جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

The day my husband, Jason Lowe, invited his first love, Winona Lloyd, over to our house, the doorbell rang three times in quick succession.I didn't move.Jason shot me a look, his voice carrying that familiar impatience he always dressed up as concern. "Tessa, go open the door."The moment the door swung open, an overpowering wave of sweet, cloying gardenia hit me head-on. It felt like something was constricting my chest. My temples started pounding.Winona stood there in a white dress, smiling innocently. When she saw me, her eyes lit up. "Tessa, long time no see."Behind her, Jason was looking at her with a kind of tenderness I hadn't seen in a very long time. That tenderness wasn't meant for me.I said nothing and stepped aside to let her in, already feeling a faint tightness creeping into my lungs.Jason frowned. "What's wrong? You don't look so good."I pointed toward Winona. "Her perfume is too strong."Winona immediately covered her wrist, guilt written all over her fa

The terror of dying closed in on me. So, this was what it felt like to be murdered with perfume. What a… Creative way to die.Terence caught the scent. He snatched the bottle, brought it to his nose, and took a sharp sniff. In that instant, his face shifted from pale to ashen to a horrifying shade of red."Tess!" He let out a scream so raw it tore through the room. "This is fucking perfume!"That single sentence detonated like a bomb.My dad, a professor who had spent his entire life being composed and refined, completely lost control. He grabbed an unopened bottle of whiskey and lunged at Winona like a madman.However, my mom was faster. Like an enraged lioness, she threw herself forward, seized Winona by the hair, and yanked with everything she had. "I'll kill you, you rotten bitch!"Winona shrieked, sharp and piercing. Then, I saw the scene that finally shattered what was left of my heart.Jason lost it. He shoved my mother away hard. My mom staggered and slammed into the c

For his damn sake again. I looked at Jason and suddenly realized the man in front of me felt terrifyingly unfamiliar."Jason," I said calmly. "Who do you think you are, when my life is on the line?"Winona screamed her lungs out as the police put handcuffs on her. "Jas, save me! I don't want to go to jail! Jas!"Jason bolted after her, shouting, "Don't be afraid! I'll get you out, I promise!" This was straight out of a real tear-jerking, over-the-top love drama. Too bad, I couldn't care less.The medical staff helped me onto the stretcher. Just before the ambulance doors closed, I caught sight of Jason's desperate and blank face. I called his name softly, "Jason."He whipped around, a flicker of hope lighting his eyes. The corner of my mouth was upturned. "Let's get a divorce."The doors slammed shut in front of me. The world went silent. When I woke up, the sharp scent of hospital disinfectant filled my nose.My mom was sitting beside me with swollen eyes, peeling an apple. M

Fragments of memory flashed through my mind all at once. That year, I was still in med school. As a volunteer medic for the school's hiking club, I had been on that trip, too.The smell of disinfectant washed over me. It was exactly the same scent from ten years ago, when I'd been treating injuries.I remembered that day. The wind had been brutal. I remembered the young man lying on the temporary stretcher, his face blue as he struggled to breathe. I remembered injecting him with epinephrine.And amid all the chaos, I remembered a young woman crying beside him. That tear-streaked face slowly merged with Winona's in my mind. Why hadn't I remembered before?Probably because I'd never once doubted the so-called "lifesaver" Jason always talked about. I just never imagined someone could take credit for another person's actions for ten whole years and feel perfectly justified.Terence hadn't even had time to make a call when his phone chimed with a video notification.The title was exp

Jason's lawyer cleared his throat, making the opening move. He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and spread a stack of papers across the table. Each sheet outlined my "extreme behaviours."They claimed I ignored calls, refused to settle privately, and insisted on filing for divorce, all of which supposedly ruined his reputation. Each point painted me as paranoid, unstable, and even violent.I almost wanted to clap. He could give a masterclass in twisting the truth. Once the lawyer finished setting the stage, the star of the show stepped forward.Jason stood, looking heartbroken and righteous. "I've really tried my best. My tolerance for Tessa has reached its limit."He glanced at his family, then at my parents, pouring all the sincerity he could muster into his act. "Winona's pregnant. I'm responsible for her, and for our child."The room erupted. My dad slammed the table, chest heaving with anger. One of the Lowes went ashen, his face darker than a storm cloud.Their reputation