My Patient Is My Wife's Husband

I am a urologist.

I just found out that a patient who came in for a fertility check-up is actually sharing a wife with me.

I went home and asked my wife for a divorce.

She refused and looked at me like I was crazy. We never even signed a marriage license, so how can we divorce? she asked.

That was the moment I realized the truth. I was never the husband. I was the side-piece.

"My wife is stunning, especially her doe eyes," the man said.

"I really hope our child looks just like her."

The young, handsome man across from me hadn't stopped smiling since he walked in.

He kept talking about how much he wanted a beautiful baby with his wife.

I took his medical forms and asked casually, "What is your wife's name?"

"Her name is Lyra Sterling. She's the CEO of a major tech firm," he replied proudly.

I froze. My heart skipped a beat as I processed the name.

What a coincidence. That was my wife's name, and she also had those exact doe eyes.

I tried to tell myself I was overthinking it. But a cold knot of dread began to tighten in my stomach.

"Doctor Miller, is something wrong? Is there an issue with my results?"

His voice snapped me back to reality. I forced my eyes down to the lab report.

Finn Crawford. His sperm count and motility were perfectly normal.

"Everything is fine. You're very healthy," I managed to say.

He let out a long sigh of relief. "That's great. Now we can really focus on conceiving."

My hand trembled as I reached for my water glass. I couldn't stop myself from asking one more thing.

"Mr. Crawford, do you happen to have a photo of you and your wife?"

Finn grinned. "Of course. My lock screen is actually one of our wedding photos."

He held up his phone to show me.

But the screen flickered and went black. It had run out of battery.

I didn't get a clear look at the face in the photo.

Finn looked embarrassed and asked to borrow a charger. Then, he pulled a physical photo album from his bag.

"I have our newest shots right here," he said, sliding the album toward me.

The first photo showed him kissing Lyra in the snow, both of them in wedding attire.

"We took these for our sixth anniversary recently," he beamed.

"I just picked them up today."

The date in the corner showed it was taken two weeks ago.

That was the exact time Lyra told me she was in Switzerland for a business trip.

I pushed the album back before he could flip the page.

"That's enough. I've seen it," I said.

A sharp, stabbing pain flared in my chest. It felt like my heart was being wrung out like a wet rag.

I clenched my fists under the desk, trying to swallow the bitterness rising in my throat.

I had been with Lyra for five years. We had a beautiful daughter together.

And yet, she had a husband of six years.

This was the most absurd, humiliating joke of my life.

I felt like I was going to throw up. I made an excuse to use the restroom.

As I stood up, I accidentally knocked over my water glass. The water soaked into Finn's medical report.

Finn was quick, grabbing his photo album before it got wet.

"I'm so sorry," I stammered.

I tried to wipe the water off the desk with my bare hands.

Finn handed me a handkerchief. "Don't worry about it, Doc. It's fine."

"But are you okay? You look..."

Before he could finish, his phone chimed with a loud, custom ringtone.

"Call from My Queen!" the phone announced.

Finn smiled as he answered. "Hey, babe."

"Finn, I sent the driver to pick you up," a woman's voice said.

"Your bags are already packed. Go to the airport and wait for me."

It was Lyra's voice. Soft, sweet, and unmistakable.

"On my way," Finn said happily.

He hung up and turned to me to say goodbye.

I tried to sound casual. "Are you two going somewhere?"

"New York. My wife cleared her schedule so we could have a romantic getaway."

I watched him walk out of the office. Then, my own phone buzzed.

"Asher, I have an emergency trip to New York for three days."

"Eat well while I'm gone. I'll miss you!"

The text was from Lyra.

A tear hit my screen before I could even blink.

I looked down at the handkerchief Finn had given me. There was embroidery in the corner.

It read "FC & LS."

Finn Crawford and Lyra Sterling.

I took the rest of the day off. When I got home, Lyra was zipping up her suitcase.

She looked surprised to see me.

"You didn't have to come home just to see me off, honey," she said.

"It's only three days. I'll be back before you know it."

I didn't say anything. She paused and walked over to me.

"What's wrong, Asher? You look like you've seen a ghost."

She reached up to touch my forehead, caring for me just like she always did.

But now, I knew that tenderness was a performance.

It was a script she played for two different men.

"Lyra, I want a divorce," I said.

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how stupid I sounded.

I corrected myself. "I mean, we need to end this."

We didn't have a marriage license. We were just living together.

I wasn't the husband. I was the mistress.

"Where is this coming from?" she asked.

She leaned in, her eyes filled with fake concern.

"Did something happen at work?"

My voice was a ragged whisper. "You aren't going to New York for business, are you?"

Lyra laughed softly. "Oh, is that what this is about?"

"Of course it's business. I'm taking my lead assistant with me."

Lyra was always careful. She only ever traveled with female assistants to make me feel secure.

She reached for her phone to call her assistant, acting like I was being paranoid.

I looked into her beautiful eyes and realized I didn't know her at all.

I swiped the phone out of her hand. "Your husband came to see me today."

"He told me you two are trying for a baby."

"I saw your six-year anniversary photos, Lyra."

The color drained from her face. Her eyes darted around the room in a panic.

"He also said this trip is a romantic vacation for the two of you."

The cold, composed CEO was finally falling apart.

I met Lyra in the emergency room.

She had been brought in covered in blood, and I was the one who saved her.

After the surgery, I found out she had been kidnapped and stabbed during her escape.

My colleagues whispered about her. She was the heiress to the Sterling empire.

But she was always alone. No family came to visit, only cold-faced bodyguards.

Her doctor told me she was suffering from severe PTSD.

She wouldn't speak to anyone. The only person she seemed to trust was me.

Maybe it was because I understood trauma, too.

I spent my breaks with her. I brought her favorite snacks and told her stories about the world outside.

I took her for walks in the hospital garden when she was strong enough.

Slowly, she started to heal. We became close.

The day she was discharged, her family finally showed up to whisk her away.

I didn't see her for a long time after that.

I didn't even get to give her the parting gift I had bought.

Then, she showed up at my clinic again. She was accompanying a man for a check-up.

When she saw me, she grabbed my hand and whispered, "This is just a blind date my father forced on me."

"He tried to touch me, so I kicked him."

I laughed. "Good for you."

After the man left, Lyra invited me to dinner as a thank you.

We went to a rooftop restaurant and watched the fireworks.

Under the glowing sky, we shared our first kiss.

I was head over heels. I couldn't stand the thought of her being with anyone else.

We started a secret life together.

When she finally told her father about us, he was furious.

He threatened to cut her off and kick her out of the company if she married an orphan like me.

I knew how hard she had worked for her position.

But that day, she chose me. She walked away from him with her hand in mine.

Later, she asked me, "Asher, if we can't get a legal license right now, will you still be my husband?"

I agreed. I thought our love was stronger than a piece of paper.

We had a daughter together. I was happy to stay in the shadows for her.

But reality just slapped me in the face.

I wasn't a secret husband. I was a lie.

"Asher, let me explain," Lyra cried.

She tried to wrap her arms around me, but I pushed her back.

"It really is just business. Finn and I... it's an arrangement."

"It's a corporate merger marriage. I don't love him!"

I snapped. I punched the wall behind her, my knuckles throbbing as my vision turned red.

"You don't love him, but you're trying to have his baby?"

"You don't love him, but you signed a legal document with him and lied to me for five years!"

"Five years, Lyra! I've been living in a fantasy world!"

"What am I to you? What is our daughter to you?"

Lyra flinched, tears streaming down her face.

"Asher, it's not what you think..."

"I was going to use IVF. Finn just wants an heir."

"He lives abroad most of the time. He wouldn't have bothered us."

I stared at her, horrified by her logic.

"So you expected me to just watch you carry his child?"

"You wanted me to stay your little secret... your toy?"

Lyra opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Her silence told me everything I needed to know about her version of love.

I kicked her suitcase across the room.

"Go on your trip then," I spat.

"But I'm taking our daughter and leaving."

I turned to walk away, but she grabbed my arm with terrifying strength.

"I won't let you!" she screamed.

"You aren't taking her anywhere!"

"Does our life together mean so little because of a piece of paper?"

Even now, she thought this was just about a marriage license.

Her voice turned cold and commanding. "Go cool off. We will talk when I get back."

"Until then, you aren't seeing our daughter."

I froze, a chill running down my spine.

When our daughter was born, Lyra insisted on sending her to a prestigious boarding school abroad.

She said it was for the best education and to keep her on the family registry.

I agreed because I wanted the best for her.

Lyra knew the girl was my only weakness. Now, she was using her as a hostage.

Lyra cancelled her trip, but I didn't care. I left the house anyway.

My foster mother passed away years ago. I had no other family.

I thought Lyra was my home. My safe harbor.

Now, I realized I was homeless.

I moved into a small dormitory at the hospital.

When I tried to video call my daughter, Annie, a new nanny answered.

The background of the room looked different. It looked like the Sterling estate.

"Where is Annie?" I demanded.

"Sir, Mrs. Crawford told us not to tell you," the nanny said.

"Is she back in the country? Are you at the main house?"

The nanny hung up on me.

I never thought Lyra could be this cruel.

She brought our daughter back to the city but hid her from me.

I hated her. I wanted to burn everything down just to get to my child.

I drove to the Sterling estate, but the gatekeeper blocked my way.

I called Lyra over and over, but she didn't pick up.

Then, I saw Finn Crawford walking out of the front door. He was on his phone.

Suddenly, Lyra's line connected. But it wasn't her voice. It was Finn's.

"Who is this? Why are you calling my wife's private number?"

"And why are you saved in her phone as Husband?"

I couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to say.

Finn was walking toward the gate, looking around suspiciously.

I felt like a criminal. I panicked and hung up.

I fled the scene like a coward, like the home-wrecker he thought I was.

I ended up at my mother's grave, sobbing into my hands.

She had told me to find a girl who made me happy and bring her to see her.

Lyra never came.

My happiness had been nothing but a well-constructed lie.

I didn't expect to see Finn Crawford at the Sterling headquarters.

The night before, Lyra had sent me a message.

She wanted me to come to her office to talk about our future.

I was desperate to find Annie, so I went.

I didn't realize it was a trap.

As I stood at the reception desk, Finn snatched my phone out of my hand.

I saw the screen light up. He was calling Lyra.

"Wait, let me explainD" I started.

He didn't let me finish. He landed a heavy punch right across my jaw.

"It's you. I actually thought you were a good doctor!"

"You're just a disgusting cockroach trying to steal another man's wife!"

His voice echoed through the lobby. People started to gather and watch.

The punch sent my glasses flying across the marble floor.

I looked at his furious face and tried to stay calm.

"Mr. Crawford, this is a misunderstanding. Let's talk somewhere private."

Finn laughed bitterly. He looked like he wanted to kill me.

"Oh, now you're worried about your reputation?"

"No, I want everyone to see you! I want everyone to see the face of a pathetic side-piece!"

I realized then that Finn was the one who had messaged me from Lyra's phone.

He lunged at me again, swinging wildly.

I had no choice but to fight back. We tumbled across the floor, knocking over furniture.

The receptionist called security and the police.

Guards tried to pull us apart, but Finn was possessed by rage.

By the time the police arrived, I was shielding my face from a heavy glass vase.

It shattered against the floor. Both of our hands were bleeding.

The police took us to the hospital first to patch us up.

Then, we were hauled down to the station to give statements.

Finn was still screaming about how I had ruined his marriage.

The officer warned him, "Assault is a crime, regardless of the reason."

Finn pointed a shaking finger at me. "He's a homewrecker! He's sleeping with my wife!"

I stood my ground. "I am not."

I looked the officer in the eye.

"Lyra Sterling lied to me for five years. I had no idea she was married."

"I didn't know she belonged to him. She told me she was mine."

The room went silent. The officers looked shocked.

Just then, Lyra rushed into the station, still in her business suit.

An officer stepped forward. "Ma'am, which of these men are you here for?"

Both Finn and I looked at her.