While My Husband Cheated, I Married His Powerful Brother

The table was quiet now.

The plates had been cleared. Only the water glasses remained, catching the afternoon light from the tall windows. The pianist in the corner played something good to the ears and unfamiliar. The other diners murmured among themselves, unaware of the conversation unfolding at table seven.

Veyra set down her water glass. She had asked about Xie Heng. Dr. Harrison’s face had darkened at the mention of his name.

"He is a local tyrant in Yongning District," Dr. Harrison said. His voice was low, meant only for her. "Loan sharking. Extortion. Intimidation. He has injured dozens of people. Ruined countless lives."

Veyra nodded. She had seen the fear in Aunt Chen’s eyes. The way the thugs had moved. The way Xie Heng had slapped an old woman.

"But," Dr. Harrison continued, "he is a filial son."

Veyra blinked. "A filial son?"

"His mother raised him alone after his father abandoned them. She worked three jobs to put food on the table. She sacrificed everything for him." He paused. "And now she is dying."

Veyra’s chest tightened. She thought about her own mother. The phone call from the hospital. The money that had been there and then was not.

"His mother has heart disease," Dr. Harrison said. "Advanced. She needs surgery and long-term medication. Without treatment, she has maybe a year. Maybe less."

"So he wants you to treat her," Veyra said.

"Yes. He has been harassing me for weeks. Showing up at my clinic. Calling my office. Sending his men to follow me." Dr. Harrison’s voice was tired. "He thinks I am the only one who can save her."

"Can you?"

Dr. Harrison was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I am a good doctor. But I am not a miracle worker. Her condition is severe. Even with the best care, her chances are fifty percent. Maybe less."

"But you could try."

"I could. But not under these circumstances."

Dr. Harrison picked up his water glass. He took a slow sip. Then he set it down.

"I hold regular clinic hours every Monday," he said. "I see patients on a first-come, first-served basis. I don’t care who they are. Rich or poor. Important or insignificant. Everyone waits their turn."

Veyra nodded.

"Xie Heng did not wait. He did not make an appointment. He barged into my clinic with his mother and three bodyguards. He shoved aside other patients. He demanded that I see her immediately."

Veyra’s jaw tightened. She could picture it. The chaos. The fear. The entitlement.

"I told him to leave. He refused. I called security. They removed him from the clinic." Dr. Harrison’s voice was cold. "He screamed in the hallway. Threatened me. Threatened my staff. Threatened my family."

"So you refused to treat his mother."

"I refused to be bullied."

Dr. Harrison leaned back in his chair. His eyes were distant.

"That was not the end of it," he said. "A few days later, Xie Heng kidnapped me."

Veyra’s blood went cold. "Kidnapped you?"

"He sent four men. They grabbed me outside my apartment. Put a hood over my head. Threw me in a van." His voice was matter-of-fact. Like he was describing a routine procedure. "They took me to the Xie residence. His mother was there. Lying in bed. Surrounded by machines."

Veyra could not speak.

"Xie Heng forced me to examine her. He said he would not let me leave until I agreed to treat her." Dr. Harrison looked at Veyra. "He also said that if I refused, he would kill me. And then he would kill my daughter. And then he would kill my granddaughter."

Veyra’s hands curled into fists under the table.

"What did you do?"

"I told him that if he laid a single finger on me or my family, he would spend the rest of his life in prison. I told him that I had already documented everything. The kidnapping. The threats. The names of his men." Dr. Harrison smiled. It was a thin, cold smile. "I told him that I had friends in high places. Friends who would make sure he never saw daylight again."

Veyra stared at him. This was not the kindly old doctor who had examined Lily’s neck. This was someone else. Someone with steel in his spine.

"Xie Heng realized he had made a mistake," Dr. Harrison continued. "He let me go. Personally escorted me home. Apologized the entire way."

"Apologized?"

"He knew he had crossed a line. He knew that I could destroy him. So he switched tactics." Dr. Harrison sighed. "Now he harasses me instead of threatening me. He calls. He sends gifts. He waits outside my clinic. He kneels in public. He thinks that if he is persistent enough, I will eventually give in."

"Will you?"

"No."

A waiter passed by. He refilled their water glasses. He left.

Veyra leaned forward. "After he calmed down, he realized he was wrong. He had no choice but to release you."

Dr. Harrison nodded. "He knew that if he held me any longer, the consequences would be severe. My disappearance would have been noticed. The police would have been called. His name would have surfaced."

"So he let you go. And personally escorted you home."

"Opening doors. Apologizing. Begging me not to press charges." Dr. Harrison shook his head. "A week later, he was back to his old tricks. Calling. Showing up. Kneeling in public. He thinks that if he is annoying enough, I will eventually cave."

"But you haven’t."

"I haven’t." Dr. Harrison picked up his water glass again. "And I won’t."

Veyra smiled slightly. It was a nervous smile.

"Dr. Harrison," she said, "have you considered just treating his mother? Get him off your back? It might be easier."

Dr. Harrison set down his glass. His eyes were sharp.

"You think I should compromise."

"I think an innocent woman is dying."

"The mother is innocent. I do not dispute that." He turned to look out the window. The river glittered far below. "But if I compromise now, what message does that send? That anyone with enough money and enough muscle can bypass the rules? That threats and intimidation are acceptable ways to get what you want?"

Veyra said nothing.

"I have spent forty years building my reputation. Forty years treating patients from every walk of life. Rich, poor, kind and even cruel. I have never refused treatment to someone who followed the rules." He turned back to look at her. "But I will not be bullied. I will not be kidnapped. I will not be threatened."

Veyra understood. It was not about the mother. It was about the principle.

"If I treat his mother now," Dr. Harrison continued, "every gangster in the city will think they can do the same. They will barge into my clinic. They will threaten my staff. They will demand preferential treatment." He shook his head. "I cannot allow that. Not for one patient. Not even for a dying woman."

Veyra nodded slowly. "So you’re making an example of him."

"I am protecting myself. And my other patients." His voice softened. "I am not without compassion, Mrs. Thorne. If Xie Heng had come to me politely. If he had made an appointment like everyone else. If he had waited his turn and spoken to me with respect—I would have treated his mother. I would have done everything in my power to save her."

"But he didn’t."

"He didn’t. And now he must live with the consequences."

Veyra thought about her own life. The times she had been bullied. The times she had been threatened. The times she had compromised to keep the peace.

She had spent seven years compromising. With Caspian. With his lies and the money that disappeared.

She had compromised until there was nothing left of herself.

"Dr. Harrison," she said. "You’re right. Xie Heng’s behavior is unacceptable. He cannot be allowed to threaten and bully his way into getting what he wants."

Dr. Harrison nodded.

"But his mother..." Veyra hesitated. "Is there nothing you can do? No other doctor you could recommend? No hospital that could take her case?"

Dr. Harrison was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "There is a cardiologist at Central Hospital. Dr. Lin. She is excellent. She could treat the mother. Not as well as I could, but adequately."

"Have you told Xie Heng this?"

"I have. He refuses. He wants me. Only me." Dr. Harrison’s voice was bitter. "Because I am the best. Because having the best is what men like Xie Heng demand. They don’t want adequate. They want exceptional. They want to show off."

Veyra sighed. "So he would rather let his mother suffer than accept a different doctor?"

"Pride," Dr. Harrison said. "The same pride that made him barge into my clinic. The same pride that made him kidnap me. The same pride that makes him kneel in public instead of simply making an appointment." He shook his head. "His mother is dying because of his pride."

Veyra reached for her water glass. She took a sip. The liquid was cool on her tongue.

"Dr. Harrison," she said. "You said that if Xie Heng had followed the normal registration process—if he had made an appointment and waited his turn—you would not have refused treatment."

"That is correct."

"So why didn’t he register?" Veyra’s brow furrowed. "What stopped him? He could have picked up the phone. He could have filled out a form. He could have waited in line like everyone else."

Dr. Harrison looked at her. His eyes were thoughtful.

"That," he said, "is the question I have been asking myself for weeks."

Veyra waited.

"His mother has been sick for over a year," Dr. Harrison continued. "He had time. He had resources. He could have hired someone to make an appointment for him. He could have asked a nurse. He could have come himself and filled out the paperwork." He shook his head. "But he didn’t."

"So why?"

Dr. Harrison sighed. "Because he doesn’t know how to wait. He doesn’t know how to follow the same rules as everyone else. He has spent his whole life taking what he wants. Breaking rules. Intimidating people. The idea of standing in line, of filling out a form, of waiting his turn—it is beneath him."

Veyra frowned. "But you would have seen his mother. You would have treated her."

"Almost certainly." Dr. Harrison shrugged. "But Xie Heng does not think like that. He thinks that if he follows the rules, he is showing weakness. He thinks that waiting in line is for ordinary people. He thinks that he is above all of that."

"So he would rather harass you for weeks. Kneel in public. Threaten you. Kidnap you. Than simply make an appointment."

"Yes."

Veyra shook her head. "That’s insane."

"That is Xie Heng."

They sat in silence for a moment. The pianist played on. The afternoon sun slanted through the windows.

"Dr. Harrison," Veyra said slowly. "I still don’t understand."

"What don’t you understand?"

"Why didn’t he just register? What was stopping him? It’s a simple phone call. A simple form. Even a man like Xie Heng can do that."

Dr. Harrison looked at her. His eyes were tired. But there was a flicker of something else. Curiosity, maybe. Or sadness.

Then the waiter appeared at her elbow.

"Madam," he said. "Would you like the bill?"