My wife, Serena Evans, had an unblemished surgical record. Yet, she managed to turn my minor wrist fracture into a permanent disability. The very next day, her “best friend,” Julian Cole, replaced me as the Chief Physician. That same day, he posted online: “Thanks to someone for prioritizing friendship over her man. May our journey together be filled with storms and triumph.” The accompanying photo showed him with his arm wrapped around my wife, a smug grin plastered across his face. I scoffed and commented: “Teaming up with an idiot? You’re guaranteed storms alright.” A second later, Serena’s furious call came through. “What the hell did you mean by that comment? Delete it right now!” “Your hand’s useless now, so you’ve become a psycho, is that it? Julian just started at the hospital; he can’t handle you slandering him like this.” “I’m telling you, if you don’t delete that comment today, we’re getting a divorce.” Divorce? I was thinking the exact same thing. Serena didn’t even realize that mixed in with the medical malpractice waiver she signed on my behalf, was our divorce agreement. Cautious as she usually was, she’d never make such a rookie mistake. But right then, all she cared about was Julian’s promotion; she had no time to spare for anything else. I requested a medical malpractice investigation from my supervisor. But they told me they’d investigated immediately. Serena’s procedure had been flawless; everything was just an accident. I laughed. The protocol to avoid being misjudged in a medical malpractice investigation? I had taught it to Serena. Now, she was using it against me. A moment later, Julian’s promotion to Chief Physician was announced on the WhatsApp group. Julian, who was always at the bottom of the pile in terms of performance, was suddenly ranked first with a massive lead in the official results. I looked closer and realized that all those patients were ones I couldn’t follow up with after my hand was crippled. Their most complex surgeries were already done, leaving only simple post-op recovery. Anyone could see this was a classic move, a perfect snatch-and-grab. Julian, ever the hypocrite, posted in the group: “To be appointed to such an important position just two months into the hospital makes me truly humble. You are all my seniors, and I humbly ask for your guidance moving forward.” Serena quickly replied: “Julian, you’re the most promising cardiothoracic surgeon I’ve ever seen. No position is too important for you; don’t underestimate yourself.” My colleagues also started showering him with compliments. “Dr. Cole, you’re too modest. Is it so hard to admit you’re excellent?” “Good thing it wasn’t Dr. Reed who became Chief, or we’d all be miserable.” I’d always had a reputation for being tough in the hospital. Because in the medical field, even the smallest oversight can be a matter of life or death; there’s no room for messing around. But I’d also made quite a few silent enemies because of it. Still, I never imagined that the first ones to badmouth me would be my own apprentices, The very ones whose mistakes I’d covered countless times. Lost in thought, another message popped up: “Alex Reed is so irresponsible. He’s faking a disability to slack off, leaving several difficult surgeries to Chief Cole.” “Only Chief Cole, with his good temper, would be willing to take on such a mess.” I sneered. What kind of “mess” gets you promoted to Chief overnight? What kind of “mess” lets you steal someone else’s entire surgical portfolio? Just because of a few complicated surgeries I hadn’t had time to do, they were calling me irresponsible. Not wanting to hear any more from these idiots, I exited the group chat. But moments later, Serena’s call came in, her tone cold and business-like. “Alex, I need you to finalize the treatment plans for those difficult surgeries within two days.” “On the day of the operation, you’ll assist Julian throughout the entire procedure.”
Ha. Not a peep when they were snatching my position. Now that they’re in trouble, suddenly they remember me? I scoffed, too annoyed to even reply. Serena exploded: “Alex, what is this attitude? Are you blaming me for crippling your hand, so you’re deliberately trying to make things difficult for me? Do you think I wasn’t devastated when my surgery failed? Instead of comforting me, all you can think about is your Chief position.” “You’re a doctor yourself, yet you couldn’t even protect your own hand. What right do you have to be angry?” “I haven’t even asked you to thank Julian for taking over your mess, and you have the audacity to throw a tantrum and refuse to cooperate with our work.” I was incredulous. She knew I’d gotten into that car accident in a panic after receiving her urgent call! Just as I was about to retort, I heard Julian’s voice from her end. “Alright, alright, don’t get angry because of me. Helping your husband clean up his mess was my choice. Let me talk to him.” I couldn’t be bothered to even acknowledge him. I just hung up. Serena called back, a dozen times, but I ignored every single one. She was truly spoiled rotten. Destroying my career to pave the way for her affair partner wasn’t enough; now she wanted me to write plans for him and assist in his surgeries, just so he could take all the credit. That manipulative witch! She must be out of her mind. Since the hospital couldn’t resolve this, I had to take it higher. I dialed my parents directly. “Mom, Dad, I lost. My time working at the ground level needs to end early.” “Have all the Northwood City hospitals reassigned to my name.” Serena and I came from mismatched backgrounds. My parents had strongly disapproved of our marriage from the start. But I’d insisted on marrying her. My parents, helpless, had only made one condition: I had to hide my identity for two years. If Serena didn’t betray me within those two years, The Reed family would officially accept her as their daughter-in-law. Who would have thought that in less than six months, Serena would reveal her true colors? Betraying me, and betraying our marriage. After talking to my parents, my mood finally lifted a little. I’d just hung up when my phone rang again. I thought it was my parents, forgetting something, but when I answered, my mother-in-law’s voice blared through. “What did you do to upset Serena again? You don’t make any money all day, so where do you get such a temper?” “I’m warning you, go and pacify Serena right now, or I’ll have her divorce you in a minute.” Every argument Serena and I had was like this. She couldn’t be bothered to explain things to me, so she’d push me off to her mother. Back then, my parents didn’t support my marriage, and the $50,000 I put up for the wedding, which was everything I had, made my mother-in-law feel slighted. She always felt her daughter could do better, and she’d resented me ever since. “Divorce me” had almost become a catchphrase for Serena and her mother. In the past, every time I heard that, I’d be in agony and quickly humble myself to save the marriage. But this time, I was tired. There was no point in holding onto a marriage devoid of dignity. My friend and I went on a long-overdue trip out of town. It was the first time I hadn’t contacted Serena for over a day. That night, for the first time during a cold war, she reached out to me. “I know you’re this angry because you can’t work with me anymore, right?” “Alright, be a good boy. I’ll help you find a job closer to me, okay?” I almost burst out laughing. How utterly pathetic must I have been in the past for her to think she had such immense charm? “No need. And stop bothering me.”
With that, I turned off my phone. All I wanted now was to get the divorce finalized. Over the next few days, Serena kept sending me job postings. There were positions for pharmacy receptionists near our hospital, then patient escorts for $50 an hour. Finally, she even sent me a job posting for a hospital cleaner, with a message: “I know the cleaning supervisor, I’ll ask her to consider your hand and give you light work.” “This is the closest job to me. What do you think? Want to consider it?” Her tone was utterly serious. I couldn’t even find an excuse to pretend she was joking. So, in her eyes, I was only fit to be a cleaner now. I sneered, replying coldly: “Julian went to school for Hospitality Management. Wouldn’t *he* be a better fit for this?” Serena’s impatient voice note quickly came back: “You’re still jealous of Julian, aren’t you? He went from a hospitality major to where he is now, and you’re here mocking him instead of recognizing his hard work and talent. Let me tell you, Julian is my best friend, and I won’t allow you to slander him. If you insist on competing with him, then you’re not fit to be my husband.” “He works hard, and I don’t?! Serena, do you even have a heart? Can’t you see how much I’ve sacrificed for our home, so your mom wouldn’t look down on me? How could you just give away my position?” I practically screamed it, my voice raw. I’d always thought Serena, despite her temper, at least saw my efforts for her. But I never imagined she only saw me as a stepping stone to elevate another man. She only ever thought from his perspective. What kind of “friend” does that? Are they *really* just friends? Serena sighed and said: “I just think you’re capable, you can survive anywhere. But Julian is different, he needs my protection.” I gave a bitter laugh. “So, you’re finally admitting you intentionally botched the surgery, aren’t you?” My words left Serena stunned, speechless for a long moment. Three years ago, I came to this small hospital for her. Back then, I thought as long as we loved each other, as long as we worked hard enough, any difficulty would be overcome. But the truth proved I was too naive. Some people aren’t worth your efforts, and some are destined to only walk a short path with you in life. The next day, I returned to the hospital to complete some handover procedures. My right hand was completely useless; I couldn’t perform my current duties and had to resign. But as soon as I walked in, I was surrounded by a group of people. I looked closely and realized they were all families of patients I had treated. Seeing Julian smiling brightly behind them, I understood immediately. He’d probably told the families something. They approached aggressively, their words far from polite. “Dr. Reed, we all came to this hospital specifically for your treatment. How can you be so irresponsible, just refusing to operate?” “Yeah, right? So what if someone took your Chief position? You’re refusing to provide treatment plans just because of that? How petty can you be?” I tried to explain that Julian was their new doctor and they should talk to him. Julian, at that moment, casually let slip a remark. “He couldn’t have run out of ideas, could he? Maybe he’s faking his disability to avoid responsibility.” At his words, the patient families grew even angrier, no longer listening to anything I said. The leader of the group marched over and ripped off the bandage from my hand. My weak, somewhat atrophied hand was exposed to everyone.
A hush fell over the crowd for a second, then someone scoffed: “Huh, who knows if he’s faking it?” “Let’s see if he reacts to pain; that’ll tell us if he’s faking.” Julian offered, fueling the fire. The leader immediately understood, grabbed me, and threw me to the floor. He stomped viciously on the back of my hand. Excruciating pain shot through my ruined hand, but I had no strength to pull away. I could only let out a guttural, desperate scream. Julian suddenly rushed forward, as if to intervene. I found it strange, and sure enough, Serena’s voice quickly rang out behind me. “What are you all doing?!” Julian, at that moment, cried out in surprise and stumbled to the ground. “Alex, I was trying to help you! Why did you shove me?!” Everyone immediately started talking amongst themselves. “Didn’t he say his hand was useless? How does he have the strength to push someone?” “He really is just trying to shirk responsibility, isn’t he?” Serena’s gaze at me became incredibly complex. But it was only for a second. She rushed over, and immediately slapped me across the face. “Alex, what the hell is wrong with you?! Julian was being kind enough to help, and you pushed him!” I hadn’t even reacted when Julian pulled Serena’s hand to his mouth, gently blowing on it. “Did you hurt your hand, darling? Why do you always lose control when it comes to me?” “Alright, don’t be angry. Alex is jealous that I took his position, I can understand that. Just let him vent on me a few more times; I can take it. Don’t make a big deal out of this, it’s not good for him, or for you.” His words sounded so kind and magnanimous. They not only made Serena look at him with tenderness but also made the patient families sigh in admiration. “They’re both doctors, but their character is so different.” In the end, it was Julian who repeatedly promised them that he would get the treatment plans from me. Only then did they reluctantly leave. Some even grabbed my collar before leaving, threatening me: “If those treatment plans aren’t out today, you can tell your family to prepare for your funeral.” A notification popped up on my phone from HR, telling me to clear out the hospital apartment. This was the apartment Serena and I had applied for together. Now, having to move out, I truly felt that Serena and I were over. I planned to clean it out myself, but Serena caught up, offering to help. I couldn’t care less. Anyway, she was now the sole owner of that apartment. But when I stepped back inside, I knew why Serena had chased after me. The chili plants and mint I’d personally grown on the balcony were gone. The couple’s mugs and matching aprons in the kitchen had been replaced. The wallpaper, sofa, and bed throughout the entire apartment were now in Julian’s preferred style. Even the photo of Serena and me graduating from medical school, which used to hang in the living room, had been replaced by a photo of Julian and Serena on the day he became Chief. I didn’t need to pack anything. This small home, once decorated by Serena and me, was completely unrelated to me now. Three short days. That’s all it took. All my belongings were packed into a single suitcase, left abandoned outside the apartment door. Along with Buddy, the pet dog Serena and I had adopted together. Serena was DINK, so we’d adopted Buddy. She used to say he was like our child. Now, she’d thrown our child out with me. The thick summer air choked me, making it hard to breathe. “Buddy,” I called out. Hearing my voice, Buddy’s chubby body trembled, and he stood up. Seeing it was me, he whined excitedly, as if wanting to get close like usual. When he realized his head couldn’t squeeze through the bars of his crate, he just sat obediently, wagging his tail incessantly.
My nose stung uncontrollably, and the surging emotions could no longer be suppressed. I rushed into the living room. “Why did you throw all my things outside? I’m still your legal husband, aren’t I?” “Everything else aside, you know Buddy was abandoned because of his disability, he’s terrified of being left behind. How could you throw him outside?” “Julian is afraid of dogs.” Serena’s bland statement choked all my words in my throat. “Julian’s current apartment is too expensive, that’s why I let him move in. It’s just to save money.” She added, as if granting me a favor. Her cold demeanor completely extinguished my heart. Picking up Buddy, I struggled to push my suitcase out of the apartment. As I passed my old office, I heard my former colleagues passionately discussing surgical plans. A sense of indescribable melancholy filled me. That night, I meticulously prepared all the surgical plans for my patients. I believed that as a doctor, I had a clear conscience towards my patients. How Julian would complete the surgeries afterwards was no longer my concern. The next day, I contacted the most authoritative medical dispute arbitration recommended by my mother. I slapped the drafted lawyer’s letter in front of Serena. “Dr. Evans, aren’t you known for your zero-failure surgeries? How can you let me be a blemish on your record?” “For your sake, I absolutely *have* to win this case.” Serena frowned, glanced at the lawyer’s letter in her hand, and disdainfully tossed it aside. Then she threw the surgical plans I’d written last night back at me. I opened them and saw that while the general direction was my writing, some minor details had been altered. And these alterations contained incredibly stupid, low-level errors that were obvious at first glance. I smiled. Whether this was Serena’s scheme or Julian’s, I no longer cared. I slammed the plans onto Serena’s face. “First, these patients are all Julian’s now. I have no obligation to write plans for them.” “Second, I keep drafts of everything I hand over. I taught you that rule, you haven’t forgotten, have you?” “Finally, your current position is one I let you have. Now, your so-called ‘best friend’ wants to steal *my* position too. Fine, take it all. I just wish you, who are undeserving of your positions, don’t crash and burn. Otherwise, it’s the patients who will suffer.” “Oh, and I suggest you take that lawyer’s letter seriously.” “As I always taught you, vigilance prevents disaster.” With that, I didn’t bother to look at Serena’s face, a canvas of disbelief and guilt, and strode out of the hospital. While waiting for the traffic light, I received a call from my lawyer. “Mr. Reed, your divorce proceedings have encountered some issues.” “We’ve found that your wife, Ms. Serena Evans, took out a $150 million loan in your name during your marriage to help a Mr. Julian Cole establish Cole Medical in Riverbend City, building over a dozen private hospitals.” “Unless this debt is settled, your divorce proceedings will be difficult to finalize.” I hadn’t even processed this astounding news when a heavy truck barreled towards me. My mind went blank instantly. I felt like my insides had been utterly pulverized. But the next second, the truck reversed, deliberately driving over my right hand again. My already battered hand was mangled beyond recognition, practically glued to the asphalt like ground meat. The pain was gone; I even started thinking absurdly: how would the paramedics even scrape my mangled hand off the asphalt? Through my fading consciousness, I heard the truck driver speak into his phone, addressing someone on the other end: “Ms. Evans, it’s confirmed this time. It’s completely ruined. It won’t affect Mr. Cole anymore.”
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