Chapter 2

It was Susan’s driver who took me to the hospital.

He had come to the house to pick up something for Susan, only to find me sprawled on the floor with no movement.

The doctor said that if I had arrived half an hour later, I would have died.

I stayed in the hospital for two days, and she never asked about me even once.

After I was discharged, Susan happened to come back too.

“The driver said you were sick, so you should eat light food. I brought this especially for you.”

“Try it.”

I didn’t take it.

She frowned slightly.

“Are you blaming me for not visiting you?”

“Honey, don’t be so petty. My brother wasn’t feeling well, so I had to take care of him. You know that.”

I took a deep breath.

“Susan, does low blood sugar need two days of care?”

“Or maybe, as a doctor, you don’t know that acute gastroenteritis can kill someone?”

Even though I had told myself countless times not to care about her anymore, after so many years together, I still couldn’t help wanting to get a little justice for myself.

I thought she would at least feel a little guilty.

But all she did was act spoiled toward me.

“I’m sorry, honey. I was wrong. Please don’t be mad, okay?”

“I made this myself. Try it?”

As she spoke, she opened the lunch box, and an indescribable smell hit me.

I looked at Susan’s serious expression. There was not a trace of guilt or unease in her eyes.

I couldn’t help feeling a sting in my nose.

“Susan, isn’t this the dog food you made for Eric’s dog?”

“Am I the dog? Or am I even less than a dog in your eyes?”

Before she came back, I had just seen Eric’s post on Ins.

Susan was in the kitchen, watching a video and learning how to make dog food, and the two of them looked very close.

His dog was also lying on the floor with eager anticipation.

The caption was:

[This is Susan’s first time making dog food. I’m scared it might be poisonous. Does anyone want to test it for my dog?]

[Much appreciated.]

And clearly, I was the one testing it.

Realizing that I knew the truth, I thought Susan would feel guilty. Instead, she didn’t even bother pretending anymore.

She threw the lunch box onto the table.

“It was all made by me. What difference does it make?”

“My brother’s dog is weak. What’s wrong with you trying it for him? You don’t look down on it just because it’s a dog, do you?”

“We’re all animals. What makes you think you’re any more noble than that?”

With that, Susan shoved me. Before I could react, she quickly opened the box and poured the soup inside into my mouth.

A sticky, disgusting taste filled my throat.

I suddenly shoved Susan away. She screamed, and her head hit the table.

The pressure was gone. I took a deep breath and spat everything out. Just as I was about to go to the bathroom to clean up, Susan looked at me with a hurt expression.

“You hit me!”

“Michael, you promised you’d never lay a hand on me.”

I stared at her in a daze.

I really had said that.

When Susan agreed to be with me at the lowest point in my life, I secretly swore that I would give her a good life.

So over the years, I worked hard without stopping for a single second.

Outside of work, I treated her like a princess.

I had never said a harsh word to her.

But I discovered that people are just pathetic like that.

I spat out the stuff in my mouth.

“Susan, I just realized something now. The moment a promise is spoken, it’s sincere.”

“But once you fail to keep it, that means you don’t love me anymore.”