He Spread My Rumors, So I Locked Him Up

Chapter 3

The director paused, removed his glasses, and slowly wiped them.

"Given the seriousness of these allegations, this matter could be considered criminal in nature and should be reported to the authorities."

The entire conference hall fell into a deathly silence.

"However," the director swept his gaze across the room, "with the hospital's accreditation review approaching, a scandal like this could destroy our reputation. The administration has decided to handle it internally."

He looked at me as if I were a stain on an otherwise spotless white coat.

"Admit your wrongdoing, and the hospital will give you an opportunity to correct your mistakes. Dr. Grand, you may begin."

Chase Grand, an attending physician from the Emergency Department, stood up, avoiding my eyes.

"Last month, on the 3rd, during the night shift... She said she needed help with a patient in the treatment room. When I went inside, she locked the door..."

"And then?"

"She took off her nurse's uniform and walked toward me."

I stared at the ceiling, my stomach twisting with nausea.

"Dr. Grand, I was working the day shift on the 3rd of last month. The HIS system contains the shift schedule and my fingerprint records. They can prove where I was."

His expression stiffened.

"I... I must have remembered wrong. Then it was the 13th..."

"I was on bereavement leave that day. My grandmother passed away. The leave request was approved and stamped by Human Resources."

He fell silent. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

The director's expression darkened as he turned to another man.

"Dr. Fisher, tell us what happened."

Leon Fisher from the Orthopedics Department stood up, his hands trembling.

His wife, who was also a nurse, sat in the corner, glaring at him with fury.

"September 8th, around noon... in the orthopedic dressing room. She approached me and..."

"Approached you to do what?"

"She pulled down my pants and..."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"On September 8th, my father-in-law was admitted to the hospital after suffering a myocardial infarction. The Chief of Cardiology personally led the consultation. He can confirm that I was there."

The Chief of Cardiology blinked before slowly nodding.

Whispers spread throughout the room.

The director cleared his throat. "If these men were lying, why would they all accuse you? It takes two people for something like this to happen. You must have given them a reason."

"Someone told them to lie."

"Who?"

Before I could answer, Beckett suddenly stood up.

"Director, I have something to report."

"Go ahead."

"On the night of September 13th, I saw her with Dr. Fisher in the storage room at the end of the back hallway."

Leon lowered his head, his chin nearly touching his chest.

"And there was another time. Earlier this month, she didn't go home after her evening shift. I looked for her and found her inside the staff lounge with Dr. Grand."

I closed my eyes. My heart shattered completely.

My husband of eight years was the one driving the knife into me, again and again.

The conference hall erupted.

Leon's wife shot to her feet, grabbed my hair, and yanked my head back.

"You shameless woman! How dare you seduce my husband?"

She spat in my face.

A sharp pain shot through my scalp.

Chase's wife rushed over and punched me twice in the chest.

"You disgusting homewrecker! Do you chase after every man you see?"

"Beat her!"

"You're a disgrace to all women!"

Someone threw a notebook at my head.

Others reached over from a distance, swinging their arms and trying to hit me.

I was dragged to the floor, curling up and shielding my head as fists rained down on me.

Security finally stepped in, but their attempts to separate everyone were half-hearted.

The director shouted for them to stop, yet he remained standing where he was, making no effort to approach.

Beckett stood in the distance, watching coldly as I was surrounded and beaten.

Only when the chaos began to die down did he force his way through the crowd, his face filled with feigned distress.

He bent down and pulled me up from the floor.

"Enough. Everyone, stop. No matter what Elowen has done, she is still my wife."

Leon's wife screamed furiously, "Dr. Ward, she cheated on you with more than a dozen men! Why are you still protecting her?"

He lowered his head, his Adam's apple moving as if he were struggling to speak.

"I know... But I still can't bear to see her hurt."

The Chief of Security looked disgusted.

"Dr. Ward, stop lying to yourself. A woman like this goes from man to man. She's nothing but a shameless seductress."

"She didn't know what she was doing."

I shoved him away with all my strength.

"Beckett Ward, you bastard!"