Chapter 4

"W-What did you say you added to the dishes?" I asked tensely, a chill running down my spine.

"It's just some ground sesame seeds. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it, Daisy?" Wendy asked with a grin, her eyes gleaming with unmistakable malice.

In that instant, my face went deathly pale. I was severely allergic to sesame, so much so that even a trace of it could have put my life at risk.

An itchy, tingling sensation spread through my body. I stumbled into the bathroom to rinse my mouth, but it did nothing.

Within minutes, my throat began closing up. A suffocating feeling overwhelmed me. I staggered and collapsed onto the floor.

Zachary rushed over after hearing the noise and helped me onto the couch. He then asked urgently, "Where's her allergy medication, Wendy?"

Wendy scoffed, her face full of contempt. "She's clearly faking it again! She literally just had a bit of ground sesame seeds! Why is she making such a huge deal out of it?"

"Where is the allergy medication, Wendy?" Zachary snapped, his stomach dropping as he saw me struggling for air.

Wendy reluctantly tossed him a bottle of pills.

Zachary hurriedly took the bottle, poured two pills into his hand, and put them in my mouth. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Please don't blame Wendy for this. She didn't mean anything by it, Daisy.

"She just wanted to rein in your temper, since every time you throw a fit, you talk about breaking up with me and even get my family involved to push me around. She just got fed up watching you treat me like that.

"She even came prepared with allergy medication, so you'll be fine after taking it, Daisy."

I forced myself to meet his gaze and asked hoarsely, "Y-You actually stood by and let her put ground sesame seeds in my food, then?"

Zachary looked away nervously, unable to meet my eyes.

Wendy scoffed. "Zachary has been fed up with you for ages! You're needy, clingy, and constantly throwing fits! You even keep using your connection with his aunt to get your way!

"If someone didn't put you in your place today, you'd just keep pulling the breakup card whenever you feel like it! Who could put up with that, Daisy?"

Zachary looked away in silence, tacitly agreeing with everything she said.

I shook all over, my throat swelling so badly that even breathing caused sharp, agonizing pain, and hives began spreading across my entire body. Yet, the worst part was the numbness that had settled in my heart.

Seeing no improvement in my condition, Zachary couldn't help but ask, "Is this allergy medicine actually working? Why does Daisy still look so bad, Wendy?"

"How can allergy medicine work that fast? Give it a minute, Zachary!" Wendy said impatiently, pulling Zachary away.

"Come on! I'll take you to the movies! It's on me! Daisy will be completely over her allergic reaction by the time we get back! It'll do her good to sit with this for a while, unless you want her bossing you around for the rest of your life, Zachary!"

Zachary's refusal never made it past his lips. He instinctively looked at me, a flicker of conflict in his eyes, but he followed Wendy out in the end.

My breath grew shallower by the second. I forced myself up and reached for the pill bottle on the table, my hand shaking violently. It wasn't allergy medication—it was just some vitamin C supplements.

Wendy had never planned on giving me real medication from the very beginning.

A cold wave of pure despair washed over me as the world started going dark. I gathered the absolute last bit of energy I had left and took out my phone.

…

Third-Person's POV

In the meantime, after distractedly sitting through a movie with Wendy, Zachary was dragged into a bar by her.

He grew increasingly restless as it neared 1:00 am, unable to shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

Wendy was drunk out of her mind at that moment, so he had to take her home first. She started throwing another drunken fit once he got her into the room, so much so that she even tried to jump from the balcony.

He had no choice but to stay and keep an eye on her. He looked after her through the night and hurried home the next morning.

He noticed a crowd had gathered outside his apartment building, heightening his sense of foreboding. He then heard people nearby discussing something.

"There was an ambulance here last night. There was a young woman in the building who suffered a severe allergic reaction and went into anaphylactic shock. She was in critical condition back then!"

"How awful! Did she make it?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I saw them carry her out of the building, and honestly, it looked touch-and-go. How tragic…"

Zachary was instantly struck dumb by what he heard. He turned deathly pale as his blood ran cold.