For our New Year's honeymoon, my husband, Carter, and his female bestie, Mia, secretly changed our destination from sunny Maui, Hawaii, to a freezing, rugged mountain cabin in Aspen, Colorado. I had severe car sickness and lay in the back seat the whole time, completely exhausted. When we finally stopped at a diner to eat, I took just one bite of my pasta and immediately had a massive allergic reaction. There was crab meat hidden in the sauce. Mia looked at me with pure disdain. "Oh, come on. Who is actually allergic to crab? Are you seriously faking this right now?" Carter didn't hesitate. He raised his hand and slapped me right across the face. "Stop being so dramatic, Chloe. If you eat it more often, you'll build immunity." I didn't even have the strength to speak. My hands were shaking violently, and my vision began to blur. I pointed at my purse, struggling to squeeze out a single word: "Epi...Pen..." He didn't care at all. He casually kicked my bag under the seat, further out of my reach. "Just suck it up. It'll pass." Using the absolute last ounce of my strength, I speed-dialed my father. "Dad... Carter is trying to kill me." Before I could say another word, Carter snatched the phone from my hand. But he had no idea. If anything happened to me, my billionaire father would make sure he paid with his life.
Carter let out a mock laugh, looking down at me with utter contempt. "Chloe, aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill? It was just a tiny bite of crab meat." "You're nothing but a broke college graduate. How could you possibly have some wealthy, powerful father?" I stared at the man in front of me, unable to connect him with the sweet boy who had chased me so passionately in college. My father had always told me that genuine love was hard to find when you were filthy rich. I was rebellious back then, and I wanted to prove him wrong. So, I hid my background, became a low-level clerk at a firm, and met Carter, who had joined the company at the same time. Back then, he was thoughtful and attentive. He constantly praised how "independent and down-to-earth" I was. He used to say, "Chloe, you're not like those gold-digging girls." Even after we got married, I kept the secret that my father was a billionaire. But right after the wedding, Carter showed his true colors. He didn't respect me at all. He threw my phone onto the floor. "It was just a joke. Is it really that serious?" Beside him, Mia was still glowing with excitement, acting coy. She walked over to me, wearing a fake, sugary smile. "Chloe, sweetie, please don't be mad at Carter. It's my fault, really. He only did it to make me laugh. He didn't mean any harm. Besides, you only took one tiny bite. What could possibly go wrong?" Carter shot me an annoyed look. "Can you stop acting like a victim? A mild seafood allergy won't kill you, even without medicine. You'll be fine in a few minutes. Besides, if this little joke made Mia happy, why is it such a big deal? Mia is my best friend. Keeping her happy is my top priority." That was always Carter's logic. The moment I made Mia even slightly uncomfortable, he would humiliate me without mercy. My hands trembled as I fumbled through my coat pockets, trying to find my emergency medication, but they were completely empty. Mia suddenly pulled my EpiPen out of her own pocket and tossed it right out of the window into the snow. "You probably don't even need this. Let me help you get rid of it, honey." Carter chimed in immediately. "Exactly. It was just one bite. Stop being so fragile." Looking at his self-righteous face, my vision went completely dark. The other customers in the diner kept their heads down, eating quietly. No one wanted to get involved in a domestic dispute. "Severe allergies... can cause anaphylactic shock... I will literally die!" I used every bit of energy left in my body to scream those words. But Mia just grabbed the edge of my sleeve, looking like she was about to cry. "Chloe, I know you don't like me, but you don't have to target me like this. You're putting on a whole show in public just to make me look bad." "Enough!" I couldn't take it anymore. I struggled to stand up, wanting to slap the smug look off her face. But Carter shoved me back down hard. "What the hell is wrong with you? Mia has a weak heart! Are you trying to kill her?" Mia immediately clutched her chest, putting on a dramatic show of pain. "Carter, my chest hurts... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come on this trip with you guys." "No, it's not your fault, Mia." Carter quickly held her, comforting her with a soft, gentle voice I hadn't heard in years. "She's just spoiled. She thinks the whole world revolves around her. Just ignore her." I watched them holding each other like a perfect couple. My chest felt tighter, and breathing became almost impossible. With a sudden burst of rage, I swept the plates of food off the table, sending them crashing to the floor. "Carter! The moment we get back, we are getting a divorce!"
Carter froze for a second, and then his face twisted with pure fury. "Are you insane?! You want a divorce over this tiny thing? Do you even hear yourself? Do you really think I can't live without you?" "A tiny thing?" I squeezed the words out of my burning lungs. "You tricked me---someone with a deadly seafood allergy---into eating crab. You call that a tiny thing?" "Carter, we've been married for so long. Have you ever actually looked at me as your wife? The second Mia has a minor issue, you run to her. But when I need you, you always have an excuse. I am your wife!" Mia stepped forward again, her voice trembling like a frightened child. "Chloe, please don't be mad at Carter... It's all my fault. Carter only did it to make me smile..." She wiped away fake tears and looked at Carter. "She's only saying this because she loves you. You should go comfort her." Seeing me collapsed miserably on the floor, a tourist at a nearby table couldn't watch anymore. He frowned and tried to mediate. "Hey, man, your wife really doesn't look good. Food allergies can be fatal. Maybe you should take her to the ER first." "You don't know her! She just loves playing the victim for sympathy," Carter snapped, cutting the tourist off aggressively. "She always does this. The more people there are, the more she loves to put on a show. Every single time, she makes a mountain out of a molehill. Last time, just because Mia and I shared a quick kiss during a party game, she made a huge scene and embarrassed me in front of all my friends. Now she's pulling this crap again!" His words felt like ice-cold daggers in my chest. That game happened right after we started dating. He didn't care that I was standing right there. He kissed Mia right in front of my face. When I told him he had no boundaries, he called me petty and insecure. "Well, if that's the case, she shouldn't have reacted like that. It's normal for a guy to have female friends," another male tourist murmured in agreement. "They didn't do anything crossing the line. Can't you just let it go?" Hearing a few people take his side only fueled Carter's ego. He looked down at me and barked, "Mia is just a young girl. What bad intentions could she have? Get up right now and apologize to her!" I stared at them, my vision blurring even more from the physiological tears streaming down my face. "Why... should I apologize?" My throat felt like it was blocked by concrete. My heart was pounding frantically against my ribs, suffocating me. The veins in my temples were throbbing so hard I thought they would burst. These were the warning signs of cerebral and pulmonary edema. I knew them all too well. Seeing that I wasn't apologizing, Mia acted as if she had suffered the ultimate insult. She sobbed, "Chloe, please don't do this. I'm so scared you guys will fight because of me... I don't want to be the reason you divorce. I'll book a flight and go home right now..." She made a move to leave. Carter grabbed her hand immediately, his eyes filled with worry and anger. "Mia, don't be stupid! She's just trying to force your hand! Anyone can play the victim!" Carter whipped around to face me, his eyes filled with disgust and hatred. "You are truly malicious, Chloe. Mia cares so much about you, and you still accuse her of trying to hurt you. Are you really going to ruin our entire honeymoon just because you feel a little uncomfortable?" How dare he even mention our honeymoon? This was supposed to be our trip. Because of his inappropriate relationship with Mia, we had argued countless times. But he never listened. He never cared. And now, my life-threatening condition was just "proof" of my pettiness in his eyes. The severe swelling in my throat prevented me from speaking. I could only open my mouth helplessly, making weak, choking sounds. Mia hid behind Carter, giving me a cold, mocking smirk when he wasn't looking. Then, she gasped dramatically, "Carter, her face looks so pale... Do you think she's actually hurt?" "It's fake! She's acting!" Carter said firmly. "She just wants to force me to apologize so she can control me later. I won't give her the satisfaction!" He opened his water flask and handed it to Mia. "Here, Mia, have some warm water. You must be tired from talking so much. Ignore her. Let her cool her head off by herself." I leaned against the wall, my body sliding down to the cold floor as my consciousness began to fade. Just then, Mia quietly knelt down in front of me. Her face was flushed and healthy, showing absolutely no sign of the "chest pain" she had claimed to feel earlier. She leaned in, whispering in a voice only I could hear: "Chloe, you were so good at acting. Why stopped now?" "To be honest, Carter never loved you. Once you 'accidentally' die, the massive life insurance policy he took out on you will kick in. Don't worry, I'll take good care of him---and his money---for you." She patted my cheek gently, her voice freezing cold. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll make sure your funeral is absolutely grand."
Mia's words were the final blow that shattered my remaining consciousness. I wanted to raise my hand and slap her, but the severe anaphylactic shock had drained every bit of my strength. I could only lean against the wall, desperately gasping for air like a fish out of water. But Mia wasn't done. She picked up the bowl of crab pasta from the table and brought it to my lips. "Chloe, honey, are you hungry? Your lips are so white. Let me feed you another bite." She scooped up a large piece of crab meat and shoved it brutally into my mouth. "You...!" I glared at her, trying to scream, but only a raspy wheeze came out. My body began to shake violently. Mia viciously covered my mouth, preventing me from spitting it out. "Chloe, do you know how many times I've been pregnant with Carter's babies?" "Six times. Want to know why he didn't marry me? Because he didn't want me to suffer. He didn't want me to live a middle-class life. So, he came up with a brilliant plan. Find a dumb, broke girl to marry, kill her for the insurance money, and then live happily ever after with me. Isn't he smart?" Hearing this, I couldn't believe my ears. They were monsters. Complete psychopaths! With a sudden surge of adrenaline, I slammed my head forward, knocking Mia back. I lunged at her, my mouth open, trying to bite her. Mia screamed dramatically and fell to the floor. "Chloe! I was just trying to feed you! Why did you try to bite me?!" Hearing the commotion, Carter whipped around. Seeing me lunging at Mia, his face darkened instantly. "You psycho bitch! Mia was nice enough to feed you, and this is how you treat her?!" He rushed over and kicked me hard in the stomach, sending me rolling across the floor. "How long are you going to keep acting?! Do you seriously have to throw a tantrum in front of everyone?!" "It... wasn't me... she forced..." I squeezed out the last few syllables with everything I had. But he didn't give me a chance to explain. He kicked me again. "Enough! I don't want to hear your lies anymore! You only ate a bite of crab. Even if you're allergic, it wouldn't be this bad! You're just jealous of my relationship with Mia, aren't you? I only treat her like a sister, and she treats you like family! How could you be so cruel to her? Do you think acting like this will make everyone pity you?" Carter turned around and began complaining loudly to the other diners about how controlling and demanding I was, claiming I had "princess syndrome" but lived a peasant life. His complaints quickly won the sympathy of several men in the diner. One of them yelled, "You need to teach a woman like that a lesson. If she doesn't behave, a good beating will fix her." Carter looked down at me with absolute disgust. "Fine. You love acting? I'll let you act all you want. Just stay here and keep pretending. I hope you actually die this time. If you can't keep up, you can walk back yourself." With that, he turned and walked out of the diner without looking back. The other customers looked away, leaving the diner one by one. No one cared if I lived or died. I lay on the freezing floor, my body's trembling slowly weakening. Every breath felt like swallowing glass, and the pain in my chest gradually numbed. My vision grew darker, and the sounds around me faded into static. Not a single person turned back to look at me. Despair, cold and heavy, began to pull me down into the abyss. Maybe... this is it... I don't want to die yet, Dad... I don't know how much time passed, but eventually, those two devils walked back in. I heard them whispering near my ear. "Is she dead yet? Is our insurance money ready?" Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the diner. "How dare you touch my daughter!"
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