The Imposter, My Wife, And A Deadly Secret
On our fifth wedding anniversary, my beloved wife was hit by a car right in front of me.
All our friends and family, who had gathered to celebrate, rushed towards my wife, lying in a pool of blood.
But I, a doctor, immediately gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the female driver who had only fainted from shock.
Mr. Hayes, my father-in-law, was enraged. He grabbed my collar, pointing at his brutally injured daughter.
“Look closely! That’s the woman who worked so hard for you all these years! Why aren’t you saving her first?”
Our relatives surged forward, ready to teach the driver a lesson.
Yet, I, the guy everyone jokingly called a ‘devoted husband,’ pulled the female driver into my arms, shielding her tightly.
“I’m not saving her, because she doesn’t deserve it!”
Mrs. Hayes, my mother-in-law, cradled Elara Hayes, who was covered in blood, and screamed at me, her voice raw.
“If you hadn’t mentioned those artisanal croissants from that little French bakery on the corner, Elara wouldn’t have gone out to get them and ended up like this!
Do you have any conscience at all?”
Seeing the takeout bag still clutched tightly in Elara’s hand in her final moments, my heart clenched.
The party hadn’t even started, and I’d just casually mentioned it.
It was close to the bakery we loved most after we got married, and I’d said I really missed the taste.
Without a word, she’d left our friends and family and hurried out to buy them.
“We’ve been apart for so long, and you finally came home and wanted these. Of course, I had to get them for you!”
Just a second ago, her gentle smile had been floating before my eyes. Now, only a terrifying mask of blood remained.
The croissants lay scattered on the ground, still steaming, many stained with blood, a truly horrifying sight.
But my face regained its usual cold indifference. I turned to the driver in my arms, gently brushing a strand of hair from her forehead.
“Just because she was getting me croissants, does that mean this driver deserves to be scared unconscious for hitting her?
She just bled a little; look at this girl, her face is ghost-white!”
Everyone gasped, unable to believe these words came from me, the man always seen as deeply in love with Elara.
My brother-in-law, Cameron Hayes, charged forward like a madman, landing a punch square on my face.
“Is that even a human thing to say?!
My sister was in the crosswalk, she wasn’t breaking any rules! This woman ran a red light and plowed right into her!
You won’t save your critically injured wife, but you’re publicly kissing this guilty bitch? You’re an animal!”
Liam Miller, my assistant, who had always respected me, quickly stepped in front of me, trying to explain.
“Everyone, calm down! I’ve already called an ambulance from our hospital!
Boss must have seen that this person’s injuries were lighter, and he could manage them, so he prioritized CPR.
And Mrs. Hayes’s injuries are too severe, requiring specialized equipment, so he made this choice. Please, everyone, stay rational!”
Hearing the medical student speak, everyone froze, unsure whether to believe him.
Liam looked at me, his face full of expectation.
“Boss, please, explain it to them!
You’re about to be promoted to Chief next month, this is no time for jokes!”
I gave him a grateful look, but still shook my head.
“Liam, thank you, but I’m not saving her because of a judgment about the severity of her condition. I simply don’t want to save her.”
This time, even the strangers watching were furious.
“Damn it, are you even a man?! Not saving your own wife but holding another woman? Did you fall for her because she drives a fancy car?”
“Your wife was in that accident *for you*! How can you be so cold-blooded?”
“How can you just stand there watching your wife’s breathing get weaker, doesn’t your conscience bother you?”
The light in Liam’s eyes instantly shattered.
“But… why?
Don’t you remember when I first joined the clinic, you told me yourself that saving lives and healing the sick isn’t just a job, it’s how we build up good karma, so that one day, when our loved ones are in peril, someone will be there to save them!
But today, you had the chance to personally save her, how can you just watch Mrs. Hayes die?”
My heart ached, but I forced a faint smile, pointing at Elara.
“Who said she’s the one I love most?
I made a casual remark, and she rushed out to buy something without a thought for the consequences, even showing off by crossing the street recklessly.
Isn’t it her own fault she got hit?”
Our relatives erupted in fury. If the ambulance hadn’t arrived, they probably would have torn me limb from limb.
Watching them frantically guide the paramedics toward Elara, I, however, rushed ahead, carrying the female driver directly into the ambulance.
“Don’t mind them, let’s go!”
Because I was a well-known figure at the hospital, the ambulance driver recognized me and assumed the woman in my arms was a critical patient.
He immediately floored the accelerator and sped off, completely oblivious to the frantic shouts and curses of our relatives behind us.
When they arrived later in another ambulance, they saw me standing outside the ICU and rushed over, full of righteous indignation.
Mrs. Hayes grabbed my collar and pounded my chest.
“Alex Sterling, are you even human?! You came from nothing, but we never looked down on you.
Elara went with you on that three-year assignment to that godforsaken desert town, just to help you build your career, enduring all the hardships!
You developed kidney failure there, and it was Elara who donated a kidney to save your life!
You’d barely returned to enjoy some peace when you were assigned away for another year for a promotion, leaving her to manage everything at home alone!
We finally welcomed you back to celebrate your wedding anniversary,
How could you steal her ambulance and leave her critically injured, all for the enemy who harmed her?”
Watching the battered and bruised Elara being wheeled into the emergency room, I merely shrugged.
“Well, you brought her here, didn’t you?
That female driver has no family. If I don’t take care of her, am I supposed to just watch her die?”
Cameron shoved me hard.
“You’re full of it! That bitch doesn’t even have a scratch, she just fainted from a guilty conscience! How can she compare to my sister?”
Mr. Hayes swung an old man’s punch, and my lip split and started to bleed.
“Are you blind or heartless? How could my daughter have fallen for such an ungrateful jerk?!”
The commotion alarmed Dr. Ben Carter, a good friend of mine who was on duty. He frowned and walked out.
Seeing a group of people angrily surrounding me, he quickly spoke up for me.
“What are you all doing? This is a hospital, what kind of behavior is this, yelling and screaming?
Dr. Sterling is known throughout our hospital as a devoted husband; I was on assignment with him.
He always said he felt sorry for his wife, wanting to FaceTime her every day, and sending her anything good he ate. How can you all gang up on him like this?!”
He then pulled me away from the punches, his face worried.
“Dr. Sterling, Mrs. Hayes is indeed seriously…”
But I waved my hand.
“Don’t talk about her. How’s that female driver?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Dr. Carter’s eyes, then his brow relaxed.
“You’re worried the perpetrator might be in trouble and you won’t be able to hold her accountable, right?
Don’t worry, she just fainted from shock, and she probably didn’t sleep well last night, which is why she hasn’t woken up.
After all, Mrs. Hayes is the difficult case…”
I waved my hand again, interrupting him.
“Forget about her. You must ensure that driver receives the best care!”
Mr. Hayes clutched his chest, his beard trembling with rage.
“See?! What ‘good husband,’ what ‘devoted wife’! He’s just an ungrateful monster!”
Dr. Carter’s eyes instantly filled with disappointment. He shook his head and handed me a phone.
“Mrs. Hayes loved you so much, even setting your picture as her lock screen, and this is how you treat her!
Don’t you get tired of acting so loving in front of me every day?”
Other colleagues, having heard the commotion, rushed over. Because I had always been an admired role model at the hospital, they quickly restrained the agitated Dr. Carter.
“You and Dr. Sterling have always been close, and he’s always kind to people. Now that something’s happened in his family, don’t make things worse!”
I took the opportunity to unlock the phone. Sure enough, the lock screen displayed a picture of me looking dashing during my assignment.
Everyone’s eyes fell on the phone. Our relatives couldn’t help but look distraught, bursting into tears.
“Elara has been through so much! She must have made it through this past year relying on this photo!
Who would have thought that the man she yearned for was a complete jerk?!”
Mrs. Hayes, tears streaming down her face, snatched the phone, but then suddenly clutched her mouth and let out a shriek.
“No, this isn’t my daughter’s phone!”
Everyone was startled. Dr. Carter quickly explained.
“That shouldn’t be right, the paramedics brought it over, and the lock screen photo is still Dr. Sterling…”
He suddenly looked at me, shocked.
“This is… that female driver’s phone?”
My other colleagues, who had been hesitant about my behavior, unconsciously took a step back, distancing themselves from me.
“Dr. Sterling, you’ve always said you felt guilty about Mrs. Hayes, that she suffered a lot for you. How could you stoop to such despicable acts?”
“No wonder he didn’t care about Mrs. Hayes, only about that driver. How can a man like this still be a role model for us to learn from?!”
“He even sent his mistress back first to monopolize rescue resources, almost causing Mrs. Hayes to miss the critical window for rescue. It’s disgusting!”
But I didn’t care. I pulled out my special personnel identification.
“Enough with the chatter, saving lives is paramount.
With this ID, I have priority treatment privileges. All the best equipment and rooms are to be allocated to that female driver.
If she’s not comfortable, I’ll hold you all accountable!”
Everyone stared at me in disbelief.
Even the onlookers couldn’t stand it, raising their phones to record me.
“Are you insane? That bitch is just tired, but your wife is dying!”
“Doctors should treat all patients equally! How dare you use privileges to hog medical resources for your mistress?! We’re exposing you, you scumbag!”
“He’s even stealing life-saving resources from his own wife! He’s an animal!”
The commotion was so great it alerted the hospital administrators. They came down, heard the full story, and slammed their hands on a table, furious.
“Dr. Sterling, we all believed you possessed a noble spirit, and your wife was gracious and devoted.
Your promotion wasn’t just due to our regard for you, but also an affirmation of your wife’s sacrifices.
But with your current misconduct, how can you face the hospital and your family who have supported you?!”
I remained calm, raising an eyebrow.
“You yourselves said that as doctors, we should treat all patients equally.
Now, if I choose not to save her and prioritize a stranger, why is that wrong?
Who is truly hypocritical here, me or you?”
The administrators were left utterly speechless, shaking their heads with disappointment.
“We truly misjudged you! You don’t deserve the Chief’s position!”
Suddenly, Liam, who had rushed into the emergency room to save Mrs. Hayes the moment we arrived, walked out, his eyes red.
He handed me a blood-stained ultrasound report, his face filled with sorrow.
“Boss, open your eyes and look at this carefully. It was just found in Mrs. Hayes’s clothes.
She’s been pregnant for over a month, and she probably wanted to tell you today!
But after suffering such severe injuries today, the baby can’t be saved!
I’ve followed you for so long, I don’t believe you’re such a heartless person!
I’ll never forget the deep affection on your face when you invited me to your and Mrs. Hayes’s wedding anniversary!
You’ve been a doctor for so many years, but yesterday afternoon you swapped your shift for the first time just to buy Mrs. Hayes an anniversary gift.
That’s when I knew you truly loved her, how could you betray her?!
Just tell the truth, do you really know this driver?
Or is someone trying to frame you out of jealousy, knowing you’re about to become Chief?”
My nose stung. I knew I hadn’t misjudged him; my devoted apprentice’s kindness would indeed make him a good doctor.
But at this moment, I could only take a deep breath, smile, and shake my head.
“No one is framing me, I just really want to save this female driver.
As for the baby, if it couldn’t be born, it just proves it had a short life; no one else is to blame!”
Liam froze, shaking his head in disbelief.
Just then, the ICU nurse wheeled out the still-sleeping female driver.
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