Chapter 2

Summer Lynn POV

The knuckle of my ring finger had long since developed a ring of stubborn dead skin from being squeezed.

I squeezed out a large blob of hand soap and spread it on my ring finger. I gripped the wedding ring with my right hand and pulled hard outward.

The stinging pain of broken skin came. The metal scraped against my knuckle. The ring gradually left my finger.

The moment the ring came off my finger, I stood by the sink for a long time.

I dried my hands, then walked out of the bathroom.

I lifted the covers and lay down.

I closed my eyes. My right ear listened to the sound of rain outside the window. My left ear existed in absolute, dead silence.

I should have gone to the living room to turn on a dim lamp, then stayed up all night waiting for Ethan to come home.

But tonight.

I didn't turn on a light for him. I didn't wait anymore either.

The next morning when I came downstairs, Ethan and Cherry were already sitting in the dining room.

Cherry picked up a bowl of hot milk and walked over.

"Summer, you got caught in the rain last night. Drink some hot milk while it's warm."

I didn't speak. I pulled out a chair and sat down.

I hadn't slept all night. My stomach sent a wave of pain through me.

I picked up the hot milk and took a sip.

After just a few seconds, my face instantly changed.

There was peanut powder in the milk.

I had an extremely severe peanut allergy. Ethan knew this.

If I touched even a little bit, I would have an allergic reaction, triggering acute asthma or even shock.

My airway felt like it was being squeezed shut by an invisible hand.

I covered my throat, desperately gasping for air, but couldn't draw in a single breath.

I fell from the chair in agony, my face quickly turning purple.

"Ah!"

At the same moment, a cry rang out from the kitchen.

"Ethan, it hurts... I cut my finger."

Cherry held up her finger with a small trace of blood, her eyes red.

Ethan, who had been watching the morning news, heard the sound and immediately stood up, striding toward the kitchen.

I collapsed on the floor, my vision starting to blur.

I used every ounce of strength to crawl toward the table. In the drawer there was my epinephrine emergency pen.

My fingertips finally touched the edge of the table.

Just as I was about to pull open the drawer, Ethan rushed past.

Bang!

To get to Cherry faster, he kicked the trash can beside the table.

It knocked away the emergency kit I'd barely managed to reach.

The medicine vial rolled to the deepest part under the sofa.

I desperately reached out my hand and grabbed Ethan's pant leg, making agonized sounds in my throat.

Ethan looked down.

He looked at me but didn't stop. Instead, he shook off my hand.

"Summer, can you stop making a scene?"

Ethan's tone was filled with undisguised disgust. "Cherry cut her finger. She faints at the sight of blood. I have to take her to the hospital right away!"

He walked straight over, picked up Cherry, and strode quickly toward the door.

At the doorway, he coldly threw out a sentence:

"Call yourself a car to the hospital!"

The door closed.

I lay on the cold floor. My vision was already going black from lack of oxygen.

I bit down hard and dragged my heavy body inch by inch toward the sofa.

My nails scraped across the floor with a harsh sound, drawing out threads of blood.

Finally, I touched the emergency pen.

With trembling hands, I removed the safety cap, aimed it at the outside of my thigh, and stabbed it hard into my muscle!

Along with the intense pain of the thick, long needle piercing in, the medication was rapidly pushed into my body.

Ten minutes later, my airway slowly opened.

I lay on the floor, gulping in air.

I had almost died here just now.

I'd always thought that the person I'd saved with my life all those years ago would also save me when I was in danger.

But only at this moment did I finally understand.

In Ethan's eyes, my life wasn't worth even a bit of broken skin on Cherry.

I should give up.