My Wife Forced Me Off the Attending Team for Her First Love—Then I Took Them Both to Court

The hospital director’s mother needed emergency surgery because of a heart condition. But half an hour before the operation, my wife, who was serving as the assistant surgeon, called me and told me to go to the director’s office because there was an error in the patient’s medical records and her condition had suddenly worsened. I waited in the office for nearly an hour, but she never showed up. Confused, I finally headed to the operating room to see what was going on, only to find the hospital director standing outside in a furious rage. The moment he saw me, he stormed over and grabbed me by the collar. “I trusted you, which is why I appointed you as the attending physician, but just look at what you’ve done. You’re a doctor, yet you’re late for your own surgery and don’t even seem to care. Do you have any medical ethics at all?” I stood there in a daze and saw my wife walk out of the operating room. Our eyes met. She stepped forward with a look of shock, but there was also reproach in her voice. “Ethan, where have you been?” “The surgery time came, and no one could find you anywhere. You nearly gave us a heart attack. How could you forget such an important operation?” I stared at her in disbelief. What was she talking about? Forget? Wasn’t she the one who had told me to go to the director’s office to discuss the patient’s condition? I opened my mouth and was about to explain when Claire continued. “You’ve always been careless and forgetful at home, but now you can’t even remember the surgery time without someone reminding you. How can you call yourself a competent doctor?” “Luckily, Ryan was available just now, so he went in and performed the surgery for you. This operation couldn’t afford the slightest mistake. Who knows what other accident might have happened if we’d left it to you?” I stood frozen in place, and suddenly everything became clear. Claire had gone to all that trouble because this was what she had really wanted all along. Everyone knew about the patient’s identity, and everyone knew this was a perfect opportunity to show off in front of the hospital director. Doctors and nurses alike had been desperately trying to get the chance to perform the surgery. Yet the hospital director had specifically chosen me as the attending physician. I still remembered that Claire had questioned the decision the day the surgical team was announced. “That’s incredibly selfish of you. Couldn’t you leave the opportunity to someone new?” “Weren’t you the one who said you were happy with things as they were? Yet the moment an opportunity comes along, you scramble to climb higher. You’re so obsessed with power.” At the time, I hadn’t realized who she meant by “someone new.” But now, the answer was standing right in front of me. Claire had deliberately given me the wrong surgery time and caused me to miss the operation, all so Ryan could steal the spotlight. Just then, the surgery ended, and Ryan walked out of the operating room. The hospital director shot me a fierce glare before hurrying forward to ask about the patient’s condition. “The surgery was a success. The patient is out of danger. She’ll be transferred to a regular room and observed in the hospital for a week. If there are no problems, she can be discharged.” After saying that, Ryan came over to me as well. “Dr. Ethan, did something come up and keep you from making it here? Still, this was such an important surgery. You were far too careless.” I looked at him coldly as he pretended not to know anything. Why hadn’t I arrived in time? Did he really not know? Ryan smiled at the hospital director, his face full of apology. “I was only in such a hurry because I didn’t want the surgery to be delayed. That’s why I violated protocol and took over as Dr. Ethan’s lead surgeon. Otherwise, with my experience as an intern, how could I possibly have been qualified to enter the operating room?” Claire stood beside him, completely ignoring how I felt. “You did the right thing. In front of a patient, there’s no distinction between an intern and anyone else. A truly good doctor is someone who takes responsibility and does their best.”Watching the two of them act as if no one else was around, I found the whole thing ridiculous. I was the one who had arranged for Ryan to intern at the hospital in the first place. I had been impressed by his experience studying abroad. I had thought he would bring back new ideas and advanced medical techniques from overseas, but instead, he spent all day doing anything but his job. Somehow, he had also grown closer and closer to my wife. Several times, his own carelessness had caused him to make mistakes that should have been reported to the hospital for disciplinary action, but Claire had always covered for him. She had even criticized me more than once for refusing to bend the rules. “Can’t you give a new doctor more chances to learn from his mistakes? Do you really have to make such a big deal out of everything?” From that moment on, I had sensed that something was gradually slipping out of my control. And today, I had finally seen the truth clearly. I nodded and said indifferently, “Since that’s the case, you can continue following up on the patient’s condition. You can be the attending physician.” Ryan immediately waved his hands. “I’m only an intern. How could I be the attending physician under hospital regulations?” “Why not? Regulations are rigid, but people can adapt. The hospital director saw that you successfully completed the surgery today. Your future is limitless!” Claire completely ignored my feelings and patted Ryan’s shoulder generously. “You’re the future star of this hospital. I believe in you!” I removed the attending physician badge from my chest and pushed it into Ryan’s hand. His mouth was full of refusals, but he gripped the name badge tightly, as though he were afraid I might change my mind the next second. “You must be exhausted after performing such an intense surgery for so long. Go back and get some rest.” Claire pushed Ryan toward the exit, completely ignoring me as I remained standing there. Watching them walk away side by side, I felt something complicated twisting inside me. After taking a few steps, Ryan turned back to look at me. His eyes were filled with provocation. I saw it clearly but said nothing. The apparent success of the surgery proved nothing. I had studied the patient’s medical records before. She had a classic case of hypertrophic heart valve disease. Although this condition wasn’t uncommon among the elderly, the patient’s specific circumstances made her highly susceptible to other complications. That had caused her condition to develop into an extremely rare and difficult form of heart disease. In its early stages, it looked just like an ordinary heart condition. If the attending physician lacked experience with it, the symptoms could easily be misinterpreted. There wasn’t much domestic research on this type of heart disease, but it happened to be my area of specialization. As for this operation, I could guarantee that I was the only person in the entire country confident enough to perform it. Ryan’s successful surgery was nothing more than a temporary illusion. When the condition flared up again, the patient would certainly die. He had fought desperately to show off in front of the hospital director, but he had no idea what the consequences would be when someone’s life was treated so carelessly. After seeing Ryan off, Claire finally returned to me. Her face was full of impatience. The gentle tone she had used with Ryan was completely gone. “I told you long ago that you weren’t capable, but you still insisted on playing the hero.” “You embarrassed yourself in front of the hospital director this time. Don’t even think about getting promoted in the future.” “But whatever. You’re already getting older anyway. Just stay in your current position and do your job.” She was always like this. She despised me for being incapable and looked down on me for aiming too high, but she didn’t know that I simply didn’t want to draw attention to myself. When I returned to the office, Ryan was waiting there. “Dr. Ethan, could you give me all of the patient’s records? It would help me understand her condition and prepare an appropriate treatment plan for her follow-up care.” The doctors in the office glanced over at us, eager for gossip. After all, an intern being promoted directly to attending physician had never happened before. And this time, the hospital director had allowed it. Everyone looked at me with a hint of sympathy, as though they were wondering how someone so young could have offended the hospital director and how I would continue working at the hospital. I picked up the stack of documents from my desk. But when Ryan reached out to take them, I released my grip and let the entire stack fall to the floor. Ryan’s expression changed instantly.