Chapter 2

2

I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve, gasping for clean air.

I was severely allergic to flower pollen, and high exposure could trigger anaphylactic shock.

Garrett had rushed me to urgent care for it two years ago.

Yet he had completely forgotten.

The only reason he bought red roses was that Sadie loved them, not me.

Ignoring his endless lecturing, I braced myself against the table and tried to head for the hallway.

Garrett grabbed my arm with sudden force.

"Clara, who gives you the right to walk away from me like that?"

As his grip tightened, his eyes caught the angry red hives spreading rapidly across my neck.

He froze, finally remembering my severe allergy.

A flicker of panic crossed his features, and he bent down to scoop me into his arms.

"I am taking you to the ER right now."

I gritted my teeth against the burning itch on my skin and let him carry me out to his SUV.

As my head rested near his shoulder, I caught sight of a bright coral lipstick stain on his collar.

A wave of pure nausea washed over me.

Downstairs, Garrett helped me into the front passenger seat.

The moment I looked up, I saw a pink label slapped across the dashboard: 【Sadie Baby's Exclusive Seat】.

Right next to it were two cartoon stickers of a couple kissing.

Garrett followed my gaze, hastily ripped the stickers off, and tossed them into the back near a child's booster seat.

"Sadie was just messing around the other day. I couldn't really say no in front of the kid."

"Whatever."

I turned my head toward the window, feeling the itch on my neck pale in comparison to the ache in my chest.

Garrett glanced at me several times, his mouth opening as if to explain further.

Before he could speak, his phone rang loudly through the car's Bluetooth speakers.

It was Sadie.

The second the call connected, her tearful voice echoed through the vehicle.

"Garrett, Zoey is burning up with a fever! Can you please come over? I don't know what to do!"

Garrett slammed on the brakes so hard the tires screeched.

He snatched his phone, his voice laced with desperate worry.

"What happened? Don't panic, Sadie, I am on my way right now!"

He threw the car into park, shoved the keys into my lap, and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Take the car and drive yourself to the clinic!"

He completely forgot that I had never driven a car in my life.

I had survived a horrific pileup as a child, and sitting behind the wheel gave me paralyzing panic attacks.

When we first started dating, Garrett held me tightly and made a solemn vow.

"As long as you are with me, you will only ever need to sit in the passenger seat."

Now, he had discarded his promise and let Sadie claim the seat that once belonged to me.

Without waiting for my response, Garrett bolted from the car and hailed a passing yellow cab.

I did not go to the hospital.

I dragged myself upstairs, swallowed two antihistamine pills from the medicine cabinet, and buried myself under the duvet.