Chapter 2

2.

"Uncle Ethan, forget it."

Chloe tugged playfully at Ethan's arm.

"I want to host a party at home tonight with some friends. I heard Nora is a great cook, so let her make dinner for us as an apology, okay?"

Ethan used to forbid me from ever stepping foot in the kitchen.

He always said I was his precious treasure and that he would learn to cook those things himself.

Yet now, Ethan's gaze was filled with pure threat.

"Go on, thank Chloe."

Chloe buried her face in Ethan's chest, rubbing against him like a spoiled kitten.

The anger instantly melted away from Ethan's face, replaced by a warm, gentle smile.

The sight pierced my eyes so sharply I could barely keep them open.

I had no choice but to lower my head even further.

Those doting eyes used to belong only to me, but now they held nothing but disgust.

Ethan, my heart hurts so much.

I carried the last dish to the dining table just in time to see Chloe blushing as she licked cream off the tip of Ethan's nose amid everyone's cheers.

My stomach churned violently.

As I tried to slip away, Chloe stepped forward gracefully to block my path.

"Nora, this toast is for you."

"Thank you for taking care of Ethan for all these years."

She forcefully shoved a full glass of twenty-five-year-old whiskey into my hand.

I refused to take it.

The sound of shattering glass startled everyone in the living room.

"Uncle Ethan, I just wanted to thank Nora for looking after you all these years, but I didn't expect her to throw such a huge temper tantrum."

Chloe burst into tears the moment she saw Ethan.

"I'm just an annoying pathetic outcast! Since nobody wants me here, I might as well just die!"

Ethan pulled Chloe tightly into his arms, whispering gentle words of comfort.

Then he signaled someone to pour a glass of liquor to the very brim, glaring down at me with absolute contempt.

"Nora, drink it."

I bit my lip hard, fighting desperately to keep my tears from falling.

He knew damn well that I had a severe alcohol allergy. Once, when someone accidentally spilled a single drop of wine on me, he had thrown a massive fit.

Yet now, for Chloe's sake, he didn't care if I lived or died.

"You have your allergy meds on you, I know it."

That single, casual sentence shattered my dignity into pieces, turning me into the villain.

Seeing my stubborn refusal, Ethan completely lost his last shred of patience.

He stepped forward with a dark expression and forced the alcohol down my throat.

The spicy, burning liquid flooded my nasal passages.

I shoved Ethan away hard, lost my balance, and crashed heavily to the floor.

In a blur, I saw Ethan reach out with a startled look.

"Uncle Ethan, my head hurts."

At Chloe's soft whimpers, his hands pulled back. He scooped her up bridal style and strode out of the house.

A suffocating tightness mixed with a sharp pain in my lower abdomen, leaving me curled up on the cold floor.

As he walked past me, he let out a cold snort full of utter disdain.

"It's just an allergy. Take your pills and you'll be fine. You aren't actually hurt, stop putting on a show."

Chloe's friends already despised me, and with Ethan's words giving them license, they piled on the abuse.

"Exactly, I just shoved the pills right into your mouth, what are you still pretending for?"

"Our Chloe is a true princess. You're just a parasite who actually thought you'd become Mrs. Miller. You're utterly shameless."

Ethan pressed his lips into a thin line and ultimately said nothing as he carried Chloe away.

"Ethan, please save me..."

He didn't hear my cries, nor did he see the blood pooling between my legs.