My Husband Chooses to Save His Lover's Daughter Instead

Chapter 6

A crowd of curious onlookers followed close behind, pressing into the cramped hotel hallway. It was too tight for my liking, so I stayed back, watching the chaos unfold on my phone's live feed.

Miguel, momentarily stunned by how flimsy the hotel door was, recovered quickly, too quickly. This wasn't his first time dealing with a situation like this. He grabbed a bathrobe, throwing it on in one swift motion, then yanked the sheets up to cover Tricia's body.

Brandon, his face twisted with fury, charged into the room and pointed his knife at them both.

Miguel, mistaking him for some crazed trespasser, bellowed, "Who the hell let you in? Get out! And what are you all staring at? Stop recording!" His eyes darted to the growing crowd. "Where's hotel security? How do you let lunatics jeopardize guest safety? My wife and I are here on vacation, and you're taking photos? Haven't you ever seen a couple before?"

"If any pictures of this leak, don't blame me for suing every single one of you!"

The onlookers, a mix of nosy bystanders and furious patients' families, weren't buying his act. Miguel's voice was loud, but he didn't dare make any sudden moves.

Brandon let out a cold laugh at Miguel's attempt to bluff his way out. He climbed onto the bed and, without hesitation, yanked Tricia's bathrobe off.

"You slut! Since when did we get divorced?" he snarled. "Huh? Speak up! I spent years in prison, and you just erased me from your memory? Why don't you introduce me to your new 'husband'?"

He tapped the flat side of the knife against Tricia's cheek, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Go on. Tell him. Tell him who I am."

Miguel's face darkened, the first flicker of doubt creeping in. "What did you just call her?" His voice was slower this time, less sure. "Isn't she single? And who the hell are you?"

Tricia's breath hitched. She looked at Brandon, then at Miguel, pure panic in her eyes. "I… I don't know him! I don't know what he's talking about!" she shrieked. "Dr. Richardson, help me! Save me!"

Before Miguel could react, the door to the adjoining room cracked open. A little girl peeked out cautiously.

She saw Brandon and called out softly, "Daddy?"

The moment that single word left her lips, the entire room exploded into chaos.

"Are you kidding me? He cheated and even dragged someone else's kid into this mess?"

"This man's a hospital director? Which hospital? I'm heading straight to their official page to rip them apart!"

"Was the hospital director a man or a woman? Maybe they got their promotion the same way! A whole damn nest of snakes. If hospitals are like this, we might as well stay home and die, it's cheaper than getting scammed by these bastards!"

The livestream chat was even harsher. Comments flooded in, dragging Miguel's name through the mud in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Miguel stood frozen at the edge of the bed, staring at the little girl as if reality had just sucker-punched him. Tricia, frantic, pulled her daughter close, covering her mouth as if she could erase what had just happened. Her desperate gaze shot to Miguel, silently begging him to save her.

Miguel hesitated, then made his decision. "Stop filming! This is a private matter! You've got it all wrong, I'm not a doctor! I'm just a regular guy on vacation with my girlfriend!"

Smooth. The moment Brandon walked in, Miguel switched tactics, throwing away his hospital director title like a dirty rag. I couldn't help but smirk. Taking a snack bag from a hotel staffer, I settled in to enjoy the show.

By now, the livestream had hit record numbers. Thousands of enraged viewers had already swarmed the hospital's official page, demanding answers. Meanwhile, Brandon, having picked up a few tricks in prison, managed to rein in his anger, barely.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" he sneered at Tricia. "Stop looking at him and put your damn clothes on. You're coming home."

He grabbed the little girl's arm, gripping so tight that red marks instantly bloomed on her skin.

Tricia shrieked, shoving his hand away. "Don't touch my daughter! Don't you know she's sick? If you can't afford her treatment, why can't I find someone who can?"

"If it weren't for your uselessness, I wouldn't have had to do this! Her surgery is scheduled for tomorrow! Why are you here now, trying to ruin everything? Do you want to see your own child die?!"

The room fell deathly silent for a beat.

Then, all hell broke loose.

"You bitch! If it weren't for you selling yourself, my son would've had his surgery ages ago!" A furious mother shoved past the crowd. "The only kidney match in two years was at that hospital! You stole my kid's chance to live, you're a murderer!"

"Selling yourself for your daughter's treatment?" another voice spat. "Did you ever think about what that would do to her? She's gonna grow up just like you, a whore!"

"We can't let people like this keep getting away with it! If this becomes the norm, regular people like us will never get the medical care we deserve!"

Miguel, drowning in the sea of accusations, panicked. "Enough! Stop spouting nonsense! I told you, I'm not a doctor! This is all a misunderstanding. Get out, or I'll call the cops!"

He scrambled to distance himself, his words tumbling over each other. "I'm just a regular guy, working a normal job! I might look like that hospital director, but I'm not him! Now get the hell out!"

Too bad he'd already played his hand. The entire internet knew exactly why he was at this hotel.

And there was no talking his way out of this one.