Chapter 3

I wiped the soup off my face and muttered, "But the soup tastes the same as it always does. Nothing's different."

Jeremy tilted his head, looking annoyed. "Maybe I'm just sick of it."

He was born premature, so he stayed weak and sickly his whole life. That was why I learned to make those nourishing soups to build up his health.

For eight years, I got up before sunrise to simmer the soup, just like his personal cook.

When he was four, he used to wrap his arms around my waist, look up at me with those bright eyes, and say, "Your soup is so good. I'll never get sick of it."

Now he was only eight and was already saying he was sick of it.

"If you don't want it, just throw it out."

With that, I turned and headed to my room.

…

Raymond kept me from leaving at dawn. He'd come straight from his medical retreat overseas, flying through the night just to stop me.

He tried every possible argument to get me to stay. But my decision was final.

With a heavy sigh, Raymond laid out the conseq