The Hospital Director's wife had taken a particular liking to the new male intern. She even had him, completely unqualified, assist me in an emergency surgery. Midway through the heart surgery, I suddenly realized he'd pocketed a scalpel. Faced with my questioning, the intern just smirked contemptuously. "They say Dr. Stone is a titan in the medical field. I just wanted to learn a thing or two. Surely you can't operate if you're short one scalpel?" Suppressing my fury, I called my wife. "How could you stick this hack in here? If something happens to the patient, how will we handle it!" She, however, defended him: "Can't manage with one less scalpel? Why give him such a hard time! What's wrong with a young man eager to learn!" The surgery ultimately failed. A vibrant life was extinguished before my eyes. But the Director was out shopping lavishly with the male intern, even threatening to kick me out of the hospital. "Causing a fatal incident and you still have the nerve to hang around the hospital!" Little did she know, the patient who died on the operating table was her own father, who'd suffered a sudden heart attack. 1 Crouched in the hallway, I chain-smoked an entire pack, but the inferno in my chest still raged. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Emily Young’s number. "Fire that intern immediately. I'm only saying this once." The other end of the line was noisy and chaotic. After a long pause, her lazy voice came through: "Enough, David Stone! Don't try to shift the blame. The lead surgeon's failure has nothing to do with Leo Vance!" "Instead of this, you should be figuring out how to console the family. If there's a complaint, you'll handle it yourself!" My hand, still holding the phone, trembled from sixteen straight hours of wielding a scalpel, all to compensate for Leo Vance’s transgression of hiding equipment. And now I was supposed to take all the blame? "If he hadn't hidden the scalpel, how could it have failed!" My roar echoed through the hallway. "This was a life-saving surgery! What was his motive for hiding the scalpel? Emily Young, how can you be so clueless, bringing this kind of disaster into the hospital? Are you trying to ruin the hospital's reputation!" "Besides, do you even know who was on that table—" "Dr. Stone," Leo suddenly cut in on the call. His voice dripped with feigned grievance: "It's all my fault, I'm just an intern. I shouldn't have let my admiration for you, the master cardiac surgeon, cause you to slip up. Scold me, hit me, I'll take whatever you dish out!" Even a fool could hear the thinly veiled sarcasm. This exceptionally hired Leo certainly had a way about him. With just his pretty boy face, he had the usually elusive Director Emily practically living at the hospital. It wasn't that I hadn't been suspicious, but Emily always had an excuse: "I just see him as a younger brother. Who doesn't like handsome young men? We've been married for five years, don't you have that much trust in me?" Plus, the hospital was genuinely short-staffed. Even if I was unhappy, I had to bear it, hoping he could at least pull some weight. I never expected him to be such a menace. My anger flared hotter. I decided to reveal the truth: "Do you realize you personally sent your own father to his grave!" My free hand clenched the hem of my shirt, knuckles white. It had happened so suddenly. I only realized when I entered the OR that this critical patient, suffering a massive heart attack, was my father-in-law. With every second counting, I had planned to tell her after the surgery. Who knew… I could have saved his life. The line went silent for a long moment, then Emily snatched the phone back and cursed venomously: "Have you lost your mind, David Stone! Just because you couldn't save him, you're cursing my dad? He's perfectly healthy back in the countryside. Some son-in-law you are!" "You are fully responsible for this incident. Effective immediately, you are banned from the operating room. Reinstatement pending review." "Additionally, six months' salary will be docked, and a hospital-wide critique will be issued. You will be required to make a public apology!" Beside her, Leo feigned conciliation: "Dr. Stone, don't take your anger out on me. I was just following orders. If I've offended you, I hope you can forgive me." I almost vomited blood. Did this foolish woman even remember that the hospital's current renown was entirely due to my unparalleled skills in the medical field? "Alright, David. I'm going with Leo to pick out a watch. Instead of this pointless chatter, you should be working on your apology letter." With that, the call abruptly ended. The rage in my heart blazed. I violently pushed open a door, right into the bewildered Head Nurse. "Dr. Stone," She looked troubled. "The patient's family… we can't reach them." 2 My brow furrowed deeply, momentarily at a loss. Emily lost her mother young and was raised solely by her father. After our marriage, my father-in-law lived alone in the countryside, cutting off ties with relatives. Only I knew of his death. "Follow standard procedure for now. I'll handle the rest." Tossing off my surgical cap, I slumped into a chair. The cool air hit my face, slightly quelling the burning anger in my heart. I opened my phone. Emily had actually updated her social media feed: "Feeling young again, it's wonderful." The accompanying picture showed Leo, beaming, surrounded by piles of luxury gift boxes. I stared at the screen, a cold laugh escaping my throat. She really doesn't see me as her husband anymore, does she? Although Emily and I met through a setup, genuine feelings had developed, which led us to the altar. Emily moved here for me, founded the hospital. And to support her, I turned down high-paying offers from other hospitals to become a doctor under her name, making this hospital increasingly famous in the city. I once thought it was a mutual effort. But now, because of Leo, things had diverged. And now, this divergence was becoming a real eyesore. The next day, I put on my white coat and went to the clinic, looking at patient charts while waiting. But after a long wait, not a single patient came in. This wasn't right. Usually, my clinic appointments were snatched up. By noon, still no patients. As I prepared to leave, the door was suddenly knocked on several times, hard. I opened it to an angry face. "Dr. Stone, you're at the hospital! Why did you cancel our appointment after I booked it?! I waited a month for this slot, and you just decide not to see patients?!" I frowned, trying to calm him down first. "Tell me what happened. I didn't receive any notification about not seeing patients." The patient angrily pushed me aside. "Stop pretending! If you didn't want to see patients, don't offer appointments. Do you get a kick out of messing with ordinary people like us?! I bet other hospitals can treat this!" With that, he spat viciously in my direction and stormed off. Realizing something was wrong, I quickly called the nurse in charge. She sounded surprised. "Wasn't it you who notified us? That today's appointments, no, actually, all appointments for the next week, were canceled. I thought you weren't feeling well…" My pent-up anger surged. I demanded loudly, "Who notified you!" "It was Leo… He said it was your instruction…" Him again! The fire completely uncontrollable, I stormed into the intern's lounge where Leo was, only to find Emily there too. "Leo!" I grabbed the nearest book and hurled it at him. "Who told you to cancel my patients without authorization? Don't you know how hard it is for some people to get an appointment! What are you trying to do, let them die!" The man, caught off guard by my attack, immediately covered his head and squatted down. Seeing this, Emily became protective. "Leo was acting on my orders. Hitting him is like slapping my face, you know that!" My heart sank. I could hardly believe it. "Why, Emily, why would you do this? These patients have been waiting desperately for me to see them." But the woman just rolled her eyes impatiently. "You had a major medical incident, and you still want to see patients in the clinic? If anything else goes wrong, the hospital can't take responsibility." "I'll reassign your patients to other doctors. We have more than just you here, and Leo will help out too. For now, just stay away from the hospital." My hands clenched into fists, veins popping on the back of them. This was like throwing me under the bus after I’d done all the work. The cardiology department, built on my reputation, yet I was being made to bear this undeserved disaster because of Leo’s mistake. I really was too good-natured, too patient. "In that case, I resign." 3 Hearing this, Emily finally showed a flicker of nervousness. "What did you say?" Her eyes widened in disbelief, all her accusations caught in her throat. Seeing my calm expression, she visibly panicked. "No, David, please don't get agitated, okay?" "This was indeed my oversight. I shouldn't have canceled your patients without discussing it with you. How about this, starting tomorrow, everything goes back to normal, you can see your patients as usual." "I'll transfer Leo to another department. I promise you two will have no contact. Are you satisfied with that? Please don't talk about resigning anymore, okay?" I took a deep breath and, after a long pause, nodded. "No need to transfer him to another department." Emily brightened, about to say something. "Fire him outright." Her smile froze on her lips. She blurted out, "No way!" I let out a cold laugh, leaning my hands on the table, staring at her. "Emily, I'm not discussing this with you." The woman stared hard at me, finally relenting. "Fine, I'll fire him…" Just then, Leo suddenly spoke, his eyes full of resentful. "Dr. Stone, I apologize. The previous surgery was my fault. But I really want to learn at the hospital. Please don't kick me out, even if it means I have to be a janitor!" "Please, as long as I can stay at the hospital, I'll do anything!" As he spoke, he actually knelt on the ground and kowtowed to me. He looked for all the world like I was some unforgivable villain. Startled, I was about to stop him when Emily quickly helped him up, her gaze towards me now tinged with resentment. "Alright, David Stone, I've made a concession too. Let Leo stay at the hospital. If it's really an issue, I'll transfer him to the morgue, how about that." My heart clenched. I was about to speak when Leo kowtowed several more times. "Thank you, Director Young! I'm willing to work in the morgue. As long as I can stay at the hospital, I'll do anything!" Emily's eyes were full of pity as she pulled him to a seat. "It's okay. As long as I'm here, no one in this hospital can kick you out." After saying that, she shot me a fierce glare. I clenched my fists, thinking that as long as he was far away from me, it would be fine, so I said nothing more. Just then, the Head Nurse suddenly sent me a text message. "Dr. Stone, I can't find you. The deceased's family still isn't answering their phone. I had no choice but to place him in the hospital morgue, but he can't stay there indefinitely, can he?" I pinched the bridge of my nose and said gravely, "It's okay, I'll talk to the family." Hanging up, I walked over to Emily and said in a low voice, "The Head Nurse has probably called you many times these past two days. It's not right for Father-in-law's body to remain in the morgue. Although it's hard to accept, I'll be with you through this difficult time." Emily's eyes widened suddenly, and after a moment, a deeply sarcastic smile formed on her lips. "Are you serious, David Stone? I’ve already compromised, what more do you want? Cursing my dad over and over, what are you playing at!" "I'm warning you, this hospital can function without you! If you dare do this again, watch out, I'll tell my dad!" I almost laughed out of sheer anger. Even now, she refused to believe me, thinking I was just jealous of Leo. "Emily Young, do you have a brain? If he hadn't secretly hidden that scalpel, how would your father have died!" A sharp "smack" sound. My head was knocked to the side, and a metallic taste of blood instantly filled my mouth. "David Stone, haven't you had enough! If you dare say that again, believe it or not, I'll divorce you!" A fleeting, imperceptible glint of triumph flashed in Leo's eyes, then he adopted a different tone, looking at me. "Dr. Stone, even if you hate me that much, you shouldn't use Director Young's father's death to deceive her. This is a human life, it's no joking matter." I covered my face, taking a long moment to recover, then said angrily, "Fine, you don't believe me, right? Then call your dad right now and see if he picks up!" "I'll call him!" Emily shot me a fierce glare and immediately pulled out her phone. It rang for a few seconds, then the call connected. 4 "Hello, is this the family of Samuel Young? This is the hospital. Your father's heart surgery was unsuccessful…" The words Emily was about to say froze on her lips. She looked at the phone number in disbelief; it was indeed her father's. "Who are you?" Unconsciously, her voice had begun to tremble. It was on speakerphone, loud enough for me to recognize the voice too. "I'm the Head Nurse of Cardiology at Union General Hospital…" Emily's face changed drastically. She immediately hung up and ran out. I followed her, watching her run to the nurses' station. The Head Nurse was still holding her phone and was about to speak when Emily reached her. "You've got some nerve, colluding with David Stone to deceive me! How dare you curse my father to death!" A sudden slap caught the Head Nurse completely off guard. She covered her face, explaining softly, "No… I wasn't lying, Director. That really was the deceased's phone—" "Still talking? Do you have a death wish or something!" Emily delivered several more slaps, her face flushed red. "You always listen only to David Stone and disregard me, the Director. Now you're completely lawless, aren't you!" "I'm announcing it now, you're fired." Tears welled up in the Head Nurse's eyes. She looked at me pleadingly. "Dr. Stone, please help me explain, I wasn't lying!" Suppressing my anger, I pulled Emily away. "Have you made enough of a scene! Are you under Leo's spell or something!" She struggled hard, glaring at me with a face full of resentment. "I should be asking you, what exactly are your intentions! If you don't want to take responsibility, just say so. Why drag others into your lies!" "Let me tell you, this hospital doesn't revolve around you. Even if you leave, it won't collapse!" Seeing the hatred welling up in her eyes, I suddenly felt that the person before me was a complete stranger. When had she stopped believing even a word I said? "Fine…" I regained my composure. "Then I'll resign." This time, Emily didn't hesitate, her face flashing with impatience. "Same threat, I won't fall for it twice. If you want to go, then go!" Then she took Leo's hand. "Let's go! It seems the cardiology department needs a good shake-up too." And Leo, being pulled by her, cast a sarcastic smile in my direction. He was saying, he had won. Unfortunately, I no longer wanted to participate in this game. Walking out of the hospital, I looked at this institution I had poured my heart and soul into, feeling utterly exhausted for the first time. Standing there for a long time, I took out my phone and dialed an unfamiliar number. "Director Hughes, about your previous offer to invite me to your hospital, is it still valid?" The person on the other end was delighted. "That's great! As long as you want to come, I'll have an offer sent to you immediately!" "No rush…" I looked into the distance, my voice heavy. "Wait until I've dealt with everything." My father-in-law's body, the resignation procedures, and… My marriage to Emily. When I got home, Emily didn't even spare me a glance. I knew this was her usual cold shoulder tactic. In the past, I was always the one to compromise first; after all, in her eyes, any mistake should be my responsibility. But since that surgery, it felt like I could see everything clearly. "David Stone, I truly misjudged you." Seeing my silence, she looked at me with deep disappointment. "Even if you're jealous, even if you're trying to make excuses for yourself, you can't keep joking about my dad!" "You must apologize to Leo, or I will never forgive you!" I scoffed, pointing to my phone. "No need to forgive me. I've already submitted my resignation. You just need to approve it." Unexpectedly, since I didn't back down at all, Emily gritted her teeth and nodded. "Fine, as you wish!" Seeing the "resigned" status, a wave of relief washed over me. Thank goodness, it would soon be over. The next morning, I went to the hospital morgue early, planning to take his body to the funeral home. At the very least, I should give him a dignified farewell. Who knew that as soon as I opened the door, Leo blocked my way. "Dr. Stone, what are you doing? Trying to destroy the evidence to deny your mistake?!" I was almost amused by his nonsensical accusations. "Get lost. Don't make me curse you out." As I said this and tried to enter, Emily also walked over. Seeing me, her face instantly darkened. "You've been fired, what right do you have to still be here!" I couldn't be bothered with her; the people from the funeral home were about to arrive anyway. Just as I was preparing to wheel the body out, Leo stubbornly blocked me. "What are you doing!" In the struggle, the white sheet covering the body suddenly fell off. Emily's face instantly turned completely white.
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