Jack did not think I would do that and looked upset.

"Emma, don't be silly, the surgery has been planned out! There are lots of other patients waiting, and we can't make them wait just for you. Everyone's life is just as important, and you're not better than anyone else just because your dad runs the hospital."

He even used that moment to say something mean about my dad!

I was about to say something back, but Mabel spoke up first.

"Dr. Gray is your doctor and your husband. He's doing everything for you. You can't act like this. And you can't use the fact that your dad is the hospital director to get special treatment and keep the operating room busy when you're not having surgery. Do you know how many people are waiting for help?"

The accusations she piled on me just kept getting bigger and bigger.

Everyone else started blaming me too.

"Yeah, there are so many people waiting for help. Now that everything has been set up for you, you just bail? That's really selfish!"

"So what if your dad's the director? Dr. Gray is the big shot of the medical world, and he's going to operate on you. What's there to complain about?"

"I think she's just overreacting. If she was so scared of dying, why did she smoke, drink, and eat like there was no tomorrow before? Ugh, it's her own fault!"

I put on a scared face and burst into tears. "I don't want to die. I'm still young! Please don't kill me, okay? I really don't want to die. I haven't lived enough..."

I cried so hard, and my emotions were all over the place. I was in no shape for surgery.

Jack's face turned pale, but he kept up his act as the caring guy.

"Emma, I know you're scared, but the longer we wait, the riskier it gets. Have you thought about your mom and dad? What about me? You can't just think about yourself and be so selfish."

I wanted to rip off his fake facade and see if he was really just a monster pretending to be human.

However, I knew I could not take him and Mabel on right then. I had to be smart about it.

When they were not looking, I quickly jumped out of bed, dashed into the bathroom, locked the door, and called my parents, begging them to come back and save me.

I had not told my parents about my stomach cancer because Jack had talked me out of it. I even picked the surgery date for when they were abroad at a conference.

I was all alone now.

I regretted it so much!

When my parents heard what was going on, they told me not to worry and that they would take care of everything. They would not let Jack and Mabel get their way.

Suddenly, the bathroom door burst open, and Jack came in to grab me.

"Emma, you scared me to death, thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried you might try to hurt yourself!"

I tried to push him away, but a sharp pain shot through my body.

I could not move at all!

He had secretly given me a sedative.

As he lifted my still body onto the bed, he looked at me with worried eyes and said, "Honey, don't be scared. I'll make sure you get better. Once the surgery is done, you'll be free from cancer and go back to being healthy."

I was scared out of my wits when I realized he was going to operate on me whether I liked it or not.

"I don't want surgery! I didn't sign anything, so you can't just do this to me. It's against the law, and I can sue you for it!"

"I'm doing this because it's best for you. You need this surgery. I can't just stand by and watch you die. You're not thinking straight right now. I'm your husband, so I have the right to sign for you."

Jack said this and signed the consent form in my place. He then told the nurses to take me to the operating room.

Mabel was there too, trying to calm me down. "Emma, don't be so headstrong. Jack is an amazing doctor, and he'll surely make you well. Even if you don't trust anyone else, you should trust your husband."

The nurse pushing the bed chimed in too, "There are so many people who would love to have Dr. Gray do their surgery. You don't know how lucky you are. Your husband is the new star in the medical world, and he's doing your surgery himself. You're so fortunate. What's there to complain about? We'd love to be in your shoes!

"I've never seen anyone with cancer act like this. You don't even trust your own husband. You're really throwing your life away. You'll regret this!"

As we got closer to the operating room, I started to fight back with all my might.

"I don't have cancer. I want to be retested! I want a different doctor!"

Jack let out a sigh, pretending to be at a loss. "Emma, even if you're mad at me for not being there for you lately, you can't play around with your health. Let's just get the surgery over with, and after you're better, you can hit me, yell at me—whatever you want, okay?"

Mabel quickly spoke up, "Emma, is that fair? Dr. Gray has been up for days and nights because of you, and now, you won't let him do the surgery just because he wasn't with you enough?"

Even the patients walking by thought I was being unfair.

"Young lady, when you're sick, you need to get better. Why are you making such a fuss?"

"Dr. Gray is a brilliant doctor. You're lucky to have him do your surgery. You should be happy instead of complaining."

"Don't waste his time. There are lots of people waiting for Dr. Gray to save them. Why are women so dramatic these days?"

"You have cancer, but you don't want surgery. You're not hiding something embarrassing, are you? Are you afraid that Dr. Gray will find out?"

"Dr. Gray, you might want to look into this. Maybe your wife is up to no good and scared you'll find out something if you do the surgery."

"Emma is just really scared. She's not trying to cause trouble. I've been at the hospital a lot lately for work and haven't been home much, but I know she won't betray me."

Jack tried to defend me softly, but it just made people think I was guilty of being unfaithful.

Everyone started to feel sorry for him and blame me.

All I could do was cry out, "Help me! I really don't have cancer. Please believe me..."

However, no one did.

I was wheeled into the operating room with people's harsh words ringing in my ears.

I could only watch as the operating room doors slowly closed.

Was I doomed to meet my end because of Jack and Mabel again?

"Anesthesia.

"Disinfection."

Jack picked up the scalpel and started giving blunt commands.

He seemed like a heartless butcher, and I felt like an innocent lamb. I closed my eyes in despair, waiting for the surgery I did not need. The moment the chilly scalpel grazed my skin, the operating room doors burst open.

"Stop the surgery! I've been given full charge of Emma's care by the director of the hospital, starting now."

The person who entered hurried over to me, lifted me from the table, and carried me away.

It was Samuel Ellison, a student from my mom's medical college. I felt a wave of relief wash over me—my parents had a plan, after all!

Samuel quickly set up an emergency check-up for me.

The tests showed I had a bad stomach ulcer, not cancer. I was also three months pregnant.

"Your ulcer is really bad. They've perforated and are bleeding. You need surgery for it, and I'm afraid we can't save the baby," Samuel said, showing me the X-ray with a serious look on his face.

"That's okay. Go ahead," I said.

The baby did not do anything wrong, but I could not have a child with a monster who had hurt my family.

I could not risk my life for a baby that was not even born yet.

I felt sorry for this little one who did not even have a chance to see the world. I hoped that in another life, this child would find a happy, peaceful home.

"Okay, I'll get everything ready. You just focus on resting."

Samuel was super quick at getting things done. He arranged for me to have a painless abortion that same day.

The surgery for my ulcer was set for the next day as per my request.

I did not want to wait and let things get worse.

However, I did not realize just how mean Jack could be.

After the procedure, I saw Samuel being pushed and yelled at by a bunch of people. I tried to go see what was wrong, but Jack yanked me back to my ward.

He shoved me onto the bed so hard that my shoulder almost felt like it was breaking. "Emma, you had the nerve to get rid of my baby!"

"You're the one who didn't want the baby first. You're the one who wanted it gone! You even wanted to take out my uterus. Get off me! I can't stand your touch!"

I could not understand how he could twist things around and act like he was the one wronged.

"Emma, I never thought you'd know so much," Jack whispered in my ear with a laugh that made me shudder.

"Samuel's in trouble for taking bribes and doing unnecessary treatments. The patients' families are upset, and he's going to be suspended for an investigation. So, who do you think will do your surgery now?"