Chapter 98: Distortion of Human Nature, Moral Decline?

Lanny Brunson wouldn't pursue the matter of the child not being saved, as she had already discussed this with her family.

However, her mother-in-law insisted on suing Darian for hitting her. Nicole's eyebrows furrowed, "If she wants to, let her sue."

"Nicole, what I mean is, can't this be resolved privately?"

Director Tony emphasized, "We all know it was Lanny Brunson's mother-in-law who started it, but your husband retaliated. Others could spin it as 'a man hitting a woman,' 'a young, strong man hitting an elderly lady,' and make it a hot topic."

"It's the information age now; the internet is a scary place. Whether it's you or your husband, if unknowing netizens are incited to cyberbully, you won't have peace."

He was very concerned about this possibility.

Nicole understood his point and knew he was looking out for their best interests. However, the truth shouldn't be overlooked out of fear; it'd only let others act recklessly.

Not to mention Darian, she couldn't swallow this injustice.

"Director Tony, I understand what you're saying. Don't worry, I won't cause trouble for the hospital."

"I'm not worried about that, but for you guys."

He sounded a bit anxious. "You are a delicate child, but why are you so stubborn sometimes?"

Nicole smiled, "It's because we're in the right."

Feeling helpless, he replied, "Then talk to your husband, it's best not to escalate this matter."

"I understand." Nicole left the director's office and went to see Lanny.

Lanny was recovering well and could leave bed. Seeing Nicole, she greeted, "Dr. Creed, I heard you took a day off yesterday."

"Yes, I had something to do." Nicole asked her, "Feeling better?"

"Much better." Lanny lay in bed and told her, "I've filed for divorce, and he agreed."

"Congratulations." Divorce, equivalent to a family breaking apart, wasn't something to congratulate. However, she understood Lanny Brunson's situation; a peaceful divorce was indeed something to be congratulated for.

Lanny smiled, "After signing the divorce agreement, I feel much lighter."

Nicole admired her courage to be able to do so.

Lanny looked at her sincerely, "I want to thank you for saving my life."

"It's what I should do."

"I've already explained to them about the child, and they won't pursue it anymore. But..."

Her eyebrows furrowed, "His mother won't let go of the matter of your husband hitting her and insists on suing you both."

Nicole nodded, "The director just told me as well."

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault; I'm causing trouble for you." Lanny said firmly, "If they really act up, just tell me. I'll definitely help you."

Hearing this, Nicole felt more assured. Leaving the ward, she heard that Lanny's mother-in-law had gone to her office.

Some people and things had to be faced.

Nicole returned to her office and saw Lanny's mother-in-law standing there, looking arrogant when she saw her, "Dr. Creed, I'm here to demand an apology and compensation from you."

"Apology? Compensation?" Nicole smiled faintly, "Why should I do that?"

"Don't play dumb. Your husband twisted my hand and kicked my son; you should apologize, compensate for medical and nutrition expenses, as well as lost wages!"

"What about the slap you gave me?" Nicole retorted.

"You made me lose my grandson; not making you pay with your life is already a great mercy. Let me tell you, you better be smart, otherwise I will expose you!" The old lady's face, sharp and bitter, was quite unsightly.

Nicole said calmly, "Do as you wish. Apologies and compensation are out of the question."

"Fine." The old lady pointed at her and arrogantly said, "Don't come begging to me later."

Nicole couldn't be bothered to look at her, while the latter gave her a deep look and left.

At noon, banners were raised at the hospital entrance that said, "Unscrupulous female doctor disregards young life and allows husband to beat elderly woman!"

Media outlets were already focusing their cameras and reporting, "Recently, an elderly woman in her 50s tearfully complained to us that she was beaten by a female doctor's husband. The reason was that the female doctor, without informing the patient's family, unilaterally decided to abort an eight-month-old fetus. When the elderly woman questioned the doctor's actions, she became emotionally agitated due to the loss of her beloved grandchild. Afterward, the doctor called her husband for support. Disregarding the elderly woman's emotional turmoil, the husband proceeded to injure the elderly woman. Her son wanted to seek justice for his mother but ended up being knocked down by the husband as well."

"For a doctor to that, is it an inhumane or immoral? Stay tuned."

The hot topic quickly skyrocketed in social news, instantly trending on Twitter and attracting tens of thousands of netizens to comment.

The top ten comments were all criticizing the heartless Nicole and Darian, followed by sympathetic remarks for the old lady. Some people even began digging into Nicole's personal information.

Nicole's personal information was instantly exposed.

[She's only 26 and already a chief physician? There must be something fishy.]

[She's a medical student, 26 this year. She has no worries about her future.]

[Being able to work at Bright Horizons Medical Center, a good private obstetrics and gynecology hospital. She must have connections. Maybe some leader wanted to please a pretty girl, but it resulted in her ending a life.]

[The key is that she has a husband.]

[That just shows this woman's capability. She's got her own man wrapped around her finger, so she uses him like a tool.]

[Such a person isn't worthy of being a doctor, playing with people's lives.]

[Has anyone ordered a wreath to be sent to that female doctor? Let's team up, 20% off.]

Zack saw this trending topic and broke out in a cold sweat, quickly going to find Darian. Darian had returned last night, but Nicole hadn't returned all night.

He didn't care, only hoping she had some sense and didn't do anything outrageous.

"Darian, something's happened." Zack handed the tablet to Darian, "Nicole is being cyberbullied."

Darian glanced at it, his face changing drastically. On the other hand, Zack was extremely anxious. If this continued, would Nicole be able to handle it?

Right now, netizens were all siding with the old lady, and the insults toward Nicole were getting increasingly harsh. Even Zack was on the verge of exploding, not to mention Nicole.

He was frantic. "What do we do now? Should I take it down? We can't let this escalate any further."

Darian threw the tablet on the table, his eyes dark. "Taking it down won't solve anything."

The trending topic had already made many netizens aware, so removing it would only lead to more wild speculation, pushing the situation to another climax.

"Then what do we do?"

"Investigate that family's background."

Darian put on his clothes and mask before leaving. Director Tony issued an emergency order to temporarily close the hospital gates, letting only the hospitalized mothers and their families to enter.

The other doctors sighed and shook their heads, fearing that the inevitable had finally happened, but they didn't expect it to be this bad.

They were colleagues, sharing both glory and disgrace. They had some thoughts in their hearts, but they still had to face it together.

After all, they all knew this wasn't Nicole's fault and Lanny's mother-in-law was just distorting the truth.

Nicole sat in her office, looking at the computer. News of the banner at the hospital entrance was being pushed everywhere.

The media was flipped upside down, while the self-media was fanning the flames.

Her phone was being bombarded by Sophia and Mike. However, she only replied, [Don't worry, I'm fine.]