"Eleanor, you never change. Don't blame me for being ruthless, then!" He grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the operating room.
A nearby nurse stepped forward, alarmed, "Mr. Riverton, your wife is under special care as per Miss Barren's instructions. This doesn't seem appropriate ..."
She shouted, "Sir, please stop! What Eleanor said is true. Miss Barren was indeed in the same car as her. Miss Barren even had premature labor due to the crash. She's currently undergoing checks at the maternity center next door. Eleanor wasn't lying!"
Hearing this, Joanne's expression darkened, though her eyes glistened with mock sincerity.
Joanne approached me with red eyes and frowned, "Eleanor, I didn't think you'd stoop so low as to bribe Gerald's interns just to play along with your act. No wonder you managed to snag this VIP ward."
At her words, Gerald's face twisted with fury. "Eleanor," he roared, "bribing medical personnel is a serious crime! Do you realize that? If you don't stop this nonsense right now, it won't just be about opening you up to check for a pregnancy!"
The intern, pale as a ghost, stood firmly at the operating room door, no longer calling him "Mr. Riverton" and yelled, "Gerald, don't lose your mind! Eleanor is carrying your child, she's already five months along! And now you, her husband, want to cut her open? Are you trying to kill her?"
Gerald ignored the desperate words, slamming the operating room door shut behind him.
Through the gap, I heard the intern's urgent voice, "Gerald has lost it! Call the hospital director immediately!"
"No, call Miss Barren! Tell her that Gerald is about to perform a cesarean section on Eleanor!"
Driven by his determination to appease Joanne, Gerald didn't even bother to administer anesthesia. Grabbing a scalpel, he pressed it against my abdomen.
He said, "Eleanor, you brought this on yourself. If you hadn't deliberately run your car into Joanne, or spread lies about being pregnant with my child, would Joanne be heartbroken enough to leave the country and enter a marriage alliance?"
Fear overwhelmed me and tears mixed with sweat soaked my hospital gown, "Gerald, don't touch my stomach! I'm begging you, the child just kicked me, asking for help …"