1 In the seventh year of our relationship, I was ready to bring Lucas Whitman home to meet my mother. Before we left, my blood sugar dropped. I grabbed a clear candy at random and put it in my mouth. His childhood friend, Lila Grant, suddenly clapped and burst out laughing. “I told you she was greedy. Lucas, you lost.” “Transfer me the hundred grand.” My heart jolted. Then my breathing grew harder and harder. It was peanut candy. Over the years, Lucas had indulged Lila countless times as she used my peanut allergy as a bet. He transferred the money neatly before looking coldly at my face, already swollen beyond recognition. “I called the ambulance. We can meet your mom another time.” “Honestly, this is on you too. You should learn to control that greedy mouth.” When I woke up in the hospital, my phone was full of missed calls from my mother. I was about to call her back when a photo popped up. It was Lila. She was putting a candy into my mother’s mouth. The exact same kind I had eaten that morning. I ripped out the IV like I had gone mad and called Lucas again and again. He had always known my peanut allergy came from my mother. I didn’t even have time to put on shoes. I ran while calling nonstop. My mother’s phone would not connect. Lila kept hanging up. Then Lucas simply turned his phone off. Behind me, doctors and nurses shouted anxiously. “Stop her. Her allergic reaction is severe. She can’t go outside in this condition.” But I could not hear any of it. My mother’s allergy was far worse than mine. It could be fatal. When I was eight, she accidentally ate seasoning with a tiny trace of peanut in it and was sent straight into the ICU. The doctors issued three critical condition notices before pulling her back from death. Thinking of that, I was so terrified I could barely breathe. I kept trying to stop taxis, but no one pulled over. Finally, a kind female driver stopped in front of me. “Get in. Where are you going? I’ll take you.” Looking at the mirror inside the car, I finally understood why everyone had avoided me. My face was swollen so badly it no longer looked human. I couldn’t care about that. I gave the address in a rush. When I finally reached home and pushed open the door, I saw my mother sitting on the sofa. She was sitting upright, conscious, rosy-faced, and completely fine. The nerve stretched tight inside me suddenly snapped loose. My knees weakened, and I collapsed to the floor. When Mom saw me in such a miserable state, she immediately stood and rushed toward me. “Anna, weren’t you on a business trip? Why are you back so soon?” “What happened? Why is your face swollen like this? Why are your feet bleeding? What happened?” Her voice trembled. She touched my face carefully, afraid of hurting me. Then she seemed to think of something. “This is… peanut allergy?” I fell into her arms and nodded weakly. Mom looked at Lucas with resentment. “From the day I found out Anna was dating you, I reminded you again and again that she has a severe peanut allergy. You had to be careful.” Her voice choked. “You’ve been together so long. Don’t tell me you still haven’t remembered.” “How am I supposed to trust you with my daughter?” Guilt flashed through Lucas’s eyes. He was about to explain, but Lila spoke first. “Ma’am, your daughter was just greedy. She has no self-control.” “Lucas bought those candies for me, but she just had to snatch one and stuff it in her mouth.” “Now she’s allergic. That’s on her.” I looked at Lucas. Our eyes met. He said nothing. He silently allowed Lila to slander me. I had no time to defend myself. I grabbed my mother’s hand and checked her again and again. “Mom, the candy on the table. You really didn’t touch it, right?” “Did Lila feed you any just now?” My panic frightened my mother. “I ate one. It was strawberry flavor. What’s wrong, Anna?” Strawberry candy. I finally let out a breath. My back was already soaked with cold sweat. Thank God. Lucas still had some conscience. He knew peanuts were deadly for my mother and hadn’t let Lila do that. The stone in my heart had just landed when everything changed. My mother, who had been fine moments ago, suddenly stiffened. Without warning, she fell backward. The next second, her whole body began convulsing violently. Red rashes spread across her skin at a visible speed. Peanut allergy. “Mom!” 2 At that moment, I felt all the blood in my body rush backward. A massive terror swallowed me whole. “Lucas, hurry. Call an ambulance.” “What did you give my mom?” “There was clearly nothing with peanuts on the table. How could she be allergic?” Lucas finally realized the seriousness of the situation and hurriedly dialed emergency services. But Lila bent down beside my ear and spoke in a dark, smug whisper. “There really weren’t peanuts in her candy.” “But your mom was thirsty just now, so I poured her a cup of hot milk.” “A little peanut crumb accidentally fell into it.” With a boom, it was as if thunder had exploded above my head. I lost control completely. I lunged at Lila and clamped my hands around her throat. “You bitch. Do you know this could kill my mom?” Lila was nearly choked. When Lucas saw it, he immediately let go of my mother and slapped me hard across the face. Because my mother suddenly lost his support, her head hit the floor heavily. “Mom!” I had no time to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth. I threw myself over and held her tightly. Something sticky touched my hand. When I looked down, blood had already stained the carpet. My heart hurt like it had been carved open. “Mom, wake up. Don’t sleep. The ambulance is coming.” My voice was hoarse beyond recognition. But Lucas was carefully checking Lila’s neck. When he saw the red mark there, he looked at me with furious eyes. “Anna, you’re insane.” “If you dare hurt Lila again, get out of this house.” My voice trembled from fear. “Lucas, she admitted it. She gave my mom milk with peanuts in it.” Guilt flickered through his eyes. But it disappeared in an instant. “It was just a little peanut crumb. It’s not like it’ll kill her.” “You and your mother are both so dramatic.” “You’ve had allergic reactions more than thirty times, and you’re still alive.” Then he glanced at me coldly. “The ambulance is almost here.” “I’ll take Lila to the hospital for a checkup first.” Seeing that they were about to leave, I endured the pain and blocked the door. “Lucas, my mom is in worse condition. Can you stay here with me?” “I’m weak all over. I’m afraid I’ll delay her treatment.” Seeing how wretched I looked, something in Lucas’s heart seemed to ache faintly. “Fine, I’ll…” Before he could finish, Lila suddenly clutched her neck. “Lucas, I feel like I can’t breathe.” “Am I going to die?” Seeing her like that, Lucas frowned. “Lila, stop making trouble. We’ll put Aunt Margaret in the ambulance first, then I’ll take you to get checked.” His tone was stiff because he was anxious. Unexpectedly, Lila crouched down and burst into tears. “Lucas, you yelled at me.” “Two years ago, what did you promise my parents?” “You said you’d take good care of me.” “But just now, your fiancée almost strangled me, and you’re still speaking for her.” Lucas stiffened. He crouched and pulled Lila into his arms. “All right. I’ll take you first.” Then he looked at me apologetically. “Anna, the paramedics will help you.” “Lila only has me.” “After all, her parents died saving me.” I stared hard into his slightly reddened eyes. “Lucas Whitman, if you walk out that door today, we are over.” 3 Lucas hesitated. Lila cried louder. The next second, he picked her up and left without looking back. “Anna, I’ll explain when I get back.” The ambulance arrived ten minutes later. The paramedics lifted my mother onto a stretcher. I followed immediately. My body was swollen from the allergic reaction, my strength was drained, and I was consumed by extreme fear. The moment I stepped into the ambulance, my vision went black. I lost consciousness completely. When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. I sat up abruptly, my heart pounding. “My mom. Where is my mom?” I staggered to my feet, ignoring the IV cannula still in my hand, and rushed out to find her. A passing nurse hurried forward to stop me. “Please calm down. You had a severe allergic reaction yourself. Your body hasn’t recovered. You can’t move around like this.” “Where is my mom? I need to find my mom.” I clutched the nurse’s sleeve, my eyes unfocused and full of panic. I could not even form a complete sentence. The nurse looked at me with a flash of pity. “Your mother had severe laryngeal edema and anaphylactic shock. Her condition is critical. She has already been sent into emergency resuscitation.” Emergency resuscitation. Those words smashed down on my heart like stones. Just then, a doctor from the emergency room hurried over. “You’re Margaret Moore’s family member, right?” “No one signed the surgery consent form. We called the emergency contact on your phone.” “A woman answered and said she didn’t know you.” “Fortunately, you woke up. Any later, and even God couldn’t save your mother.” “Sign it. Hurry.” My whole body trembled. I stared blankly at the thin sheet of paper. When I took the pen from the doctor, it felt impossibly heavy. The emergency room light turned on again. I collapsed onto the bench in the hallway. The doctor’s words kept echoing in my head. My emergency contact was Lucas. The woman who said she did not know me was undoubtedly Lila. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. With trembling hands, I dialed that number again. The call connected quickly. Lucas spoke first. “Anna, once you get your mother settled, come apologize to Lila.” “There’s such a deep red mark on her neck. She cares so much about her appearance. What if it scars? How can you be so vicious?” I thought I had misheard. “I apologize?” “Just now my mother was in critical condition and needed a signature. The hospital called you, and Lila actually said she didn’t know me.” My voice shook with tears. “If I had woken up a little later, my mom wouldn’t have been saved.” There was a long pause. Faintly, I heard Lila’s coquettish voice. “Lucas, Anna has always disliked me.” “But she can’t curse her own mother just because she’s jealous.” “I’ve never heard of someone dying from a tiny bit of peanut crumb.” Those few sentences seemed to wake Lucas up. He spoke impatiently. “Anna, stop it.” “In these years, you’ve had allergic reactions thirty-seven times. Which time was life-threatening?” “And my phone has been beside me the whole time. If you want to frame Lila, at least find a believable reason.” “Put away that jealous look. It only makes me more annoyed and more disgusted.” Before I could speak, he hung up. I turned off the phone and sat stiffly on the bench, staring at the emergency room doors. Finally, the red light went out. The doors slowly opened. The attending doctor removed his mask and gently shook his head at me. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.” “The patient suffered anaphylactic shock combined with intracranial bleeding. The best rescue window was delayed, leading to organ failure. We were unable to save her. Please accept our condolences.” With a thud, I fell straight to my knees. My ears buzzed. I could no longer hear anything. My only remaining family in this world was gone. I wanted to scream. I wanted to beg them to save my mother again. But when I opened my mouth, no sound came out. The days that followed were like an endless nightmare. Dragging my broken body, I took my mother’s ashes back to our hometown and handled her funeral alone. During that time, Lucas never appeared once. I went to the funeral home alone. Handled the paperwork alone. Chose the cemetery alone. Set up the memorial hall alone. During the day, I forced myself to stay composed and deal with everything. At night, I curled up beside my mother’s grave and cried until I could barely breathe. Lila’s social media updated every day. Lucas took her to pay respects to her parents. Took her traveling abroad. Took her to meet business partners. Someone teased him and asked if he had a new sister-in-law. He only smiled faintly and did not deny it. Meanwhile, I slowly calmed down and began quietly collecting evidence. My mother’s death was not an accident. It was man-made. On the last day of sorting through her belongings, I found an old box under her bed. When I opened it, most of what lay inside were photos of my parents. Ever since Dad died unexpectedly five years ago, Mom had put away the photos because she was afraid they would make me sad. I crouched on the floor and looked through the old things one by one. My fingers brushed over the yellowed photographs, and my eyes reddened. At the very bottom was a handwritten letter and a USB drive. With trembling hands, I opened the letter. My mother’s familiar handwriting appeared before me. Only a few lines revealed a cruel truth. It turned out that two years ago, in that car accident, the person who saved Lucas was my father. Lucas and I had been dating in secret then. At the time, Dad did not know that the young man he saved was my boyfriend. Later, Mom saw the photos I posted of Lucas and felt it was fate. But she did not want to use a life-saving debt to pressure anyone, so she wrote this letter, planning to give it to me when we married, so Lucas would know the truth. Holding the letter, I was already sobbing so hard I could barely breathe. Lucas, you owed me far more than one life. Then my gaze landed on the few photos beside it. Through my tears, the face of the driver in the crash gradually became clear. When I recognized that person, dizziness hit me. My vision went dark, and I nearly fainted. How could it be him?
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