“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t given me that gynecological exam report about 24 premature births, my boyfriend wouldn’t have dumped me so suddenly! I wouldn’t have been humiliated and forced to explain to my classmates and friends where the hell those 24 babies went!”
My head was still spinning from the first slap when the other two girls struck me again—this time, hard on both sides of my head.
“What kind of ‘most beautiful doctor’ are you, huh? On my very first date, you told my boyfriend I had moderate cervical erosion and a messy, immoral nightlife. He posted the diagnosis on the campus forum! Give me back my innocence, my reputation and my future!”
“What did I ever do to you? You told my husband I’d had more than two children and now he won’t even come home! Every time he opens his mouth, it’s about divorce—he says I cheated on him! I hate you!”
I was forced to the floor, pinned down by all four of them. They beat and kicked me while I covered my head, screaming in panic.
“I’m not Aurel! You’ve got the wrong person! She’s the one who treated you—don’t you even recognize her face?!”
They finally paused, but just when I thought I could breathe, one of them spoke again—and her words froze the blood in my veins.
“Hmph. When you treated us, you wore your mask so tightly that we could only see your eyes. Do you think we brought you here just to have dinner? Let me be clear: we’re not letting you walk out of this room until we’ve had our revenge. Not until I’m satisfied.”
Pain and fury surged inside me. I banged on the private room door, calling out to Barly for help, crying out again and again.
But there was no response.
By the time their anger had cooled, my entire body was covered in bloody scratches. Their fingernails had torn my skin and my clothes were ripped to shreds—barely covering my body.
Shaking, I grabbed a tablecloth, wrapped it around myself and stumbled to open the private room door.
The hallway outside was empty.
My body throbbed with pain. As I turned the corner, what I saw made my blood boil.
There stood Aurel, head bowed, crying softly. Barly stood beside her, gently comforting her.
“Barly… Do you think they’ll go to the hospital to report me after venting their anger? I didn’t mean to mess up those orders… I was just confused.”
“I know. I know it wasn’t your fault,” Barly replied, stroking her shoulder. “That’s why I asked Marina to help. After this, treat Marina to a nice meal sometime, okay? I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll pay off the people who got the wrong orders—they’ll leave soon.”
My chest heaved with rage, my head buzzing and my trembling fingers clenched so tightly I could barely keep from striking someone.
In that moment, something inside me snapped.
Forget a peaceful divorce. Forget saving face. Forget her dinner.
I stormed forward, catching them both completely off guard and slapped each of them across the face.
Two crisp, echoing slaps. Two bright red handprints.
Barly stared at me, stunned, eyes wide as they locked with my bloodshot glare. He was too shocked to speak.
Even Aurel, who had turned to bury her face in the sink and was crying while splashing cold water on her face, didn’t notice at first.
“Barly,” I said slowly, my voice shaking with rage.
“Get ready to start from zero again—with your precious little sweetheart.”
“This is the last time you’ll get to enjoy the perks of being Mr. Hudson.”
