’s just a simple hysteroscopy. Should I call one of the other OB/GYNs on duty?”

Milton looked like he was about to say something. But then Laura let out a carefully timed groan of pain, making his face instantly change and say, “No. Let Elaine do it. Laura can’t wait much longer.”

Everyone in the room turned to me, waiting for my decision.

I looked across the room at the man who had turned his back on me, now comforting another woman. I had no interest in dragging this out any further. So, I turned to the nurse and gave a crisp instruction.

“Prep the OR. Set up for a hysteroscopy. Give the patient local anesthesia.”

As I turned to leave, Milton grabbed my sleeve with agrim on his face.

“Wait. Where are you going?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and met his eyes without flinching.

“To prep your precious Laura for surgery. That alright with you?”

With that, he looked away, avoiding my gaze, the crease between his brows deepening.

Elaine's POV

"Don’t talk nonsense! You’ll ruin that girl’s reputation."

I stared at him for a few seconds, stunned, but said nothing. In the end, I just turned and quietly walked away.

Outside the ER, a young nurse hurried over, curiosity written all over her face.

"Doc, do you know those two? That guy was talking to you like he was giving orders or something."

I gave a half-smile and calmly said, "Didn’t you notice? That’s my husband, standing there with the girl I’ve been financially supporting."

The nurse froze, eyes wide. She muttered under her breath, "That’s… insane."

Since it was just a local anesthetic, Laura had been conscious throughout the procedure. Once I removed the object lodged inside her, she suddenly spoke, timidly, "Elaine, can we talk? Just the two of us?"

My hands paused for a moment as I packed up the tools. Then I looked up and said to the others, "You guys can go. I’ll handle post-op observation myself."

Soon, the recovery room was quiet as we were just the two of us.

Looking at the girl I had been sponsoring since right before her college entrance exams, my emotions were a mess.

"Go ahead. What is it you want to talk about?"

The fragile, tearful look on her face vanished instantly, replaced by smugness and provocation.

"What do you think we’re gonna talk about?" she said with a mocking smile. "Elaine, are you really gonna keep pretending? So what if you’re married? You’re just an aging woman now. Milton loves me now. You should just get divorced already and stop trying to hold on to him with a marriage certificate or a kid."

My heart sank as I took in her expression.

"I helped you go to school, gave you a chance to escape that poor, backward village and study in the city. Not so you could turn around and become someone’s mistress without an ounce of shame."

She just shrugged, indifferent. "And where do you think that money came from? You think you could afford to support me on your own? Wasn’t it all because of Milton supporting you? But now, he loves me. Do you have any idea how wild he is in bed? You’re old news. He probably doesn’t even want to touch you anymore, does he?"

Listening to her smug rambling, I suddenly realized that no matter how far I’d brought her away from poverty, away from ignorance, I’d failed to teach her a thing.

I let out a soft, humorless laugh and brushed her damp bangs from her forehead. Leaning in, I whispered into her ear, "Laura, you might be younger now, but how long do you think that'll last? And tell me, how could you possibly trust me to perform your surgery? Aren’t you afraid something might end up missing or added?"

I watched as the satisfaction slowly drained from her face, her eyes growing wide with panic.

I gave a slight smirk.

Of course, I would never risk my career for her. But making her squirm for just a moment? That gave me a tiny bit of satisfaction.

Back in the ward, Laura was hysterical, demanding a full-body examination.

I ignored her and turned to Milton, who was standing stiffly just outside the door. I calmly but firmly said, "Come to my office. We need to talk."

He followed me without a word. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it behind him.

I took off my white coat, then glanced at the lock, unable to hold back a sarcastic laugh.

"So, you do know how shameful this whole thing is."

Milton pressed his lips together, pretending not to hear. Then he changed the subject like nothing had happened.

"Why are you here?"

He stood tall, composed, not a hint of guilt on his face. That same cool, aloof look he always wore, but now, it just made me feel sick.

A heavy ache settled in my chest. My voice was tinged with irony as I answered, "Why else? You always complained the old hospital was too far. So this time, I gave up my chance for a promotion and requested a transfer. Thought it'd be easier to take care of you and our daughter."

Elaine's POV

Milton’s expression shifted slightly when he heard me, and his voice softened a little.

“That’s a good thing. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

I gave him a small smile. “I wanted to surprise you.” I paused, my smile turning bitter. “Though looking at it now, maybe it was more of a shock.”

Maybe my sarcasm had finally gotten under his skin. He raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose and let out a long, tired sigh.

“Elaine, I already explained everything to you. Why won’t you believe me?”

His tone was sincere. There wasn’t even a trace of guilt in his voice.

Before, whenever he showed the slightest hint of frustration, I’d fold, apologize, and back down, even if none of it was my fault.

But this time, it was different.

I lowered my eyes, trying to hide the sting behind them. My voice trembled as I choked out the words, “Milton, if the two of you really had nothing to hide, then why didn’t you go to the hospital near her home? You couldn’t, could you? Because that’s where I used to work. You were scared I’d find out.”

The room went quiet.

He stared at me, mouth twitching slightly like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

In that heavy silence, I spoke again, my voice hoarse and cracked as I said, “I think we need some space. Let’s separate for a while and cool off.”

I thought he might agree.

But instead, he let out a tired sigh and said, “What about our daughter? How are you going to explain it to her? Elaine, it’s time to grow up. Sometimes being smart isn’t always a good thing. Think about the kid. Don’t be so stubborn.”

His words hit me like a truck.

My ears rang, and my mind went blank. I don’t even remember what I said back.

All I know was, before he left, he said, “I’ll stay at a hotel for now. Just tell our daughter I’m on a business trip, teaching at a university out of town.”

I didn't even remember how I got home.

Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the edge of my daughter’s bed, watching her sleep peacefully, so sweet and innocent.

And I was a mess inside.

Should I really give in?

For her sake, for our family’s sake, should I just pretend everything’s okay and accept Milton’s betrayal?

Was that really the right thing to do?

Even when I stepped out of her room, I still didn’t have an answer.

I was sitting on the couch in the living room, lost in thought, when my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Laura.

[Elaine, don’t think you’ve won.]

[You can only scare me. What good does that do? I just cried a little, and Milton had already arranged a full check-up for me. He even stayed with me the whole time.]

[Want to see something fun? Let me show you what that perfect little marriage of yours really looks like on the inside. It’s more broken than you think.]

Then came dozens of explicit, vulgar photos, and a voice recording.

I hit play.

The room was dead silent as Milton’s voice filled the air, low, strained, trying to stay in control.

“Arch your back a little more.”

Then came another voice, sweet and whimpering, like she was both flirting and begging.

“Mr. West… I was wrong. Please, be gentle.”

His voice again, hoarse and full of lust.

“Shut up. Don’t overact.”

“You don’t like it?”

But there was no longer an answer, only action.

What followed was unmistakable. The kind of sounds no wife should ever have to hear her husband make with someone else.

Even so, I forced myself to keep listening.

At some point, Laura’s voice, trembling and full of emotion, broke through.

“You’re leaving again? You never spend the night. If you love your wife so much, if you’re so loyal to Elaine, then why are you still sleeping with me?”

The silence stretched afterward, so I thought the recording had ended.

But the progress bar kept moving.

Then, his voice came again.

“Elaine is a gynecologist. She touches those things every day. I can’t help but feel… she’s a little dirty.”