Chapter 1

At our second wedding anniversary gala, I went into severe anaphylactic shock from peanut allergy.

The only EpiPen in my clutch was snatched away by my husband, Julian, and handed straight to his beloved first love, Chloe.

I collapsed onto the freezing carpet, my throat swelling shut until I could barely gasp for air. Through the haze, I heard him tell the paramedics:

"Help Chloe first! She has a fragile heart condition. She needs it more than my wife."

Later, a complete stranger pulled me back from the brink of death.

The moment my eyes opened in the ICU, the first thing I said was: "I want a divorce."

Julian frowned at me.

"Over an EpiPen?"

"Claire, when did you become so petty?"

Later, Julian dropped to his knees, begging for my forgiveness, pleading not to sign the papers.

I just smiled. "Sorry. I'm petty, remember? This divorce is happening."

"Let's get a divorce."

Those were the first words out of my mouth when I woke up in the hospital room.

Julian froze. "What did you say?"

I repeated coldly, "I said, I want a divorce."

After a long silence, his brow furrowed. "Over an EpiPen?"

I looked into his eyes.

Was it really just about an EpiPen?

When Chloe first returned from abroad, he completely forgot my birthday just to pick her up from the airport.

On the anniversary of my mother's death, he promised to accompany me to the cemetery. Instead, he spent the entire night by Chloe's side just because she was feeling down.

And last night was our second wedding anniversary.

Right before going on stage, Julian hand-fed me a bite of mousse cake.

Within minutes, my chest tightened. My tongue went numb. Red hives erupted across my hands.

I have a severe, life-threatening peanut allergy. It’s so bad that I never leave the house without an EpiPen in my purse.

Julian knew that better than anyone.

I grabbed his sleeve. "Julian... my EpiPen..."

Julian's face changed, and he quickly caught me. "An allergy?"

I nodded weakly, fighting for oxygen. "In my bag... the shot."

His assistant rushed over with my purse.

Julian pulled out the auto-injector, and I reached for it.

Right then, a scream tore through the ballroom.

"Miss Pierce fainted!"

Julian froze.

Across the hall, Chloe was on the floor, pale as a ghost, clutching her chest, her breathing shallow and ragged.

The crowd around her fell into panic.

"Mr. Vance, Miss Pierce's heart condition is acting up!"

"She doesn't have her medication!"

"Call 911!"

I clung to Julian's cuff, my swollen throat barely managing a raspy whisper:

"Give... it to me."

He looked down at me, hesitation flickering in his eyes.

A second later, he peeled my fingers off him.

Clutching the medication meant to save my life, he sprinted toward Chloe.

I collapsed on the edge of the stage, my knees crashing against the hard floor. The agony turned my vision black.

Yet clearer than the pain was Julian’s voice ringing out across the room:

"Help Chloe first! She has a fragile heart condition. She needs it more than my wife."

Now, standing by my bedside, he looked down at me with heavy disapproval. "It’s not like I abandoned you. I'm sitting right here in your room, aren't I? I’m not with her."

It was almost laughable.

"I am your legal wife. Do you honestly think staying by my hospital bed makes you some kind of saint?"

Julian choked, visibly irritated. "When we were kids, Chloe nearly drowned in an icy river saving my life. That’s why her heart is weak, and you know it!"

"She has no family in this city. Am I supposed to just stand by and watch her die?"

"Claire, when did you become so petty and narrow-minded?"