"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."