The Doctor's Revenge,My Husband's Secret Baby Mama Was My Patient

Three years into our long-distance relationship, I transferred to a hospital in Ervin Harding's city without telling him.

What I never expected was that on my very first day, he'd walk in as the first patient's family member I had to see.

Doctor, my wife's been having really bad morning sickness lately. Could you take a look?

Ervin's hand rested on the slight swell of the pregnant woman's belly beside him, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

When he noticed my hesitation, he glanced up with a flicker of confusion.

I ducked my head and pulled my surgical mask as high as it would go, biting down hard on my lip, forcing my voice low.

"How far along is the baby?"

"Three months."

Three months.

Yet just one month ago, Ervin had stood beside me at the courthouse, beaming with joy as we signed our marriage certificate.

A cold laugh escaped me. I turned my back to him and dialed a number.

"Dad, take the marriage certificate I left in the safe and bring it to the courthouse. Have them verify whether it's real or fake."

"If it's forged, cancel Ervin Harding's credit cards, get him fired, and take back the riverfront penthouse we gave him."

"If it's real, do it anyway."

After I hung up, I tugged my mask up one more time, making sure Ervin wouldn't recognize me.

I glanced again at the name on the intake form. Annette Henson.

A complete stranger. Ervin had never once mentioned her to me.

I crushed the shock down deep and, under both their puzzled stares, continued with the standard questions.

"Have you been keeping up with your prenatal exams on schedule?"

Annette nodded, tilting her head toward Ervin.

"Yes, every single one on time."

"For my first prenatal exam, my husband even dropped everything at work and flew back overnight to be with me."

A strange, swelling pressure bloomed behind my ribs, and my nose stung without warning.

Based on the timing of her pregnancy, that first prenatal exam would have fallen the day after my wedding.

No wonder Ervin had changed out of his suit before the reception was even over, packing his bags in a frantic rush.

"Evelyn Simmons, something urgent came up at work. I need to catch the last flight back."

He'd held my hand, guilt written across his face, his eyes reddening for the first time in front of me.

"Once I've taken care of everything, I'll clear my schedule and give you the honeymoon you deserve. I promise."

I'd chased after him in my wedding gown, calling out for him to stay, one shoe flying off as I ran. I still couldn't catch up to his retreating figure.

The groom walking out mid-reception. The guests said nothing, but the amusement in their eyes was impossible to miss.

That humiliation was something I never wanted to live through again.

I smiled stiffly, my tone laced with sarcasm.

"Your husband sounds wonderful."

I flipped through her previous exam results one more time.

"Your last bloodwork showed mild anemia. Just to be safe, let's draw another sample today and run the panel again."

Annette's expression tensed at once, unease creeping into her voice.

"Do we really have to? My husband's been cooking for me every day lately. I've already gained weight. I shouldn't be anemic anymore, right?"

She shrank into Ervin's arms as she spoke, eyes glistening, the picture of fragile vulnerability.

Ervin immediately squeezed her hand and rubbed it gently, then looked up at me.

"Sorry about that. Annie's afraid of needles, so blood draws always make her a little nervous."

He turned back to Annette, patting her back with practiced tenderness.

"But for your health, let's listen to the doctor and get it checked. It'll put our minds at ease."

"After we're done, I'll go home and make your favorite corn and pork rib soup myself."

My fingers curled against each other beneath the desk, my eyes locked on the computer screen.

Ervin Harding had always been fiercely self-centered at his core. For as long as I'd known him, he'd proudly declared that a man of his caliber didn't belong in a kitchen.

The kitchen had always been his forbidden territory.

Once, I'd been burning up with a fever, too weak to stand, and all I asked was for him to mix me a packet of fever reducer. He refused without a second thought.

"I'm a grown man. Why would I set foot in a kitchen?"

That night my temperature spiked to a hundred and four. I drifted in and out of consciousness until the housekeeper found me the next morning.

A man who had never so much as lifted a finger in the kitchen his entire life could apparently set aside every last one of his principles for the right woman.

Mid-thought, Annette's face drained of color. She clapped a hand over her mouth and lurched to her feet.

Morning sickness again, by the look of it.

In the next instant, Ervin was at her side, steadying her with one arm while his free hand produced a plastic bag from his pocket. The motion was practiced, automatic.

He braced her shoulders and let her lean her full weight against him.

"Excuse us. We need the restroom."

After they left, I finally let out the breath I'd been holding. I opened my chat with Ervin.

Our last exchange was from two days ago, when I'd told him I had a surprise for him.

At this rate, that surprise was about to become a shock.

I was about to close the app when a new message popped up in my pinned conversation.

The certificate is real, but I found records showing he purchased a forged marriage certificate online a few months ago.

I closed my eyes. I already knew the answer.

I'd barely finished replying when someone knocked on the door.

"Doctor, we're back."

The two of them settled into the chairs across from me again, leaning into each other like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Ervin reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Annette's ear, then straightened her collar. As the fabric shifted, a vivid red hickey bloomed into view on her neck.

I frowned, keeping my voice as level as I could manage.

"Has no one told you? The first trimester is a critical period. No intercourse."

Annette's cheeks flushed pink. She swatted Ervin's arm twice, her voice a playful whine.

"This is your fault."

"The second we hit three months, you couldn't keep your hands off me. Now I'm embarrassed in front of the doctor."

A wave of nausea surged up from my stomach and clawed at the back of my throat.

Ervin just smiled at her complaints, absorbing every word with infinite patience. Then he turned to me and asked a few questions about prenatal precautions, pulling out his phone to type each one into his notes app.

I caught a glimpse of the note's title: Annie Baby's Pregnancy Guide.

When he swiped back to the main screen, there were more. Annie Baby's Food Restrictions. Annie Baby's Health Cycle Log...

I looked away. Something cold settled in my chest.

Four years I'd known him. He had never once kept records like that for me.

Last month, just to fly out and see him, I'd swapped shifts with three different colleagues.

After working thirty-six hours straight, I'd dragged myself onto a plane.

The moment I landed, I couldn't even get him on the phone.

I called again and again until finally, after what felt like forever, the line stopped going to voicemail.

But when I told him I was already in a cab on my way to him, Ervin's voice shot up an octave.

"Don't come right now!"

I sat in the back seat, bewildered. I'd told him my plans a full week in advance. We'd agreed on this exact day.

He'd said yes without hesitation and promised to pick me up at the airport himself.

But on the phone, Ervin fumbled over his words.

"I... I forgot..."

"I'm out of town on a business trip. I'm sorry, Evelyn. I didn't get a chance to tell you."

"Just head home for today."

My head had been foggy from consecutive sleepless nights. At the time, I hadn't even caught the panic in his voice.

He must have had her warm body nestled against him, our agreement already forgotten.

After I'd arranged their examination items, Ervin took the forms and went out to pay.

Only when his figure had completely disappeared down the corridor did Annette reluctantly tear her gaze away.

She rubbed her belly.

"We've been talking all this time, and I don't think I even caught your name, Doctor."

I lifted my eyes to look at her.

"It's Simmons. You can call me Dr. Simmons."

A flicker of something passed through her eyes, and she smiled.

"What a coincidence."

My heart stirred, but I kept my expression neutral. "You know someone with the same last name?"

Annette smiled faintly and nodded. Then her expression shifted, a flash of disgust crossing her features.

"My husband's ex-girlfriend was a Simmons too. But that's ancient history."

"He told me she was ugly, had a terrible temper, treated him horribly, and was a total control freak."

"Thank God he was brave enough to break things off. And now he's found someone as wonderful as me."

I tightened my grip on the pen in my hand and let out a silent, bitter laugh.

"Your husband told you all that himself?"

"Of course."

She clenched her fists, her expression indignant, as though she were outraged on Ervin's behalf.

"She even used his career to threaten him, trying to force him into marrying her."

"But he turned her down flat and put her in her place."

I raised an eyebrow. In my mind, I'd already sentenced Ervin Harding to death a thousand times over.

When I first met Ervin, he was a broke nobody whose only talent was burying his nose in textbooks.

He told me he wanted to work in Sterling City after graduation. It was the place he'd dreamed about since he was a kid.

So I convinced my father to pull some strings, to build him a ladder straight to the top firms in Sterling City. We even bought him an apartment here.

I held his hand and told him, "Go after whatever you want. People who truly love each other don't let distance change what they have."

When he proposed, he stood in front of all our friends and admitted that without the Simmons family, he would be nothing.

He got down on one knee, slid the ring onto my finger with ceremony and conviction, and swore he would be with me for the rest of his life.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he had betrayed me so completely.

I looked at the girl sitting across from me, let out a quiet breath, and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over everything. Suddenly, none of it seemed worth caring about anymore.

I twisted the wedding band on my finger, then abruptly changed the subject.

"I envy you, having a husband who loves you so much. My situation is... different."

Annette's head snapped up, her eyes glittering with curiosity.

I continued.

"I'm actually married too. Within the first month after the wedding, I found out my husband was cheating."

"He'd been hiding a whole other life behind my back."

Bang.

The moment the words left my mouth, Annette slammed her fist on the table.

"What a piece of garbage! Dr. Simmons, you're such a wonderful person. How could he not appreciate what he had?"

I gave a helpless little laugh, then went on in the same unhurried tone.

"And recently, I found out he got another woman pregnant behind my back."

This time Annette shot to her feet, her chest heaving.

"Scum!"

"A man like that deserves to be struck by lightning. He deserves to rot!"

Right on cue, the door swung open and Ervin walked in, a smile on his face.

"What are you two talking about? Who deserves to rot?"

Annette turned to him, still fuming. "Dr. Simmons' scumbag husband. You have no idea the disgusting things he's done."

She turned to me again. "Are you two still together?"

I smiled, a silent yes, my gaze drifting past Annette to land on Ervin, who was busy gathering his things.

Annette frowned, her tone taking on a note of genuine concern.

"You should just divorce him. A man like that is nothing but trouble."

"If Ervin ever pulled something like that behind my back, I'd kick him to the curb in a heartbeat."

Behind her, Ervin's hands went still. The easy smile slid off his face, replaced by something tight and uncomfortable.

Too bad Annette was facing me. She didn't notice a thing.

I nodded slowly, as if mulling it over.

Then I pulled out my phone and dialed a number right there in front of both of them.

"You're right. I'm calling him about the divorce right now."

The exam room went quiet. Even Ervin set down what he was holding and stared at me.

Almost the instant the call went through, a ringtone blared from Ervin's pocket.

His head snapped up. His eyes met mine for a fraction of a second before he looked away, fumbling in his pocket with trembling fingers.

He hit decline without hesitation.

Annette tilted her head, curious. "Who was that calling you?"

A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He dropped his gaze and quickly killed the screen.

"Unknown number. Probably a spam call."

I kept the phone pressed to my ear a while longer, until the automated voicemail message finally played on the other end.

I shook my head with a bitter smile.

"No answer. Probably busy with something I don't know about."

Seeing my spirits sink, Annette reached for my hand and squeezed it.

"A week from now, Ervin and I are having our wedding."

She fished an invitation out of her bag and held it out to me.

"I happened to have an extra one on me. You should come. Soak up some of the good luck."

"Here's hoping Dr. Simmons finds someone who truly deserves her."

I blinked, caught off guard, and glanced at Ervin without thinking.

But I nodded and accepted her invitation with a warm smile.

Only after the two of them left with all their paperwork did I pull off my mask.

I rubbed my aching eyes, then looked down at the call log on my phone.

When I'd dialed, I had deliberately left off the last digit of the number. The call had never reached Ervin's phone at all.

I opened the invitation. Printed on the front were delicate line drawings of Ervin and Annette, clearly custom-designed with care.

I noted the venue address.

My husband's wedding. I was absolutely going to prepare a gift worth remembering.

The day of the wedding arrived.

I stood outside the hotel, watching Ervin and Annette greet guests at the entrance.

The moment she spotted me, Annette rose on her toes and waved.

"Dr. Simmons! Over here!"

I pointed to the mask on my face, my voice apologetic. "I've come down with a cold. I don't want to get anyone sick. You don't mind if I keep the mask on, do you?"

"Of course not."

She seated me near the front of the banquet hall, right beside the emcee's stage.

The ceremony began without a hitch, every step proceeding exactly as planned.

Until the final speech segment, when Annette suddenly invited me up on stage.

Her fingers clamped around my arm like a vise, as though she was terrified I'd bolt.

I frowned, an uneasy feeling prickling at the back of my mind.

The next second, Annette spun around and ripped the mask off my face in front of every single guest.

A spotlight hit me dead-on. The blinding glare seared my eyes, and tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

"While I'm up here, there's someone special I'd like to thank."

"I want to thank Ervin's ex-girlfriend. If it weren't for her, we never would have found our happily ever after!"

With that, Annette kicked me hard in the knee right in front of everyone. I wasn't ready for it. My legs buckled, and I dropped to my knees before the entire crowd.

She grabbed a fistful of my hair and wrenched my face upward, putting me on full display.

"Now, everyone, take a good, long look at this vile woman!"

Beside her, Ervin stared at me with wide eyes.

"Evelyn? How why are you here?!"