5

Alexander caught my eye and gave me a subtle shake of his head, a warning not to correct the assumption. My stomach knotted up.

I needed to say my piece and disappear.

"I-I wanted to apologize," I said, my voice coming out smaller than I intended. "For my behavior at the school today. It was completely inappropriate, and I'm sorry, Sophia."

Sophia's face lit up with what looked like genuine forgiveness, though I was starting to doubt anything about her was genuine. "Oh sweetie, don't even worry about it! You're obviously under a lot of stress. Why don't you stay for dinner? I specially prepared everything myself."

I wanted to run. I wanted to go upstairs and call Maya and cry until I had no tears left. But Alexander was looking at me expectantly, and these business people were watching, and I knew I had no choice.

Wise woman, wise woman, I chanted in my head.

"That's very kind," I managed.

I took the seat furthest from Alexander and Sophia, trying to make myself invisible while they continued their performance.

Sophia touched his arm constantly, laughed at everything he said, and hung on his every word like he was the most fascinating man alive.

The worst part was that Alexander was eating it up. He was more animated than I'd seen him in months, more engaged, more alive. With me, he barely looked up from his phone during dinner. With her, he couldn't take his eyes off her face.

"Alex," one of the men was saying, "your wife has excellent taste. This meal is exceptional."

"Oh, all credit goes to Sophia," Alexander said, beaming at her. "She's incredibly talented."

Wife. They thought Sophia was his wife, and he was letting them think it.

I wanted to puke, bad..

The conversation flowed around me while I sat there trying not to vomit. They talked business, laughed at inside jokes, discussed wine pairings like they were old friends. Sophia played hostess perfectly, refilling glasses and making sure everyone was comfortable.

In my own house. At my own table.

"I think I should go," I said suddenly, standing up so fast my chair scraped against the floor.

All conversation stopped. Everyone turned to look at me.

"Oh, but you haven't eaten anything," Sophia said with that sweet, concerned voice. "I made this dish especially. It's Thai-inspired, with a special sauce that's absolutely divine."

"I'm not very hungry," I said, backing away from the table.

"Nonsense," Sophia insisted, standing and moving toward me. "You need to eat something. You look so thin lately."

She was playing the caring friend perfectly, but something in her eyes made my skin crawl. Still, I couldn't just leave. Not with Alexander glaring at me like I was ruining his life.

"Fine," I said, sitting back down. "Just a small portion."

Sophia smiled and began serving me, spooning a generous amount of the sauce over the chicken and vegetables. It smelled amazing, and despite everything, my stomach rumbled.

I took a bite.

The moment the food hit my tongue, I knew something was wrong. There was a familiar nutty taste that made alarm bells go off in my head. I spat the food into my napkin immediately, but it was too late. I could already feel the tingling in my mouth.

"What's wrong now?" Alexander asked, his voice filled with irritation.

"This has peanuts in it," I said, trying to stay calm even though my heart was starting to race.

"Of course it does," Sophia said cheerfully. "It's a peanut sauce. I thought you might enjoy trying something new."

"Alexander," I turned to my husband, panic creeping into my voice. "You know I'm allergic to peanuts. Severely allergic."

He rolled his eyes. "Stop being so dramatic, Ivy. Sophia loves this dish and thought you should try new things. You're too sensitive about everything."

"I'm not being dramatic. I could die from this." My voice was getting higher, more frantic.

"You're probably faking it for attention," he said coldly, then turned back to his guests with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about this. She gets emotional sometimes."

The business associates looked uncomfortable now, shifting in their seats and exchanging glances. This wasn't the polished dinner they'd expected.

I was starting to feel nauseous, and sharp cramps were beginning in my stomach. "Alexander, p-please. I need to go to the hospital."

"Oh dear," Sophia suddenly gasped, pressing her hand to her chest. "I'm having an anxiety attack. This is too much for me."

Just like that, all attention shifted to her. She was breathing heavily, tears forming in her eyes, the picture of distress.

"It's okay," Alexander said immediately, reaching for her. "What do you need?"

"Something to hold, something comforting," she said weakly. "I just need something to ground me."

Without hesitation, Alexander reached over and yanked my mother's locket from around my neck.

"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked weakly, doubling over in pain even as I tried to snatch back my mothers locket, but he was already fastening it around Sophia's neck.

"Your mother would want this used to help someone in need," he said firmly. "Sophia saved my mother's life. She deserves comfort. And you caused this anyway."

I stared at him in shock, tears forming in my eyes from the pain. "That's my mother's locket. You can’t give it away, it’s the only thing I have left of her.”

"And now it's helping someone who actually needs it," Sophia said softly, touching the pendant. "It's so beautiful. I think I'd like to keep it, actually."

"Of course," Alexander said without even looking at me. "Keep it as long as you need."

"No!" I stood up so fast the room spun. "That locket is the only thing I have from my dead mother! You can't just give it away!"

My voice cracked on the last words, and I could feel tears streaming down my face. The business associates looked horrified, staring between Alexander and me like they were watching a car crash.

"This is exactly the kind of drama I was talking about," Alexander said to his guests, his voice cold and professional. "I apologize for the scene."

But the woman associate was shaking her head. "Wait, I'm confused. You said she was family, but she doesn’t look like just family to me, what exactly is going on here?"

The men were looking uncomfortable too, putting two and two together.

"Are you married to her or to Mrs. Zhao?" one of them asked directly.

The silence stretched out painfully. My stomach cramps were getting worse, and I could feel my throat starting to swell.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding here," the woman associate said, standing and gathering her purse. "We'll be in touch about the contract, Mr. Sterling."

All three of them left quickly, clearly wanting no part of whatever mess they'd stumbled into.

The moment the door closed, the cramping in my abdomen became unbearable. I doubled over, gasping, and when I looked down, I saw blood seeping through my dress.

"Something's wrong," I whispered, but my throat was so swollen the words barely came out.

Alexander was comforting Sophia, who was still clutching my mother's locket and sobbing about her anxiety attack.

”P-please… help…” I tried to call out again, but my airway was closing. Black spots danced in my vision as I collapsed to the floor, my body convulsing as it fought for oxygen it couldn't get.

The last thing I saw before everything went dark was Alexander holding Sophia while she smiled down at me, my mother's locket glinting at her throat.