Chapter 2

Because I was a well-known figure at the hospital, the ambulance driver recognized me and assumed the woman in my arms was a critical patient.

He immediately floored the accelerator and sped off, completely oblivious to the frantic shouts and curses of our relatives behind us.

When they arrived later in another ambulance, they saw me standing outside the ICU and rushed over, full of righteous indignation.

Mrs. Hayes grabbed my collar and pounded my chest.

"Alex Sterling, are you even human?! You came from nothing, but we never looked down on you.

Elara went with you on that three-year assignment to that godforsaken desert town, just to help you build your career, enduring all the hardships!

You developed kidney failure there, and it was Elara who donated a kidney to save your life!

You'd barely returned to enjoy some peace when you were assigned away for another year for a promotion, leaving her to manage everything at home alone!

We finally welcomed you back to celebrate your wedding anniversary,

How could you steal her ambulance and leave her critically injured, all for the enemy who harmed her?"

Watching the battered and bruised Elara being wheeled into the emergency room, I merely shrugged.

"Well, you brought her here, didn't you?

That female driver has no family. If I don't take care of her, am I supposed to just watch her die?"

Cameron shoved me hard.

"You're full of it! That bitch doesn't even have a scratch, she just fainted from a guilty conscience! How can she compare to my sister?"

Mr. Hayes swung an old man's punch, and my lip split and started to bleed.

"Are you blind or heartless? How could my daughter have fallen for such an ungrateful jerk?!"

The commotion alarmed Dr. Ben Carter, a good friend of mine who was on duty. He frowned and walked out.

Seeing a group of people angrily surrounding me, he quickly spoke up for me.

"What are you all doing? This is a hospital, what kind of behavior is this, yelling and screaming?

Dr. Sterling is known throughout our hospital as a devoted husband; I was on assignment with him.

He always said he felt sorry for his wife, wanting to FaceTime her every day, and sending her anything good he ate. How can you all gang up on him like this?!"

He then pulled me away from the punches, his face worried.

"Dr. Sterling, Mrs. Hayes is indeed seriously..."

But I waved my hand.

"Don't talk about her. How's that female driver?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Dr. Carter's eyes, then his brow relaxed.

"You're worried the perpetrator might be in trouble and you won't be able to hold her accountable, right?

Don't worry, she just fainted from shock, and she probably didn't sleep well last night, which is why she hasn't woken up.

After all, Mrs. Hayes is the difficult case..."

I waved my hand again, interrupting him.

"Forget about her. You must ensure that driver receives the best care!"

Mr. Hayes clutched his chest, his beard trembling with rage.

"See?! What 'good husband,' what 'devoted wife'! He's just an ungrateful monster!"

Dr. Carter's eyes instantly filled with disappointment. He shook his head and handed me a phone.

"Mrs. Hayes loved you so much, even setting your picture as her lock screen, and this is how you treat her!

Don't you get tired of acting so loving in front of me every day?"

Other colleagues, having heard the commotion, rushed over. Because I had always been an admired role model at the hospital, they quickly restrained the agitated Dr. Carter.

"You and Dr. Sterling have always been close, and he's always kind to people. Now that something's happened in his family, don't make things worse!"

I took the opportunity to unlock the phone. Sure enough, the lock screen displayed a picture of me looking dashing during my assignment.

Everyone's eyes fell on the phone. Our relatives couldn't help but look distraught, bursting into tears.

"Elara has been through so much! She must have made it through this past year relying on this photo!

Who would have thought that the man she yearned for was a complete jerk?!"

Mrs. Hayes, tears streaming down her face, snatched the phone, but then suddenly clutched her mouth and let out a shriek.

"No, this isn't my daughter's phone!"