Once Gregory finished laughing, he paraded the marriage certificate through the crowd while everyone looked on in confusion.

Before long, the onlookers burst into laughter.

"These two aren't just shameless homewreckers—they're frauds too!"

"I thought there would be a plot twist, but they came out with this? That's hilarious!"

I refused to believe it. I stepped forward and snatched the marriage certificate back, only to find that the contents had been replaced by nothing but children's doodles.

Dad's eyes went wide. He took it from me and examined it over and over. Completely shaken, he murmured, "I've kept it locked in my desk drawer this whole time; I never even touched it. How did it end up like this?"

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Your mom has another copy. Call someone to bring it over right away!"

Dad had barely pulled out his phone when Gregory tore it from his hand and hurled it to the floor. Then, he kicked both of us, hard.

"You're still putting on a show, are you? Let me show you what a real marriage certificate looks like!"

He pulled out his own marriage certificate, flaunting it at us before waving it toward the crowd. "Look at that—the official city hall seal. Now that's the real deal."

We slumped to the ground.

He loomed over us, his eyes full of contempt. "It's bad enough that country bumpkins like you have never seen a marriage certificate, but you actually tried to pass off a drawing as one? You must have escaped from a psych ward."

I hadn't gotten a clear look at his marriage certificate, so I asked to see it again.

Gregory sneered and slapped me across the face. "Trying to get a better look so you can forge a fake? Don't think I don't know what you're up to."

Dad clutched his marriage certificate and suddenly pressed a hand over his lower body, his face contorting with pain. "Elias, my wound is hurting again."

Seeing this, Gregory spat gleefully. "Serves you right! An old man like you taking pills to try and sleep with my wife? I bet you've made yourself impotent from all those pills!

"Do you have any self-awareness at all? Who do you think you are? You aren't worthy of being associated with the Ashford family! I don't think you have many days left. You'd better start planning your funeral."

Dad's chest heaved with rage.

Worried his wound might tear open, I quickly urged him to take deep breaths and relax. I turned around, forced down my anger, and said, "There has to be a misunderstanding. There's no need to curse my dad like that."

With Gregory here, not only was Dad unable to get his follow-up exam, but the stress was putting him at serious risk of another episode. I reached for my phone to send a message, only to find there was no signal.

Gregory brandished a signal jammer with a triumphant smirk. "No matter who shows up today, neither of you is getting out of here!"

With that, he grabbed a scalpel from a nurse's tray and lunged toward Dad's lower body.

My heart lurched as I threw myself in front of Dad. A sharp pain tore through my arm. The blade missed my vital organs, but the cut was deep enough to expose bone.

Hearing my scream, Dad kicked the scalpel away and yelled at Gregory, his voice trembling with fury. "Elias is the only child of the Keller family! If you lay another hand on us, you'll regret it!"

Gregory spat a thick glob of phlegm in Dad's face. "The old one is sick, and the young one fakes injuries. I'll teach you both a lesson right now!"

He grinned viciously and raised the blade again.

Just then, a voice cut through the air. "Who is making such a ruckus here?"

The person who arrived was Leonard Kingsley, the hospital's head of security.

The moment I saw him, I pushed through the pain and stood up. "Leonard, thank goodness you're still here! My dad and I are in trouble!"

Leonard paused for a moment, then hurried over.

Gregory let out a cold snort. "What took you so long? And since when does the hospital let trash like them through the door?

"I caught the men Selena and Emily were cheating with, and before I could even do anything, they were already making a scene. What a headache."

Leonard frowned at Gregory.

I felt a quiet wave of relief. Leonard was a longtime employee I had personally promoted, so he would definitely be on my side.

To my surprise, he glanced at Dad and me with an unreadable expression. My stomach dropped instantly.

The next second, Leonard turned to Gregory with a fawning smile. "Aren't you Ms. Ashford's husband? My sincerest apologies, sir. We've been swamped today. I hope you'll forgive us for keeping you waiting."

After all the flattery, Gregory's expression softened. He waved his hand. "Forget it. I didn't notify you before coming, either. Good thing I came quietly today, or I wouldn't have caught these two bastards."

Leonard had worked at the hospital for ten years. The moment he confirmed Gregory's identity, the onlookers began to chatter again.

"These two just wouldn't quit. Did they really think knowing the head of security would get them out of this? Nobody would offend Ms. Ashford's real husband over a pair of adulterers."

Leonard acted as if he had only just noticed the miserable state Dad and I were in. "These two are nothing but homewreckers. I'm kicking them out right now and officially blacklisting them from this hospital."

Everyone praised him for doing his job well, and thunderous applause broke out across the room. After soaking in the acclaim, he came over and tried to drag Dad and me away.

I demanded, "Leonard, you know the truth! Why are you siding with him?"

He crouched down and whispered, "Mr. Keller, blame yourself for not being capable enough and letting Ms. Carter run the hospital. I have a family to feed. I was worried about losing my job, but now I finally have leverage against Ms. Carter."

Behind me, Dad's breathing grew ragged as he heard those words. He suddenly clutched his lower body, groaning in pain. When I touched him, my hand came away covered in blood.

I panicked at the sight. Dad's wound had torn open from the strain of his anger.

I had no choice but to back down. "We were in the wrong today. Please let my dad go. He's bleeding!"

I bit down hard on my lip. I had grown up by Dad's side, and he was the person I was closest to in this world. I couldn't just stand there and watch something happen to him.

Gregory clapped his hands and laughed. "I was planning to wait until Selena's medical abortion was done, and then take you both for gender reassignment surgery to teach you a lesson. Looks like I won't need to bother. Even the universe is on my side."

Leonard only cared about keeping his job. If something happened to Dad, it wouldn't do him any good, either.

Just as he was about to say something, a figure rushed over. "Dad, are you okay?"

Dylan Ashford looked Gregory over anxiously from head to toe and relaxed only after confirming he wasn't hurt.

Gregory waited until Dylan was finished, then let out a grunt. "A daughter-in-law really isn't as reliable as a son. I called Emily a long time ago, but she still hasn't arrived."

Dylan shrugged. "Dad, Emily is still stuck in a meeting. She was worried about you being here alone, so she asked me to come ahead of her. She'll be here soon."

Their casual conversation hit me like a knife to the chest. Emily really had cheated on me.

Dad gripped my hand, his voice thick with regret. "Elias, this is my fault. I misjudged her. I should have picked someone better for you."

I shook my head hard and squeezed his hand back. Then, looking at Leonard, I pleaded, "Leonard, let me take my dad out of here first."

Just as Leonard was about to speak, Dylan shoved him aside and began punching and kicking me. "You shameless piece of trash! How dare you steal my wife! I'm going to beat you to death today!"

Dad threw himself in front of me, shielding me with the last of his strength. "Elias, this is all my fault. If I hadn't been so stubborn about coming to a hospital, you wouldn't be going through any of this."

My eyes stung with guilt.

The Keller family was in a unique situation. Although Dad had an arranged marriage to Mom, he always preferred to maintain a low profile. I had originally arranged a private consultation with ten foreign specialists, but Dad wasn't comfortable with that kind of treatment. He insisted on being treated like any other patient.

Even so, I had acted on my own selfish motives. I thought the checkup would be more thorough at our own hospital, so I brought him here. It was clearly my fault. I should have just taken him to a regular hospital instead.

The situation spiraled into chaos. Dad's bleeding worsened until his lips turned pale. Fearing that he might actually die, the onlookers hurriedly pulled Dylan away.

At that moment, Emily arrived. She leaned into Dylan's arms, holding him gently. "You must be tired from hitting him. Does your hand hurt?"

Dylan kept a straight face. "It's nothing compared to the heartache I'm feeling. I didn't even know my wife had been involved with another man."

Emily met my eyes for a moment as if I were a complete stranger, then cupped Dylan's face and pressed her cheek to his, kissing him. "Darling, that's not true at all. I swear, you're the only one I've ever loved."

I bit my lower lip hard, trying to suppress the bitter ache in my chest.

I looked over at Dad. He was on the verge of passing out. "Someone, please help my dad! He's not going to make it!"

Emily looked at me with clear disgust. "No one is allowed to help him. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility. Those who do wrong must face the consequences."

I yelled in a rage, "Emily, this is my dad—your father-in-law! He treated you like his own daughter. How can you say something like that?"

Gregory was furious. "Emily, tell him who your actual father-in-law is!"

Emily hesitated for only a second before staring at Dad and me with a sneer. "My father-in-law is perfectly healthy. Who do you think you are, cursing him like that? Your own dad is dying, so now you're trying to latch onto me to squeeze money out of us, aren't you?"

Dad had been holding on by sheer will, but hearing her words, he lost all hope. He spat out a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.

I dropped to my knees in a panic. "Please, if you don't save my dad now, it'll be too late!"

A flash of satisfaction crossed Gregory's eyes, and his expression turned vicious. "I want him dead. I'd like to see who dares to treat him."

The next second, a commanding voice rang out from the entrance.

"Who dares refuse to treat my husband?"