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.”

When Emily spoke, the whole room fell silent.

The woman in charge hadn’t expected her to make such a demand and looked at her, awkwardly pursing her lips.

All this effort to paint me as the “other woman” was just to convince my daughter to donate an organ to her son, who was born out of wedlock.

My hands trembled as I took out my phone and called Mark, but he didn’t pick up. So, I sent him a message, urging him to get here quickly.

Seeing that no one was backing her up, Emily pulled Jason to the front.

“Jason has been sick since he was three, relying on dialysis for the last two years. He can’t run, play, or go to the park, and has never been to school. All he does every day is lie there, like a puppet with no life in him. And your daughter? She takes dance classes and travels for workshops, all funded by my husband!

“Anna, do you really want me, his rightful wife, to beg you on my knees before you agree to save Jason?”

“Miss, my mom always taught me to share. Can’t you ask your daughter to share a kidney with me? I’m still so young. I don’t want to die!”

Jason’s pale face was streaked with tears as he looked up at me pitifully.

Hearing their little back-and-forth made me chuckle bitterly. I fixed my gaze on Emily. “Emily, before I even think about donating my daughter’s kidney, how about you first tell everyone if you are legally married to Mark?”

She bit her lip, her eyes darting around.

Suddenly, she put on a show of desperation, waving her hands at me frantically. “Fine, I’ll get a divorce. I’ll divorce Mark tomorrow if that’s what you want!

“No, I’m the other woman here; you and Mark are the real couple! Just promise to donate the kidney, and I’ll do whatever you ask.”

Her defeated expression stirred sympathy in the crowd.

“Why should Anna’s son die while this other woman’s child gets to live?”

“The wife is being way too forgiving. Emily’s already taken her husband. Asking for a kidney to save her son is just common decency.”

“That child shouldn’t even have been born. This kidney must be donated!”

“Yes! Donate the kidney! Donate it!”

The crowd’s voices grew louder, waving their arms and chanting to pressure me.

Emily turned her back to me, smiling smugly.

My anger boiled over. Before I knew it, I slapped her across the face.

Jason saw this and grabbed my arm, biting down hard.

Not wanting to hurt the child, I shook my arm, stepping back repeatedly. However, I tripped over a cable on the stage, hitting my head on the ground with a sharp pain, and everything went foggy.

Seeing the situation escalate, the hospital director rushed over with several doctors to calm things down.

I struggled to pull myself up, leaning against the podium, blood dripping from my forehead.

Emily, pretending to be calm, said, “Anna, I didn’t want to make a scene. If you’d just agreed to donate the kidney in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m not asking for your daughter’s life—she still has one kidney left!”

My eyes blazed as I scoffed. “And why should I save Mark’s illegitimate son? What makes you think you deserve that?”

Just as I finished speaking, Mark, covered in sweat, rushed up onto the stage.

He grabbed my shoulders, his voice full of worry.

“Anna, what happened? Are you dizzy?

“Come on, let’s get you checked out!”

I pushed him away. “Now that I’ve been publicly shamed as the mistress, you want to act concerned?”

Mark’s anger flared as he looked at Emily standing off to the side.

He stood up, turned, and slapped her across the face.

“Where’s security? Get this troublemaker out of here, now!”