Chapter 2
That night, I went to dinner with my roommates.
They asked what I wanted to eat.
I had no appetite. “No peanuts. Everything else is fine.”
Right after we ordered, I heard a guy’s voice from the private room next door:
“Marcus, getting so close to that freshman–won’t your childhood sweetheart get jealous again?”
I paused mid–sip, thinking maybe it was someone else with the same name.
Then I heard Marcus’s casual laugh. “She’s already jealous. Threatened to break up with me again.”
“Dude, how many times is that now?”
Someone laughed mockingly. “What’s it matter? His little childhood sweetheart’s just a drama queen and a simp. She’s always the one threatening to break up, and she’s always the one begging to get back together. Only Marcus has the patience for that level of crazy.”
“Then why not just dump her for real? I think Chelsea’s sweet. Like a little bunny.”
Marcus sounded resigned. “I’d love to, but it’s a family arrangement. Gotta deal with it.”
Those words hit me like a sledgehammer, waves of pain crashing over me.
He was lying.
Marcus’s parents were busy doctors who’d asked my parents to look after him since elementary school.
We grew up together and were close, but my parents never wanted us to be together.
They thought Marcus would be too busy as a doctor to take care of me or our future family.
The idea of their precious daughter handling everything alone made them furious.
Coming back to reality amid my roommates‘ chatter, I caught them mouthing “scumbag.”
They were quietly mocking how pathetic and stupid the “childhood sweetheart” was.
I lowered my eyes to hide the confusion and tears.
“Excuse me, here’s your food.”
Chelsea appeared in a server’s uniform, freezing when she saw me.
I pretended not to notice, forcing a smile. “Food’s here! Let’s eat.”
When I didn’t acknowledge her, she bit her lip and left.
The dishes kept coming. Lost in thought, I mindlessly ate what was in front of me.
Until a roommate shouted, “Wait, something’s wrong! This dish has peanuts in it–who ordered this?”
My throat muscles suddenly contracted and swelled. The suffocating sensation hit me as I gasped for air.
My roommates noticed my symptoms and panicked.
“What’s wrong?!”
I managed to rasp out, “Aller…gic…pea…nuts…hos…pital…”
They frantically tried to help me to the hospital.
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Chelsea suddenly burst in, blocking our way. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I brought the wrong dish!”
“GET OUT OF THE WAY! We need to get to the hospital!”
Chelsea bit her lip, looking conflicted. “You can’t leave–you ate that dish and haven’t paid yet.”
My roommate snapped back, “YOU brought the wrong dish and made our friend sick, and you want US to pay? Dream on!”
Chelsea’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “I’m just a broke scholarship student working part–time. You guys obviously have money to eat out- can afford this bill. Please don’t make this hard for me.”
“If you skip out, they’ll dock my pay.”
Hearing this made me even more breathless with rage.
I tugged my roommate’s sleeve, trying to get her to take me away, but couldn’t speak.
Chelsea kept blocking us for money, but the second Marcus appeared from next door, her tears started flowing.
“Marcus…”
Marcus pulled her behind him protectively. “It’s okay, I’ve got this.”
I looked up at him, my swollen throat only managing a whisper: “Mar…”
Marcus immediately noticed something was wrong and moved toward me, but Chelsea grabbed his arm.
“Marcus, Joy’s still mad at me. I mixed up the order and now she’s faking an allergic reaction to make me pay.”
She sobbed quietly. “I know I messed up, but I’m already out of money for this month.”
Marcus glanced at the dishes in our room–no peanuts visible–and immediately believed Chelsea.
He sighed in frustration. “Joy, you’re the one who wanted to break up. Why are you taking it out on Chelsea now? Just pay the bill.”
My roommates suddenly realized I was the “pathetic scumbag’s childhood sweetheart” they’d been mocking.
Embarrassed, they let go of me.
They started doubting whether I was faking the allergy for attention.
Everyone turned against me.
I tried to explain but only made choking sounds.
Trembling, I pulled cash from my pocket, threw it on the floor, and stumbled toward the exit.
Someone behind me asked, “She actually looks really sick…”
“Just embarrassed about getting caught lying,” Marcus said angrily. “Time she learned a lesson.”
My heart filled with sharp, stabbing pain. I bit my lip hard to keep from crying.
With my oxygen–deprived brain, I remembered my first allergic reaction-
None of the adults were home that day. Marcus was over playing and gave me a peanut candy.
I had an instant reaction. He cried while carrying me to the hospital on his back–I still remember how warm and safe that felt.
After that, he was always so careful.
He’d ask about peanuts in everything I ate.
He even followed his parents‘ wishes and went pre–med, hoping to protect me better.
But everything changed after he started sponsoring Chelsea.
abale On Him 1 Bagged A Tycoon!
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Chapter 2
Darkness swept over me, taking away the chest pain.
The last thing I remembered was falling into arms that smelled like winter pine.
