When I posted a picture of my pregnancy test, my ex-best friend decided I was trying to use the baby to win back my ex-husband, branding me a desperate homewrecker.

She showed up at the new hospital I'd just opened, dragging her little gang with her.

"well，well，you can't find a new boyfriend? You want to win back your ex-husband by getting pregnant, how shameful!"

"You seriously think being the ex-wife still gives you any rights? Give me a break!"

"Today we must let you know the price of being a slut!"

These so-called righteous wives, who were really the true homewreckers, tore into me, hurling insults and fists.

Their brutality was so extreme that I nearly lost my baby.

But in their frenzy, they didn't realize the lives they destroyed weren't just anyone's. They were my ex-husband's mother and sister.

***

Today was supposed to be a great day.

I rarely post on social media, but I shared a photo of my pregnancy test.

As the congratulations poured in, my phone buzzed with a notification for a trending live stream.

Out of curiosity, I clicked on it, and my heart sank. The host was none other than Natalie Gray, my ex-husband David Mitchell's mistress and my former best friend.

Natalie was marching down the street with a group of glamorous women.

Her face twisted with anger as she spoke directly into the camera.

"Everyone, I can't believe my best friend turned out to be a backstabbing snake! She was the one who cheated on her husband and dumped him, but now that she sees how great we're doing, she's jealous and wants him back! She's been flirting with my husband, using her 'ex-wife' title as an excuse. And now, she's even trying to win him back by flaunting her pregnancy!

"Can you believe she sent me a picture of her pregnancy test just to rub it in my face because I can't have kids?

"If she hadn't stressed me out so much with her constant meddling, I'd be a mother by now too!

"I've even helped her out after her divorce because I felt sorry for her. But who knew she'd turn out to be so ungrateful?

"I'm done being nice! If I don't stand up for myself now, what kind of woman am I?"

With tears streaming down her face, Natalie raised her fist and shouted, "Let's put an end to homewreckers! Protect our marriages!"

The women behind her, also teary-eyed, joined in, chanting slogans like they were all living the same story.

The comments flooded in, cheering her on.

[Ex-wives like her are the worst! They just can't move on!]

[Don't let her have that baby! She'll use it to cling to your husband forever!]

[These women are just taking advantage of the law! Some use their kids to mess up their ex's new life, and others just want money!]

[And this so-called 'friend' is clearly guilty of both. She's pure evil!]

[We need to show these bitches they're not in charge anymore!]

Fueled by the overwhelming support from her viewers, Natalie wiped her tears, her eyes now full of determination.

"Thank you for your support, everyone. Today, I'm going to teach that snake a lesson she'll never forget. Stay tuned!"

Natalie had become a minor celebrity as a beauty influencer, so I figured this drama was just another one of her stunts to gain followers and sell more products.

But using me to build her sob story and fish for sympathy? That was crossing the line.

The truth was, she was the one who seduced David. When I found out about their affair and she got pregnant, I filed for divorce on the spot.

To keep from losing more in the settlement, David dragged her to the clinic himself to terminate the pregnancy. Now, she twisted the story to blame me for her miscarriage.

These days, people would do anything for fame, no matter how low they had to sink.

But with Natalie, I was not even surprised anymore.

As for those women parading behind her, it only took one look to realize that most of them were just like her, homewreckers hoping to score big. A few were clearly still trying.

But we lived in a society of laws, not one where people could just rewrite the truth.

So, I reported her livestream without a second thought.

Watching the stream get cut off, I couldn't help but smirk as I dialed David's number, someone I hadn't spoken to in a long time.

"David, you'd better keep your wife on a leash. If I catch her spreading lies about me online again, I'll see her in court."

"Are you out of your mind, Emily?" David snapped before hanging up.

It was obvious he still held a grudge against me for leaving him with nothing after the divorce.

But I couldn't care less. I put on my lab coat and got back to work, calling in my first patient.

I had just sent her off to the exam room when there was a sudden, frantic knock at the door.

Before I could react, a mob of people burst in, and someone shoved a phone camera right in my face.

"Look closely, everyone! This is the snake who used to be my best friend! Today, we're making an example out of her!"

"This shameless bitch had the nerve to report the livestream!"

"Good thing a patient kept her busy, or she would've bolted by now!"

I swatted the phone away, my eyes locking on Natalie.

"Get these people out of here, or I'll call security right now!"

But before I could do anything, one of them stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face.

"You're pretty bold for a homewrecker! What, you think being pregnant makes you untouchable?"

The girl who slapped me looked delicate but had surprisingly strong arms.

As I tried to clear my head, the crowd of women around me began their barrage of insults.

"Well, well, if it isn't the washed-up ex who can't get a man! Trying to worm your way back in, huh?"

"You seriously think being the ex-wife still gives you any rights? Give me a break!"

"Today, we're gonna teach you what happens to desperate little tramps like you!"

Outside my office, the waiting patients were gathering at the door, drawn to the commotion.

Their curiosity quickly turned into judgmental whispers and pointed fingers.

"I can't believe the doctor's personal life is such a mess!"

"I wouldn't let her treat me now. This is disgusting! I'm canceling my appointment."

The scene escalated as people started demanding refunds and making a fuss.

It was the first day my hospital was open, and the last thing I needed was a scandal.

"Natalie, you're a lowlife who climbed to the top by breaking up marriages. Who do you think you are, making demands here? If you don't want to embarrass yourself even more, apologize and leave!"

I thought this would make her back off, but instead, it seemed to fuel her anger even more.

"You're the one who cheated while you were married, and now you're trying to act like you're innocent? Just because you're the ex-wife, does that give you the right to keep seducing my husband?

"Emily, don't think that because you're pregnant with my husband's child, I'm going to forgive you. Today, I'm going to make sure you pay for everything!"

I frowned and retorted, "This is your last warning. I'm remarried, and this baby is my husband's!"

But Natalie had already set up her sob story in the livestream, and no one was buying my side of things.

[Show us the evidence, Natalie! Put this arrogant homewrecker in her place!]

I braced myself, expecting her to come up empty.

But Natalie's smirk grew as she pulled out her phone, showing me two screenshots.

One was the ultrasound image I'd just posted, and the other was a pregnancy test.

And both had my name on them.

"These photos are from David's phone! How can you deny it's you?"

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Maybe you should figure out who's really stealing your husband before you come here and cause a scene!"

Once a cheater, always a cheater.

If David could stray with Natalie, he could easily do it with someone else.

Natalie was just naive enough to believe he was genuinely committed to her.

She didn't seem convinced and glared at me with a mix of anger and disbelief.

"You told me once that you would love David forever, no matter what!"

I let out a laugh, unable to contain it.

"Who hasn't made mistakes when they were young? When you were with David, did you really think he wouldn't find someone else eventually?

"Maybe you should ask your loving husband who he's knocked up again!"

Natalie lost it completely.

"That's ridiculous! After you hurt him, he's only been focused on me! He loves me. There's no way he's seeing anyone else!"

I looked at her with pity.

"Believe what you want. I have zero interest in a scum. He's not even in the same league as my husband."

Natalie's gaze dropped to the wedding ring on my finger, and for a second, she seemed uncertain.

But her friends were not having it.

"Did you hear that? She's remarried and still trying to get with her ex. What a total tramp!"

[Exactly! Women like her need to be put in their place!]

[This is insane! If I were there, I'd make sure she gets what's coming to her!]

[Stop wasting time and deal with her already!]

The livestream chat was flooded with demands for Natalie's crew to take action.

I quickly became the target of everyone's outrage.

"Emily, see this? This is what people really think! You're the mistress who had my husband's baby, and now it's time for me to show you what happens to women like you!

"It's time to take out the trash! If we don't deal with her, none of our marriages are safe!

"Being nice to her is just being cruel to ourselves. Who knows when she'll try to mess with your husbands next!"

Their harsh words and furious stares were almost more than I could handle.

If looks could kill, I'd already be dead.

"I'm warning you, this is a hospital, not your playground!"

But they were too worked up to care.

"Smash everything! Tear up her office and destroy her work!" Natalie ordered.

As soon as she gave the command, they started vandalizing my office.

The brand-new equipment I had just bought was smashed beyond recognition.

I rushed to protect it.

"These are expensive, newly purchased machines! You'll have to pay for all this damage!" I yelled, but it only seemed to make them angrier.

They pushed me to the floor and started kicking and punching me.

"You're just a cheap mistress, living off someone else's husband and now acting all high and mighty in front of us real wives!"

"From the moment you started cheating, you deserved to be in the gutter!"

One particularly loud and aggressive woman added fuel to the fire.

"Ladies, listen to her. She's acting like this is her place. How many men did she have to seduce to afford all this?"

Natalie stopped, pulling out her phone to check the hospital's ownership.

When she saw it was indeed my hospital, her jealousy exploded.

"It's true! How shameless! She's using my husband's money to run this place!

"Let's make sure she's forced to shut it down for good!"

The online uproar was electric.

[Seriously? How does someone like her even get to run a hospital? She must have some serious connections. Anyone want to guess which shady deal she made?]

[Forget it. You wouldn't catch me in that hospital. Who knows how dirty it is!]

The commotion attracted security, who rushed in to control the situation.

But the patients were all backing Natalie.

"This place is a dump! What a waste of time. We want our money back!"

The security guards were overwhelmed, unable to get close to me with the crowd blocking their way.

I signaled to a nurse to call the police, but before she could, someone snatched her phone and smashed it.

"Figures that people like this stick together. Let's show her what happens when you mess with us!"

As the crowd went wild, I watched in horror as the brand-new equipment, which my husband Ronan Hayes and I had worked so hard to bring in, was being destroyed.

"Stop! These machines are top-of-the-line technology! You can't just break them!" I yelled, but my pleas only seemed to fuel their rage.

Natalie pulled me into the center of the chaos and made me the center of attention.

"Alright, everyone, and to everyone watching the livestream, what should we do with this shameless mistress?"

The crowd eagerly chimed in with their suggestions.

"First, we should make sure she loses the baby! Let's see if she dares to be a mistress again after that!"

"And don't forget to scar her face! Mark her as a mistress so that wherever she goes, everyone will know what she is!"

Just as they were about to break into the MRI room, it hit me that my first heart patient was inside getting an exam.

Ignoring Natalie's attempts to hold me back, I screamed at the gang, "Stop! There's a patient in there who can't handle this chaos!"

My desperate warning only seemed to intensify their frenzy.

"Imagine if the patient gets hurt because of this mess. Wouldn't that be just perfect?"