The Surgeon's Betrayal My Husband and His Mistress Behind Bars

"Fine. So I lost a piece of gauze. Big deal."

In the sterile silence of the operating room, Nora Qiao shoved her phone into her scrub pocket, her expression dripping with impatience.

"The surgery went fine. The patient is alive. Do you really need to make a scene over a scrap of fabric, Head Nurse Simmons? One piece more or less—who cares?"

Her lips, coated in a shade of red far too bright for an operating room, curled into a sneer.

I clenched my hands at my sides, nails digging into my palms. "Where did you lose it?"

She scoffed. "Do you speak English? It's lost. If I knew where it was, it wouldn't be lost, would it? Open the door. You're cutting into my beauty sleep."

When I didn't move, she rolled her eyes, pulled a crumpled tissue from her pocket, and tossed it at my feet.

"Here. Pretend that's the gauze. Happy now?"

I didn't hesitate. I snatched the tissue and shoved it straight into her mouth.

"I'll ask you one more time—where did you lose the gauze?"

——

"Mmph—!"

She gagged, stumbling back and spitting frantically. "Rachel Simmons, are you insane? You ruined my lipstick! You're trying to kill me!"

Nora shoved me away, retching.

I stepped forward, voice trembling. "I'm not the murderer here. You are. And you're dragging the entire hospital down with you."

She paused mid-fix of her makeup, clicking her tongue. "Drag you down? Please. If you have a problem with me, just say it. It's gauze. We go through hundreds a day. Why is it the end of the world just because I dropped one?"

Blood rushed to my ears.

"Do you have any idea what the consequences are?" My voice echoed off the tiles. "This is a critical medical error. Everyone—surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses—stays until it's found."

I pointed at the instrument tray.

"This was a liver tumor resection. Twenty-five hemostatic sponges. You were third assist. While the lead surgeon was finishing, you were supposed to help count. Instead, you were texting."

I took a breath. "We have twenty-four. If it's not on the floor, there's only one other place it could be."

I locked eyes with her. "Inside the patient."

Nora's smirk faltered before hardening into indifference.

"Impossible. Don't try to scare me."

The other nurses weren't so confident. The younger interns looked ready to cry.

"Head Nurse Simmons, what do we do?" one whispered. "If we can't find it, will the Director fire us?"

"It can't be inside him... right? Even without infection, he's a VIP. He'll sue us into the ground."

A dull throb started behind my temples.

The VIP ward had only one occupant: a key investor for the hospital's next funding round. This mistake wouldn't just be a scandal—it would be a death sentence for the department.

Everyone knew this surgery had to be flawless.

Sensing the shift, Nora briefly reined in her attitude. She checked her watch, then reverted to her dismissive mask.

"Stop being dramatic. I was just closing the incision. If something happens, it's not my fault."

Her eyes narrowed, a cruel glint appearing.

"You know, I think you're just jealous. You hate that Mom didn't even ask you before shoving me into this surgery. But so what? I'm the one she loves."

She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"Even if you're the biological daughter, you'll never replace me."

The words hit like a blow, stealing the air from my lungs.

Under the stunned gazes of my team, the bitter truth washed over me. To the world, we were colleagues. In reality, we were family under the same roof—and that was the cruelest joke of all.