At two in the morning, my boyfriend's patient, also the girlfriend of his bro, sent him a photo of her private parts.

"Dr. Marcus, this spot has been swollen for days. Can you please take a look and tell me what's going on?~"

I confronted him, but Marcus was impatient.

"Are you fucking insane? I'm a doctor. What's wrong with Jessica consulting me?"

I immediately sent the photo in a group message to his medical colleagues.

"You bitch! How could you be so malicious? You sent out a photo like that! How is Jessica supposed to face anyone ever again?"

To placate Jessica, he transferred every last dollar out of the clinic's account.

He whisked her away to the Caribbean for vacation.

Staring at the photos of them, locked in a passionate embrace, kissing on the beach.

Without a second thought, I pulled my entire investment from the clinic.

This time, without my funding,

Let’s see what gives him the right to be so arrogant.

————————

1

At two in the morning, I was startled awake by the vibration of my boyfriend Marcus's phone.

Still half-asleep, I reached for the phone on the bedside table, intending to check the time.

But the screen displayed a message from Jessica, sent ten minutes ago.

[Dr. Marcus, I've been all swollen down there for days. You have to help me figure out what's wrong~]

I was instantly wide awake.

I tapped open iMessage and saw a photo from Jessica.

In the picture, she was wearing sexy, see-through lingerie, with half of one breast exposed.

She was striking a seductive pose, her gaze hazy and bewitching.

Trembling with rage, I rushed to the bathroom and started banging on the locked door.

After a moment of frantic scrambling from within, Marcus stormed out.

"Eliza, what the hell is wrong with you, acting crazy in the middle of the night? I can't even go to the bathroom without you policing me? Are you going through menopause early or something?"

I held up the phone, pointing at Jessica's photo as I demanded angrily:

"What is this?!"

A flash of guilt crossed Marcus's face before he snatched the phone from my hand and roared:

"Who allowed you to go through my phone? Have you no sense of boundaries? No wonder, orphans are just so ill-mannered!"

A sharp pain pierced my heart.

The people closest to you always hurt you the most.

We had known each other for eight years; he knew perfectly well that losing my parents in a medical malpractice incident was a wound that would never heal.

And he didn't hesitate to rub salt in the wound.

"You have to tell me what this is!"

Seeing my serious expression, Marcus completely lost his patience and snarled viciously,

"Eliza, are you fucking crazy? Is this ever going to end? I'm a doctor. Jessica just had a breast augmentation and wasn't feeling well. What's wrong with her consulting me?"

"If you're really that bored, go get a job instead of causing trouble here. My work is exhausting enough without having to deal with a psycho like you."

With that, he shoved me hard against the wall, got dressed, and slammed the door on his way out.

After Marcus left, I collapsed onto the sofa in a daze.

We'd known each other for eight years and been together for four. I had always put him first in everything.

But in the end, he cursed me out, started a huge fight, and stormed out of the house, all for a patient.

Something about him being a doctor, so she was just consulting him.

Even a fool wouldn't believe such a ridiculous lie.

Remembering the look of disgust on his face as he left, the rage in my heart burned hotter and hotter.

The next second, my phone suddenly lit up.

Jessica had sent me a message.

In the photo, she was still wearing the sexy lingerie.

Only this time, the background had changed to a large bed.

And there was a man beside her.

I recognized the man's familiar silhouette.The last shred of hope in my heart shattered.

My hands trembled with rage, and I wanted to curse out that shameless bitch.

But Jessica immediately unsent the photo, feigning panic:

[Oops, I'm so sorry, Eliza. I sent the wrong photo. You didn't see that, did you?]

I had to admit.

Jessica's provocation had well and truly infuriated me.

I was so furious I actually laughed, then immediately blocked Jessica.

Right after, I sent the two photos I had saved beforehand to Marcus's medical colleagues' group chat.

She loves showing off her medical condition, doesn't she?

Well, I was going to let her show off all she wanted!

After doing all that, I finally felt a little better.

I turned and went back to bed to continue sleeping.

Before I was even fully awake the next day.

Marcus, who had stormed out last night in a huff, suddenly returned.

Without a word, he yanked me up and slapped me across the face:

"You bitch, how could you be so vicious? You sent those kinds of photos to the group chat! How is Jessica supposed to face anyone now?"

That slap jolted me back to my senses.

Marcus stood before me, his eyes bloodshot, looking as if he wanted to strangle me right then and there.

I slapped him right back, throwing his words from yesterday back in his face:

"Are you fucking crazy? What's with the meltdown this early in the morning? Hitting menopause early? Jessica was feeling unwell, so I asked everyone to consult on her case to help her. What's wrong with that?"

Marcus glared at me, his eyes like daggers.

"Eliza! Still trying to argue after everything that's happened? I never dreamed you could stoop so low!"

"You're a woman, too. How can you not have an ounce of compassion? Don't you realize this could ruin Jessica?"

With that, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me out.

“Let's go. We're going to David right now to clear this up. You're going to tell him you violated patient privacy and that you're the one who maliciously circulated the photos!”

I stared at Marcus in utter disbelief, then flung his hand off me.

He was actually demanding that I confess to violating patient privacy.

And on top of that, apologize to Jessica's boyfriend.

I spit right in his face.

"In your dreams! Jessica was just 'feeling unwell.' I asked everyone to brainstorm to help diagnose her. What the hell is wrong with that?"

"Besides, you're not the only doctor in the group chat. As a plastic surgeon, her breast implants might need your opinion, but did she get plastic surgery on her vagina, too?"

Marcus’s face turned livid with rage.

Before he could even speak, his phone suddenly rang.

The moment he answered, Jessica's desperate cries for help flooded the line:

“Marcus, come save me! David's gone insane, he's trying to kill me! Ah, it hurts so much! Please, stop hitting me, honey, I beg you! I was wrong, I was so wrong!”

Hearing Jessica's tormented screams...

An expression of pure anguish washed over Marcus's face.

He shoved me aside and rushed out the door.

A cold smirk touched my lips as I turned and began to peel an apple for myself.

I took a bite, the crisp snap echoing in the silence.

This was only the beginning.

That cheating bastard and his tramp dared to walk all over me.

I was going to make them pay.

The moment Marcus was gone, I called the cleaning service to pack up his things to be thrown out.

Even though I didn't work outside the home.

That didn’t mean I was broke.

With the medical malpractice settlement I received after my parents' death, I had set up an investment trust fund, more than enough to keep me secure for life.

I even owned this very house, paid for in cash.

On top of that, I ran a blog analyzing medical investments.

It had never exactly gone viral, but it brought in enough to cover my daily expenses.

So what right did Marcus have to look down on me?

Besides, if it weren't for me,

how could he have possibly opened his own plastic surgery clinic at such a young age, let alone play the high roller in front of his friends?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I quickly changed and stormed over to the clinic.

The moment the receptionist laid eyes on me, she was practically bursting with excitement:

"Eliza, you're finally here."

Her reaction told me everything I needed to know: Marcus was definitely up to no good.

Sure enough.

In the time I'd been away from the clinic, Jessica had been showing up every single day.

Not only would she show up scandalously dressed every time, but she’d lock herself in Marcus’s office for hours on end.

She was bossing the nurses around, and she even fired a highly skilled female doctor who happened to be gorgeous.

The nurse said, her voice filled with indignation,

"You should have seen the airs she put on! Anyone who didn't know better would've thought she was the owner's wife, showing up every day to catch a cheater!"

I immediately had someone pull up the security footage from Marcus's office.

Before long, the distinct sounds of breathless panting echoed from the speakers, enough to make anyone’s face burn.

I trembled with rage.

That bastard Marcus.

I bankrolled this clinic for him, and this is how he repays me? By shacking up with his mistress in it?

I forced myself to calm down and immediately copied the video as evidence.

After leaving the clinic, I hired a private investigator to monitor Marcus and Jessica.

I was determined to see just how shameless those two could get!

One day, Marcus and his friends invited me to the dinner party.

Although I didn't want to go, I was also curious about what had happened after the last incident.

Specifically, if Jessica still had the nerve to show her face among this group of people.

That evening, I arrived at the restaurant on time.

The moment I walked in, however, I found everyone staring at me with hostility.

My heart dropped.

An ominous feeling washed over me, and I immediately turned to run.

But someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked me back.

A tearing pain shot through my scalp, and I couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Two heavy slaps landed across my face.

Marcus stood before me, roaring in fury:

"You bitch! You maliciously spread a patient's private information. Get on your knees and apologize to Jessica and David right now!"

Jessica, dressed in a white dress, sat at the head of the table, looking as fragile as a delicate white flower.

She was crying pitifully as she questioned me:

"Eliza, I've never done anything to you. Why would you frame me like this?"

I ignored the angry glares from the crowd, wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, and said coldly:

"When did I frame you? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Marcus sneered at me:

"Still trying to deny it at a time like this?"

After he spoke, he turned and announced to everyone loudly:

"Sorry, everyone. I've gathered you all here today to clarify in person what happened last time."

"Eliza maliciously stole Jessica's private medical information and spread it in the group chat. Besides, most of those photos weren't even of Jessica."

"I'm ashamed to say, I never imagined Eliza would frame Jessica just to cover up her own sexting secrets. She's always been mentally unstable. I'm so sorry, David, for letting you get the wrong idea."

The crowd erupted in fury at the revelation:

"What the hell? How could something like this happen?"

"So you're saying Eliza has that kind of perversion?"

“Eliza, how can you be so twisted? Marcus doesn't even care that you're crazy, and you still have the nerve to do something like this?”

Watching the crowd hurl insults at me, Jessica's eyes filled with triumph as she shot me a provocative smile.

She clung to David’s arm, her voice dripping with sweetness as she cooed:

"See, honey? I told you I was just at the doctor's office, and those pictures weren't even me. How could I ever do anything to hurt you?"

I clenched my fists tightly, turning to face a skeptical David.

"David, we've known each other for so many years. You know what kind of person I am. Besides, I have no beef with Jessica, so why would I ever frame her?"

Hearing my words, David’s hesitant expression immediately turned serious.

He turned to Marcus, his face grim.

"Words are cheap. Show us the proof, right here in front of everyone!"

I let out a sigh of relief.

As long as David hadn't been swayed by Marcus, I still had a chance.

A venomous glint flashed in Marcus's eyes.

After a long moment, a scornful smile spread across his face.

"Still trying to argue when you're cornered? Fine. I'll let everyone see you for who you really are!"

"I was going to spare you some dignity. But to maliciously use your own nude photos to frame someone else is just despicable!"

The next second, my photo appeared on the large screen in the private room.

I recognized the pose and the background in the photo.

My hands trembled with rage.

Marcus had secretly taken pictures of me when we were intimate!

Then, he produced my therapy records, trying to prove that I was mentally unstable and prone to doing crazy things.

Seeing the color drain from my face, a flicker of satisfaction crossed Marcus's eyes.

"Eliza, how are you going to talk your way out of this now?"

Malicious jeers erupted from the men in the room.

"Wow, I never would've guessed. Eliza's so wild, huh? And a psycho, too."

"Marcus, you really drew the short straw, ending up with a girlfriend like that."

Marcus laughed cruelly: "Now everyone can see her for who she really is."

A chill ran through me at Marcus's words.

This was my boyfriend of four years, letting his friends humiliate me.

Seeing every man in the room fixated on me,

Jessica clenched her fists, her face full of jealous hatred.

Unwilling to be ignored, she continued to shout at me:

"Eliza, at this point, what is there left to deny? I never thought you could be so despicable. You should be thrown in a mental hospital!"

Go to hell.

I only saw a therapist back then because my parents had passed away.

I dug my nails hard into my thigh, forcing myself to calm down.

"What kind of proof are these photos? Anyone can see they were taken in my own home. Besides, Marcus obtained these medical records illegally. He has no right to publicize my private information."

"As for Jessica's photos, she sent those to Marcus herself late at night. And I have the screen recording to prove it.”

The moment the words left my mouth, David's face instantly darkened.

"You have a screen recording?"Looking at Marcus and Jessica's pale faces, a cold smirk played on my lips:

"Of course. It's far too easy to spread rumors these days. I had to be fully prepared, if only for my own protection."

Thank God I was cautious enough back then.

Even at my lowest point, I didn't forget to screen-record everything.

I pulled out my phone and walked toward the computer.

But Jessica suddenly lunged at me, snatched the phone from my hand, and slammed it onto the floor.

Then she raised her hand, slapped me across the face, and snarled:

"Bitch! We have no reason to be enemies, yet you're trying to frame me with a fake video to deceive everyone? Do you take us all for idiots?"