"Brenda, don't overthink this," Ainsley chimed in. "Lemuel was worried about you after the retrieval. You were so weak, and the process was complex, so he asked me to handle everything. I used my eggs as a backup to ensure success."

She glanced at Lemuel, feigning helplessness. "If you don't believe me, ask him."

Lemuel scratched his head, exasperated. "Brenda, really? Ainsley is my best friend. She saw how much pain the retrievals caused you and offered to help. This is for your benefit. If you've got a problem, talk to me. Why take it out on her?"

He sounded justified, as if his logic was airtight.

I stood frozen, staring back at the man I'd loved for three years. Whenever Ainsley was involved, he'd take her side without question.

The onlookers began whispering.

"Sounds like she can't have kids and is too proud to admit it."

"The doctor is trying to help, but she doesn't appreciate it."

"Typical rich-family drama. She is jealous of her husband's closeness to someone else."

Ignoring them, I fixed my tear-filled eyes on Ainsley. "Helping? Using your eggs with Lemuel's behind my back. That's your idea of help?"

...

I was healthy, with perfect medical stats. Doctors confirmed I had a high chance of natural conception.

It was Lemuel's mother, Julie Hanson, who insisted on IVF, hoping to get a grandson. Lemuel was equally obsessed with continuing the family line.

I'd only agreed to stop their relentless nagging. I never imagined it was a setup.

I turned to the head nurse. "I want to see all my medical records."

The nurse, regretting her slip, hesitated. "Ma'am, patient files are confidential. Besides, Mr. Hanson signed the embryo transfer proxy form on your behalf."

"I'm the patient!" I snapped. "I didn't authorize anyone. Is this how your approval process works, riddled with loopholes?"

My question left her speechless.

Ainsley, seeing the standoff, choked up dramatically. "Brenda, don't make this hard for her. It's my fault for taking this on."

She wiped her tears, glancing pitifully at Lemuel.

I glared at her, itching to tear through her act. "Fine! Destroy your embryos right now."

Regardless of the public occasion, she sobbed harder, throwing herself into Lemuel's arms. "Lemuel, let's just drop it. Destroy those embryos."

She clutched her chest, as if on the verge of fainting. Lemuel pulled her closer, raising his voice. "Ignore her. Brenda is just stressed out and overreacting. Don't take it personally."

He dismissed my protest as irrational. Bolstered by his support, Ainsley cried harder. "Lemuel is just looking out for me. They're his kids either way. Why are you so aggressive?"

Her words implied an inappropriate bond with Lemuel to everyone watching.

Rage burned in my chest. I swung my hand, slapping Ainsley. "Enough with your disgusting act!"

"You shrew!" Lemuel roared, cradling Ainsley with concern. "Are you okay? I'll get you an ice pack."

His tenderness, something I'd never experienced in three years of marriage, stung deeply.

Ainsley leaned into his arm, sobbing, "Brenda doesn't get our good intentions."

Lemuel turned, glaring at me with disappointment. "Is this necessary? I told you to stay home, and you came here to cause a scene."

He'd conveniently forgotten his flimsy expedited process excuse. I laughed coldly at his flustered rage.

He never valued my work. To him, my prosecutor's badge was meaningless. Whenever I tried sharing courtroom victories, he'd brush me off. "Alright, it's just arguing. What's there to brag about?"

His dismissal of me set the trap he'd fallen into today. I pointed at him, discreetly starting a recording on my phone.

"Lemuel, one last time," I demanded. "Are you trying to use my womb to carry Ainsley and your child?"

...

Lemuel froze briefly before doubling down, his tone arrogant. "Ainsley is my best friend. She is helping ease your burden. Why are you so narrow-minded? They're my kids either way. Instead of being grateful, you're accusing her?"

His ability to twist the truth was astounding.

"Ease my burden?" I laughed, my fury turning to clarity. "I've been injecting fertility drugs daily, canceling all social plans, and restructuring my life for this. To fulfill your dream of having a son, I drank your mom's awful concoctions for two years. You two stole my reproductive rights and blame me now?"

The whispers around us grew louder.

"Doesn't sound like just help."

"What's wrong with this guy? His wife is doing IVF for him, and he is protecting another woman."

Lemuel's face darkened. He leaned in, his voice low. "We can sort this out at home. Must you embarrass us here?"

"Embarrass us?" I shot back. "Wait and see. I'll show you real embarrassment. No one leaves until I see the original proxy form."

My resolve got under his skin. He turned to the crowd, raising his voice. "Everyone, don't misunderstand. My wife is under so immense stress from trying to conceive and is mentally unstable. This is just another episode."

The hallway fell silent. All eyes turned to me, pitying, as if I were unhinged.

"Mentally unstable?" I found it laughable.

This morning, we had been planning our future. Now, in front of Ainsley and strangers, he called me a delusional lunatic.

Ainsley peeked from behind Lemuel, her eyes gleaming with smug triumph.

"Brenda, calm down," Ainsley said. "You're making things hard for Lemuel."

Lemuel shielded her, his face tender with concern for her but cold toward me. "I've given you enough face. I've tolerated your moods for the sake of our marriage, but don't push it."

His knack for twisting reality was effortless. He turned to the head nurse and the approaching doctors. "Please, do something to calm her down. I'll make it worth your while."

His lies sounded so sincere. The doctors exchanged glances and turned to me. "Mrs. Hanson, please come to the rest area. Don't disrupt hospital operations."

The crowd murmured again, "Poor thing, losing it from stress."

One doctor reached for my arm, but I shook him off. They backed me against a wall, leaving me no escape.

I looked at Lemuel and Ainsley, their faces smug with victory, and laughed.

Lemuel frowned. "What's so funny?"

I met his gaze calmly. "Mental instability? Paranoia? That's your excuse today?"

I checked the time on my phone. "Since you love twisting the truth, let's invite a bigger audience. Professionals can decide if this surrogacy is legal."

...

Lemuel panicked, scrambling to defend himself. "Surrogacy? Don't sling accusations. We followed standard medical procedures. You signed the forms and got your eggs retrieved. Does that make you a criminal, too?"

Ainsley piled on with a smirk. "That's right. Lemuel and I are old friends. He wanted a kid, and I helped. That's all. If you're upset, I'll destroy my embryo samples. Let's not blow this up. We're still friends, right?"

"Friends?" I sneered, unflinching. "Planning to use my body to carry your child. Is that your idea of friendship? You're insulting my intelligence."

Lemuel, thinking I was bluffing, ground his teeth. "A bigger audience? You want our family drama broadcast to the world? IVF is normal, but you're losing it and humiliating yourself."

He pointed at the security guards. "What are you waiting for? Take her phone. She is causing a scene. This is a medical disruption. Don't you care about the hospital's reputation? She has lost her mind. Lock her up in psych."

The guards rolled up their sleeves, advancing like I were a troublemaking shrew.

I dialed a number, and it was answered on the first ring. I put it on the speaker. "Mrs. Hanson, this is Captain Oliver Owen from City Police. We're at the hospital entrance."