I knew that Julian didn't love me, but I never expected his coworkers to misunderstand me this deeply.

The cramps were so bad that I couldn't even make a sound. It felt like the blood was just rushing out of me uncontrollably. Everyone was gathered around Vera, and no one even bothered to check on me.

Just when I thought I was about to pass out from blood loss, I heard someone yell, "Whoa, look at all that blood! That is really bad. She's in serious trouble, isn't she?"

"Nah, she's just faking it. She wants Dr. Sutton to ditch his friend and help her. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for her. Just ask Dr. Sutton."

Finally, Julian drew closer. However, he wasn't coming to help me. He kicked at my head and snapped, "Had enough of the drama, Kate? I'm here now. You can drop the act.

"What's wrong with you? You grabbed the wheel yourself and ended up like this just to get me to feel sorry for you? I've told you a thousand times that Vera's my friend. That's it. Believe me or don't."

He still believed that I had caused the accident and that I was putting my kid's life at risk just for attention. The disappointment and pain hit so hard that I didn't even have the strength to explain.

I grabbed his foot as he was about to leave, desperate for him to see how badly I needed help. But he just paused briefly, scoffed, and lifted my maternity dress.

"That's a pretty convincing blood pack you've got there. If Vera hadn't told me about how you had planned this, I might've actually bought it."

With that, he turned and walked off without giving me another look.

I could hear people whispering all around me.

"This doesn't seem right. Blood packs aren't usually that color."

"Could the baby really be in danger?"

"Don't bother. Ms. Levine said that Kate got those blood packs from the hospital supply, so they look really convincing. Let her keep playing her little game. She'll probably end up killing her baby sooner or later."

Someone got fed up and kicked me. The force sent me rolling over. My face hit the ground hard, and I finally passed out.

In my dream, I was transported back to the day I first met Julian. He was an amazing ER doctor who came to my college to give a talk on first aid. His tall, good-looking frame had all the young women—myself included—totally hooked.

I fell for him the second I saw him and did whatever I could to get his contact information. Back then, I was just a student who was way too naive compared to him.

He turned everyone else down but added me as a friend. He told me that I reminded him of one of his friends because we both had that same innocent vibe.

I had no clue about Julian's complicated history with Vera. I naively thought I was different. I went after him without thinking, chasing after whatever little attention he gave me.

He never said that he wanted to be with me but never shut me down, either. I took that as his approval and kept falling harder for him.

He finally said yes after I confessed my feelings to him a hundred times. I could never forget how happy I was that day. I never thought it would be the start of my nightmare.

Once we were together, he started growing distant. He'd always find a reason not to sleep with me, saying that it was "for my own good" and that we should wait until we were married.

I loved him, so I bought into his lies. After I graduated, I got an email from Vera the night before our wedding. That was when I found out the truth.

Julian avoided touching me because I reminded him of her. Yet, that was also why he was drawn to me.

In her email, Vera said that she and Julian had been in love for ten years. Their families came from entirely different worlds, which kept them apart.

So, they decided to stay friends, and he picked me to be her stand-in. I was really crushed to read through all the memories they'd shared over those ten years.

On our wedding night, Julian got drunk and actually slept with me for the first time. But during our intimate act, he called out Vera's name. Nevertheless, I swallowed my pride and went along with it.

Even after Vera passed, Julian remained composed. I thought that he might have finally moved on and I had actually won his heart.

It wasn't until he took my life that I realized the truth. I was just a stand-in for his love for Vera.

I woke up in a ward. Instead of Julian, a stranger was standing by my bed.

"Are you alright?" the guy asked. "I was nearby when the crash happened and saw you lying there, so I brought you in. I wanted to call an ambulance, but some guy who was there said that one had already come and gone."

The more he spoke, the more frustrated he sounded.

"I can't believe those medical staff! They just left you lying on the ground! And everyone else just stood around doing nothing! You could've died if I hadn't gotten you here!"

I tried to move, but as soon as my hands touched my belly, I froze.

"I'm sorry. I got there too late," he apologized. "The doctor said that by the time I found you, the baby probably hadn't made it…"

I forced a bitter smile and shook my head. "Thanks for getting me here. I get it. It's not on you."

After a long pause, he handed me a glass of water. "You're pregnant. Why were you out riding alone? Doesn't your family care? The baby's dad should be the one stepping up. Give me his number.

"I'll call him and tell him to get here. I don't feel right leaving you alone like this. And these doctors are a joke! I'm going to call them out online. People like that shouldn't be in healthcare!"

I remembered the cold look on Julian's face when he left me.

"The baby's dad is dead," I said flatly.

The guy must've thought he'd brought up something painful because he kept apologizing.

I took a sip of water and smiled at him, assuring him I was fine.

He wanted to stay and watch over me, but I rejected his offer. After transferring the hospital and surgery fees to him, I convinced him to leave. As soon as he left, a nurse entered the ward to change my bandages.

She read the name on my chart and asked, "Your name is Kate Brooks, too? What a coincidence. There's a doctor here, Dr. Julian Sutton, whose wife has the same name. Do you know him?"

I shook my head.

She sighed, looking a little relieved. "I guess that makes sense. I heard that his wife's not exactly the nicest. She's nothing like you—so quiet and sweet."

I didn't say anything. After she left, I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through the news. The guy from before wasn't lying. He really did expose how sloppy the ER staff was with the accident that day.

A photo of me lying at the crash site had already gone viral, and the comments were filled with outrage about the hospital.

Someone from the hospital explained that I was actually related to a doctor, but that only fueled everyone's anger.

They questioned if being related to a doctor meant that someone should be left to die at a crash site. Why would anyone trust a doctor who could ignore his injured wife and child?

Someone at the scene then posted pictures in the comments showing Julian kicking me. Furious netizens flooded the hospital's official account, demanding answers.

I went through all the comments and gave them a thumbs-up. I was just about to text Julian about getting a divorce when I saw Vera's post from two hours ago.

In the photo, Julian was gently tending to the wound on her hand, looking at her with a tenderness I'd never seen from him before.

Her caption read, "I'm so thankful you're my lifelong friend and family, even without the blood ties. Nothing—not life or death—can tear us apart."

I immediately liked the post.

Julian's call came through right then. "What the heck is wrong with you, Kate? Why are you going after Vera? If you've got a problem, take it up with me. She almost died today because of you!

"You're really going to regret this if you keep making her life miserable. I've put up with your crap for long enough. But messing with someone's life? That's where I draw the line. Do you even realize what you're doing?

"You're ruining someone's life! Are you out of your mind? Vera might say that she's not mad at you, but don't think that I'll let this slide. You've got one last chance to apologize to her!"

Before I could say anything, Vera's sobs came through the phone. "Jules, don't hold this against Ms. Brooks. It's all on me. None of this would've happened if I'd just let her take over the wheel. It's normal for pregnant women to get emotional. I get it."

Julian's heart broke for Vera. He said, "You're my friend. Why should you be the one to suffer? She's just an outsider. What right does she have to yell at you? You don't have to take that. I'll make sure she thinks twice before doing that again!"

While they were still trying to comfort each other, I interrupted. I said monotonously, "Yeah. Let's just get a divorce. I'm fine with it. I'm just the outsider here, so I'll stay out of it."

Julian didn't expect me to bring up the divorce. He froze for a second, then just snapped.

I hung up before he could say anything else. I didn't even have time to block his number before my phone blew up with messages from him.

"You're the one who tried to grab the wheel and crash the car. I haven't even gone off on you for that yet, and now you're talking divorce? You're a killer!

"The fact that I haven't called the police yet is me being merciful! You should be thanking me! Stop embarrassing yourself and take those lies down online! Don't make me expose the real you!"

I stopped reading his texts and deleted all of them. Then, I blocked his number.

A couple of nurses came in to change my bandages. They didn't seem to notice my face and just kept talking like nothing was wrong.

"Did you see the news online? It looks like Dr. Sutton's wife is causing trouble again! It's wild. Two women with the same name, but their lives are nothing alike. None of this would have happened if Mrs. Sutton were even half as nice as Ms. Brooks."

"Seriously, though. Dr. Sutton and his friend have been close for over ten years. Why would she be jealous? Maybe she's just messed up in the head. That could explain why she caused the crash on purpose."

"Poor Dr. Sutton and his friend. They have to be stuck dealing with someone like that."

I zoned out, nodding here and there.

As the online drama blew up, the hospital eventually figured out who I really was.

The hospital director stopped by a few times, hinting that I should step up and explain what happened. He told me that Julian was on leave and couldn't be reached.

I turned his request down. After a while, they stopped asking for my side of the story and started blaming me for getting them into this situation.

Then, they posted a video online, faulting me for the crash. To cover their butts, they completely ignored the fact that I was hurt and had lost my baby.

They said that I staged the crash to go after Julian's friend out of jealousy. They accused me of wasting medical resources and dragging their best doctors into a mess of online hate.

The people who'd backed me at first turned on me once they heard that I was simply jealous of Vera, calling me crazy. Those who'd gone after the hospital's ER team were now gunning for me, making sure I was completely thrashed.

A group of people even started calling themselves "Vile Witches Hunters" online. They showed up outside my ward every few days to harass me.

I didn't bother trying to explain myself. Instead, I just waited, wondering how people would react when Julian's relationship with that "friend" came to light.

When the doctor finally told me that I could leave, I unblocked Julian's number and texted him. "Let's finalize the divorce at the courthouse tomorrow."

I was about to block him again when his call came through.

"You've got some nerve texting me! What, now that everyone's tearing you apart online, you're finally regretting what you did? It's too late for that!

"Fine. Let's go ahead with the divorce. I'm done with you. You're insane! You're totally messed up! And don't even think about seeing our kid after it's born! You're not fit to be a mom!"

He hung up before I could say anything.

I called the repair shop and asked them to pull the dashcam footage from my car.

…

I arrived at the courthouse first thing the next morning, right on time. Just as I was about to cross the intersection, I ran into Vera.

Her eyes immediately went to my belly, and she put on a dramatic expression. "Oh no, you lost the baby? What a shame. Then again, with a mom who can't hold onto a man, that kid never stood a chance. Even if it had been born, it would've just been a fatherless orphan—"

I slapped her before I even had a chance to think about what she'd said. I barely put any force into it, but she collapsed like a ragdoll, tears immediately streaming down her face.

"Vera!" Julian yelled, rushing up behind me and shoving me hard.

I lost my balance and ended up stumbling into the street. A car sped by, missing my head by inches.

Julian cradled Vera in his arms, then turned to look at me, like something had just hit him. When he saw my flat stomach, his face went pale. "Where's the baby?"