Branded the Other Woman

Evidence Without Truth

He opened the player and turned the screen toward the three of us. "The hospital's surveillance system broke down two months ago. This is the most recent footage we could retrieve. Come take a look."

The footage showed the hematology department corridor on the third floor. The camera angle was high, looking down over most of the hallway. People moved in and out of frame. Then, I appeared, holding a document. I was walking while reading it.

I remembered that day. I had gone in to do compatibility testing with another patient. We hadn't matched, but I ended up matching with Belinda's husband instead.

A man approached from the other end of the corridor—it was her husband. This had been two months ago, just after his diagnosis. He still looked like a healthy man on the surface. When he saw me, he quickened his pace and stepped directly into my path.

There was no audio, only visuals. In the footage, he stood in front of me, his head slightly lowered as his lips flapped urgently. His brows were tightly furrowed, his lips moving rapidly, his hands gesturing again and again. Then, he suddenly stepped forward.

From the camera's angle, it certainly looked like he had pulled me into his arms.

"There! Look! All of you, look!" Belinda slammed her hand on the desk, making the monitor shake. "Is she not a mistress? He's hugging her! They're practically pressed together! If that's not an affair, what is?"

Her voice trembled with glee, her eyes gleaming as if she had just uncovered undeniable proof.

Karen immediately leaned closer, squinting as she pressed her face near the screen.

After getting a clear look, she whipped her head around and nearly spat at me. "You shameless wench! You're already hugging each other in a hospital corridor! Who knows what other filthy things you've been doing behind closed doors!"

I shot to my feet. "That's enough! Your husband was begging me to donate bone marrow to him that day! I didn't even know him before that, let alone interfere in your marriage!"

The officer frowned slightly, tapped a key, paused the footage, and zoomed in. We looked as though we were locked in an intimate embrace in the footage. Anyone without context would assume it was a pair of lovers.

Belinda said, turning around and bracing both her hands on the desk, "Officer, the evidence is right there. What are you waiting for? Arrest her! Homewreckers like her should be punished by law!"

The officer glanced at her and then at me, his tone cautious. "Ma'am, we can't determine that she has an improper relationship with your husband based on this silent footage alone. Even if that were the case, this would be considered a domestic dispute. We can't make an arrest."

Belinda immediately flew into a rage. "What do you mean you can't? I know what you're doing. You just won't arrest that slut. What are you, useless? Oh, I see what's happening!"

Her gaze darted between the officer and me, her expression shifting into sudden realization. "You're protecting her because she's pretty, aren't you?"

The officer clearly wasn't used to such confrontation and looked flustered. "Ma'am, you can't make accusations like that. We're handling this according to the law."

Belinda refused to back down. "Accusations? I'm telling you to lock this mistress up now, or I'll file a complaint against you!"

My phone rang right in the middle of her crazed tirade.

"Hello, is this Ms. Travers?" a voice said urgently on the other end. "You came in this afternoon for compatibility confirmation, yes? Mr. George Coleman's condition suddenly deteriorated. He's experiencing an acute hemolytic reaction and is currently being resuscitated.

"The attending physician asked me to notify you to please return to the hospital immediately if possible. We may need to proceed with emergency stem cell collection—"