The Intern Who Faked My Marriage

On my birthday, my husband insisted on christening our brand-new G-Wagon with a bit of backseat reckless abandon.

The result? A dented fender and a very expensive repair bill.

I was so livid I kicked him out of the master bedroom. Little did I know, the manin all his dramatic glorydecided to log onto his companys official social media account to lament his plight: Accidentally wrecked the wifes new ride and now Im banned from the bedroom. Any advice, guys?

I was somewhere between laughing and rolling my eyes, ready to let him back in, when the notification on my phone changed everything.

In my departments intern Slack group, a new girl tagged me. Her message was a public interrogation:

Nora, why are you posting photos of my car? Is the jealousy that bad? Are you really trying to clout-chase off my life?

I realized then that in my rush to get to work, the photo I meant to send to the dealership for repairs had ended up in the group chat.

Before I could even type a response, she fired off a barrage of photosher hand on the wheel of a G-Wagon, various videos proving it was "hers."

Then came the venom: Some people are truly shameless. You think taking a sneaky pic of a car you cant afford makes you the next Mrs. Montgomery? Poor thing. Its pathetic.

I frowned, looking at the man sleeping on the sofa next to me.

Cyrus, I muttered. Is there a second Mrs. Montgomery I should know about?

Because I was late for my shift at Metropolitan General, Id accidentally dropped the photo of my damaged fender into the intern mentorship thread instead of the private message to my mechanic.

By the time I noticed, the chat was already a dumpster fire.

Holy crap! A custom G-Class with a starlight headliner? The mods alone cost six figures. Dr. Nora, youre low-key loaded!

I had no idea our lead resident was a trust-fund kid. Respect.

What do your parents do, Nora? Thats a five-hundred-thousand-dollar beast.

The messages scrolled by at lightning speeddozens of questions about my family, my salary, my life. A few male interns even slid into my DMs asking to grab dinner and talk shop.

I sighed, typing out a quick, weary explanation: Im not a trust-fund kid. It was just a birthday gift from my husband. Lets get back to the patient charts, everyone

I hadnt even hit send on the follow-up when Hailey, the newest intern, exploded onto the screen.

Nora, why are you posting photos of my car? Are you that desperate for attention?

Birthday gift from your husband? Are you really trying to LARP as a billionaires wife right now?

I knew I shouldn't have driven that car to the hospital. Having people like you sneak photos of it just to flex is so trashy. Gross.

I stared at the screen, genuinely bewildered. Are you talking to me, Hailey? I typed. You must be mistaken. Maybe our cars just look similar?

She didnt reply for a few seconds. Instead, she flooded the chat with selfies of her in the drivers seat of a G-Wagon, videos of her hand on the steering wheel, and shots of the custom interior.

Her tone turned even more mocking: My starlight headliner is a bespoke one-of-one design. Youre a resident on a hospital salaryhow do you have the nerve to say it looks similar?

Following my car to take a photo just to claim its yours? Why stop there? Go take a selfie in front of the White House and tell everyone youre the President.

The shift in the group chat was instantaneous. The same interns who were praising me seconds ago turned on a dime.

Dr. Nora, this is yikes. If youre broke, just be broke. You dont have to do all this.

The second-hand embarrassment is real. Imagine getting caught by your own intern.

I didn't realize vanity was a side effect of residency. Is she going to teach us how to lie to patients next? Lol.

The comments became increasingly snide. Someone even tagged me, demanding I apologize to Hailey for "stealing her content."

I gritted my teeth and tagged Hailey directly: How did you get inside my car? When were these videos taken?

I had personally helped design the starlight pattern in my car. It was unique. The moment Hailey posted those clips, I knew she was sitting in my vehicle.

Hailey: [Can you have some dignity? Youre still claiming its yours? Do I need to drive it to your face and honk the horn for you to shut up?]

If its really your car, she challenged, tell everyone what color the interior is right now.

Gray, I replied confidently. It was the color Id chosen when we bought it.

The next second, Hailey posted a selfie. She was lounging in the passenger seat, and the leather was a bright, obnoxious bubblegum pink.

She practically laughed through the text: Like I said, trashy people always trip over their own lies! It was gray when you took your little stalker photo, but I had the entire interior redone in pink yesterday.

Whats the matter, Nora? Cant find a pink version on Google Images fast enough?

The chat erupted. Everyone was convinced.

Dr. Nora looks so cold and professional, but shes actually a total clout-demon. I feel bad for whoever shes mentoring.

Taking photos of a girls car and lying about it I wonder if her medical degree is fake too. You hear about these female doctors sleeping their way to the top all the time, right?

The rumors were spiraling into disgusting territory. I was about to fire back when a nurse tapped my shoulderemergency in the OR.

I didn't have time for interns. I locked my phone and ran.

By the time I stepped out of the OR, it was late afternoon.

As I walked into the main lobby, I saw a delivery guy struggling with a massive, overflowing bouquet of yellow roses. He was shouting over the crowd:

Delivery for Mrs. Montgomery! Is there a Mrs. Montgomery here? Flowers from Mr. Montgomery!

A small smile tugged at my lips. Cyrus and I had bickered this morning, and wed been in a cold war all day. Yellow roses meant friendship and an apology. It was his way of saying Im sorry for being a brat.

I started toward the delivery guy. Ill take those. Im Mrs. Mon

Dont you dare touch my flowers!

Before I could reach the bouquet, Hailey lunged forward, shoving me aside. She glared at me with pure vitriol.

Nora, do you have any shame at all? First you try to steal my cars identity, now youre trying to claim my flowers? Get a life!

I stumbled back, my patience finally snapping. Hailey, stop this. Those are my flowers.

Hahaha!

Haileys little clique of internsthe same ones from the chatgathered around her, pointing and laughing.

Seriously, Nora? Give it up. A bouquet that size costs more than your monthly rent. Only Haileys billionaire husband could afford this. You think anyone is sending you flowers? In those orthopedic shoes?

Its honestly sad. The way she just tries to insert herself into Haileys life. Its pathetic.

Hailey is being so graceful about this. If it were me, Id have called security by now.

Hailey blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Oh, stop it, you guys. I told Cyrus to keep our marriage private, but I guess he just cant help himself.

My husband is the heir to the Montgomery Group, she added, her voice loud enough for the whole lobby to hear. Hes very high-profile. He gets hounded by people constantly, which is why I try to keep a low profile at work.

I was staring at her, genuinely worried she was having a psychotic break. If your 'husband' is so powerful, why are you an intern? And why is he letting you drive someone elses car?

What would you know? Hailey snapped, stepping closer. Im building my own career. Im independent.

Independent? I scoffed. Youre a fraud. If you were a Montgomery, you wouldn't be stealing my car for TikToks.

You want to hear his name? Haileys face was flushed. Itll give you a heart attack. My husband is Cyrus Montgomery.

I froze for a heartbeat. Cyrus Montgomery?

Exactly! Dont you ever speak his name again.

I couldnt help it. I started to laugh. Did you marry him in a dream, Hailey? Or was it a hallucination?

How dare you! She shrieked. My husband will ruin you for this!

I cut her off, my voice turning ice-cold. I don't know who youre talking to, but I know one thing: Cyrus Montgomery is my husband. And if you don't stop using his name to scam people, he wont be the one you need to worry about. I will.

Haileys face went from red to purple. Youre delusional! Im calling him right now. Im going to have him come here and personally fire you!

She pulled out her phone and hit speaker.

Hey, baby, she cooed into the phone. Can you come to the hospital? Theres this psycho doctor here whos harassing me and claiming shes your wife. Its so scary, please hurry

A mans voice came through the speakerdeep, arrogant, and vaguely familiar. Who the hell thinks they can touch my woman? Im ten minutes away. Ill handle it.

Hailey hung up and smirked at the crowd. Nobody leave. When my husband gets here, theres going to be a reckoning.

I looked at Haileys smug face and then down at my own phone. I sent a quick text to the real Cyrus: Get to the hospital lobby. Now. Theres a comedy show you don't want to miss.

Cyrus replied instantly: On my way.

I leaned back against the reception desk. This was going to be interesting.

While we waited, Haileys ego reached a fever pitch.

She clutched the yellow roses like a trophy and walked up to me. Nora, I get it. Youre from some middle-class background and youre desperate for status. But lying about my marriage? Thats a bridge too far.

Youre going to get down on your knees and apologize. And youre going to sign a statement saying youll never use my name for clout again, or my husband will sue you into the dirt.

I almost choked on my own tongue. You want me to kneel?

The other interns chimed in like a Greek chorus of idiots.

Hailey, youre too nice. Only an apology? She should be banned from the medical board!

Seriously, Nora, the Montgomerys aren't people you mess with. Just kneel now before Mr. Montgomery gets here. Maybe hell show mercy.

I heard he hates the spotlight. The fact that hes coming here for Hailey proves how much he loves her. Youre done, Nora.

It was true that Cyrus avoided the press. He was private, almost reclusive, which apparently gave these people the perfect cover to build this fantasy.

Id love to see who exactly isn't going to show me mercy, I said, crossing my arms.

The lobby suddenly went quiet. The hospital director and several board members were rushing toward the entrance.

Mr. Montgomery! Sir! We had no idea you were coming! The director was practically bowing. What a surprise! Thank you again for the thirty-million-dollar equipment grant. The whole hospital is in your debt.

I looked toward the door. It was Cyrus. He was wearing a charcoal suit, looking every bit the formidable billionaire he was. He strode into the lobby, his expression unreadable.

Haileys friend, Sarah, scurried forward to greet him. Mr. Montgomery, you really do adore your wife. The moment you heard she was upset, you flew here!

She pointed excitedly at Hailey. Look! Shes been waiting for you!

Cyrus glanced at Hailey for a split second, his brow furrowing in confusion. Then his eyes found mine.

Wife, he said, his voice low and steady. Come here.

The lobby went dead silent. Everyone turned to Hailey, waiting for her to move.

Hailey stood frozen. Her face had gone from smug to a ghostly, sickly pale.

The director, thinking Hailey was just starstruck, gently nudged her toward Cyrus. Go on, Hailey! Dont be shy. Mr. Montgomery is calling you.

He looked at Cyrus with a sycophantic grin. We had no idea your wife was one of our interns! Dr. Hailey iswell, shes certainly made an impression. Why, just yesterday she

Who the hell is she?

Cyruss voice cut through the air like a blade. He didn't even look at the director; his eyes were locked on me. Nora, Im talking to you. Why are you standing over there?