Chapter 2

Denise violently shook me off and raised her hand to slap me hard across the face.

"Does it even matter what I said? What matters now is that I'm about to blow up!" she exclaimed. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Ernest, and I can't believe you're telling me to give it up. I think you're the one losing it!"

I gritted my teeth and forced the words out from the back of my throat. "Are you sure you want to keep going? You won't regret it, no matter what you say under hypnosis?"

She irritably rolled her eyes at me. "Why are you suddenly being so annoying? The production team knows what they're doing, and it's not like they're going to ask inappropriate questions."

When viewers in the livestream heard her, they immediately lost their cool.

"Holy crap! Does this woman have no shame? She hooked up with another guy on her wedding night while her husband was right there. I'm gonna throw up!"

"This has got to be scripted. She's so desperate for fame…"

"Even if it's scripted, it's still gross!"

Carl's eyes glinted with mischief, clearly enjoying the drama. He immediately chimed in, "Great! Let's continue, Ms. Hawkins. The audience is dying for more!"

Seeing Denise bubbling with excitement as she returned to the chair for the second hypnosis session, I nearly fainted from rage. I had to clench my fists tightly just to stay steady on my feet.

"I'm asking you one last time, Denise. Are you absolutely sure you want to continue the hypnosis? Do you have zero recollection of what you said while you were hypnotized?"

But Denise reacted like I had grown a second head. She shot me a contemptuous look, and her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"What's wrong with you tonight, Ernest? Why are you acting so uptight… You're not terrified I'm going to spill your little secrets, are you?"

Before I could even reply, she assumed she had me figured out and triumphantly turned toward the camera.

"Alright, I don't mind airing our dirty laundry. The truth is… Ernest suffers from infertility. That's why we haven't been able to have kids all these years. He's just very insecure about it and was terrified I'd let it slip while hypnotized. I might as well lay it out on the table today, since the cat is out of the bag anyway."

I stood frozen in place, feeling as if all the blood in my veins had turned to ice.

Three years ago, a chemical plant near our neighborhood had a massive explosion. To save Denise, who was trapped inside, I ran against the fleeing crowd straight into the thick smoke.

By the time I carried her out on my back, I had inhaled a large amount of toxic chemical gas. It left me with this permanent, deeply humiliating medical condition, though my body slowly recovered.

Back then, she held me and sobbed her heart out. She called me her hero and swore that even if we could never have children, she would never leave me, and that she would stay by my side forever.

And now, she had just revealed it in front of everyone, like she was sharing a piece of insignificant, juicy gossip.

Intense shame crashed over me like a tidal wave. For a time, I couldn't even say a word. All I could do was stare at her smug, self-satisfied expression.

Just then, my phone suddenly buzzed.

When I took a deep breath and stepped aside to pick it up, my mother-in-law, Judith Livingston's frantic voice immediately blasted through the receiver.

"Ernest! What the hell is Denise blabbing about on TV? Her dad is so mad that he just had a heart attack! I've been texting and calling her, but she isn't answering! Tell her to stop recording right now, and bring her home!"

After hanging up the phone, I looked up at Denise.

She had put her phone on silent earlier. Now that she was completely consumed by the thrill of going viral overnight, she hadn't bothered to check it at all.