Allergic to You

The divorce from my ex-husband six years ago was the single most humiliating chapter of my life.

Hed lost his mind back then, spewing the vilest curses, swearing Id never find happiness.

I was shaking with rage. That same day, I bought a one-way ticket and fled the country.

It wasn't until a high school reunion last week that I set foot in this city again.

During dinner, someone enthusiastically tried to pour me a glass of wine. But Daniel, my ex, who was sitting right next to me, shot his hand out to block the bottle.

Dont, he said, his voice low but shockingly firm. Shes allergic to alcohol.

The moment he said it, the lively chatter in our private dining room died, replaced by a thick, awkward silence.

Every eye in the room darted between me and Daniel. After all, our breakup had been a spectacular train wreck.

Six years ago, Daniel had an affair with my best friend, Jessica. He claimed he didn't want to hurt either of us and actually suggested the three of us could learn to coexist peacefully. The idea was so warped it shattered my reality. After a massive fight, I left the country in a storm of fury.

And I hadn't been back until today.

Everyone knew the story, which is why theyd been carefully avoiding any sensitive topics during the initial pleasantries. But here was Daniel, practically begging for attention.

After vetoing the wine, he took it upon himself to stand up and fill my glass with iced tea.

Mike, one of our old friends, shot him a disapproving look but didnt say anything when I remained silent. He just forced a smile and tried to smooth things over.

No worries, no worries! If Sophie cant drink, she cant drink. A toast with tea is just as good.

Yeah, totally, others chimed in, desperate to move past the cringeworthy moment. A reunion was a rare thing, and no one wanted our personal drama to ruin it.

I didnt want to make a scene either. I gracefully raised my glass of tea and took a sip. As I set it down, I caught a flicker of a smile in Daniel's eyes, as if my simple act of drinking the tea he poured meant something more.

I refused to overthink it and calmly looked away.

Just then, the waiters began bringing in the food. I was surprised to see they were all my favorite dishes. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: Daniel had been the one to place the order.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was leaning back in his chair, a smug, expectant look on his face, as if hed been waiting for me to notice his grand gesture.

It all clicked into place. Every single thing hed done tonight was a calculated move to get close to me.

And honestly? It was making my skin crawl.

A good ex is a dead ex. They should vanish from your world completely, not pop up trying to play the knight in shining armor. Especially not when, less than a month after I left the country, Daniel had married Jessica. As far as I knew, they were still very much together.

A married man making repeated, suggestive moves on his ex-wife?

That wasnt just inappropriate. It was disgusting.

Trying to avoid any more drama, I coldly flagged down a waiter and ordered an orange juice. For the rest of the night, whenever a toast was made, I drank that, letting the iced tea Daniel had poured for me grow warm and forgotten.

I thought my message was loud and clear.

But then, Daniel suddenly reached across the table with his chopsticks and expertly placed a piece of brisket on my plate.

Youve gotten so thin, he said, his tone sickeningly intimate. You must not have been eating well over there.

I stared at the meat in my bowl as if it were something rotten, unable to bring myself to touch it. But Daniel, acting completely oblivious, proceeded to serve me a little of everything, piling my plate high until it was a small mountain of food.

Now, everyone was staring.

Whats with those two? You think they got back together?

No way! Isnt Daniel still married?

So what? They were the real couple. If it wasnt for that Jessica butting in, theyd still be together.

Man, nothing beats the original, you know?

Thanks to Daniels little performance, my former classmates were now convinced we were secretly hooking up again. Some even whispered that Id come back to the country just for him.

And the man himself, the architect of all this gossip, just sat there, watching it all unfold with a calm, detached expression. He didnt say a word, content to let the rumors solidify into fact.

I had no idea what his game was, but I wanted absolutely no part of it. I opened my mouth, ready to shut it all down by announcing that I was already married.

But before I could speak, the door to the room swung open.

Jessica stood there, a thundercloud on her face. Her eyes met mine, and for a second, she froze. Then, her expression shifted instantly, her face contorting into a sickly sweet smile.

Sophie! Youre back! Why didnt you tell me you were coming?

She sauntered in like she owned the place and slid into the seat next to Daniel. The moment she sat down, her gaze fell on the dishes covering the table. As my best friend for years, she knew my tastes intimately. Her face went pale with humiliation.

But just as quickly, she shot a venomous glare in my direction, as if I had personally orchestrated the menu just to embarrass her.

A bitter irony washed over me.

The Jessica I remembered wasn't like this.

I remember in tenth-grade gym class, I got my period and bled through my pants. A group of boys started pointing and laughing.

Hey, look! Sophies butt is bleeding!

Ew, thats so gross.

It was the first time Id ever been publicly mocked like that. My back went rigid, and I froze on the spot, utterly clueless about what to do. Suddenly, Jessica charged in, whipped off her own jacket, and tied it around my waist. Then she spun around and roared at the boys.

What the hell are you laughing at? Its called a period. Its normal! If youre that clueless, maybe you should pay attention in health class instead of acting like ignorant jerks.

The boys fell silent immediately.

Later, I gave her a box of candy to thank her. She took it and thumped her chest, promising, Anyone ever messes with you again, you just come find me. Ill take care of them!

I thought she was just kidding, but Jessica was true to her word.

Back then, Daniel and I were childhood sweethearts, practically joined at the hip. Our closeness fueled a lot of gossip. Someone even started a rumor that we had already gone all the way.

At first, I ignored it. But we were still teenagers, and our skins weren't as thick as they are now. Hearing it over and over started to get to me, making me feel miserable and wronged. So one day, after another crude joke was thrown my way, I finally broke. I walked to the front of the classroom and tearfully told everyone that Daniel and I had never crossed that line.

Daniel stood up to defend me, but that only made things worse. The gossips exchanged gleeful looks and started jeering.

Ooh, look at that. Say two words about the girl and the guy jumps up to protect her. And you say nothings going on?

They walk home together every day. Who knows what theyre doing in private!

Hahaha.

Another wave of laughter crashed over me. I stood there, frozen, feeling like Id been struck by lightning.

Thats when Jessica slammed her hand on her desk. She stood up, marched over to the group of guys, looked them up and down, and then flashed a lewd grin.

Ooh, look at you three, always going to the bathroom together. Who knows what you guys are doing in there, huh?

She leaned in, her voice dripping with insinuation. I heard real bros are supposed to take care of each other when theyre in need. You guys been taking good care of each other?

If straight romance was a storm in our high school, a gay rumor was a full-blown apocalypse.

The boys faces went white with panic. They immediately turned to me and Daniel, stammering apologies. After that, they never breathed another word about us.

And from that day on, Jessica and I were inseparable.

She was the kind of person who was optimistic, kind, and fiercely righteous. She was the one who would charge into battle for me.

But the woman standing here today?

For a man, shed not only abandoned her own sense of justice but was now slinging mud at me without a second thought.

Sophie, are you still mad at me for taking Daniel all those years ago? Is that why you came back without saying a word to me?

I was so taken aback by her accusation that I didnt know how to respond.

She seized the opportunity, raising her voice into a pathetic, whiny tone. I tried to talk to you when I came in, but you just ignored me. You just wanted to humiliate me, didnt you?

Her voice rose to a crescendo, filled with theatrical self-pity. I know youve never gotten over Daniel, but hes my husband now! Are you really trying to seduce him right in front of my face?

The room erupted in gasps. Curious eyes bounced back and forth between me and Jessica.

But what truly surprised me was Daniels reaction. He did absolutely nothing to stop Jessicas lies. Instead, he just rested his chin on his hand, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he watched me.

It was a look of pure anticipation. As if he was actually hoping I would try to seduce him.

How could he look at me like that? Had he forgotten how he had cursed me, how he had wished me a life of misery?

I found out Jessicas secret boyfriend was Daniel on the day she tried to kill herself.

By then, I was already married to Daniel and five months pregnant with our child.

She sent me a horrifying photo of her sliced wrist with a simple text: I'm so sorry. I can't live anymore.

The image of raw, red flesh made my scalp tingle with fear. I immediately called an ambulance. At the hospital, I was a wreck, pacing uselessly, not knowing what to do. I just knelt on the cold floor, my pregnant belly heavy, and sobbed, begging the doctors to save her.

Thankfully, they managed to stabilize her. I finally let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

My relief quickly turned to rage. I was going to find the man who did this to her and make him pay. But I didn't even know his name. All I had to go on were Jessicas tear-swollen eyes from our last conversation.

After composing myself, I went to her dorm to get her phone. My plan was to lure the bastard out and beat him to a pulp.

But when I held her phone in my hand, my world tilted on its axis.

The lock screen was a picture of two hands, fingers intertwined. On the mans ring finger was a wedding band.

I recognized it instantly.

It was my wedding ring. The one Id given Daniel.

So the man was Daniel?

No. It couldn't be. Impossible.

My hands trembling, I frantically typed in my own birthday to unlock the phone. Password incorrect. I tried Jessicas birthday. Still incorrect.

Finally, with a shaking hand, I entered Daniel's birthday.

The phone unlocked.

At that point, the truth was already screaming at me, but a tiny, desperate part of my heart clung to hope. Maybe it's not Daniel's hand, just someone with a similar ring... Maybe the password is just a random coincidence...

But all my flimsy excuses were obliterated by the thousands of photos in her gallery.

Over a thousand pictures of Daniel and Jessica together.

Eating at restaurants. Vacationing on a beach. Lying in bed, tangled in sheets.

And then the one that broke me.

A snapshot of a white bedsheet stained with a single, damning crimson blotch. A picture taken after the first time theyd slept together.

The date stamp was from four months ago.

The same day I found out I was pregnant.

I remembered it so clearly. When I told Daniel the news, he was so ecstatic he lifted me up and spun me around. Jessica was there, too, excitedly declaring she would be the babys godmother.

It had been the happiest day of my life. I was carrying new life, with the man I loved and the friend I cherished by my side.

I had shared my joy with them in the morning. And that very afternoon, they had betrayed me together.

What a fucking joke.

The two people who had been my entire world, who had walked with me through my entire youth, had been lying to me all along. And I, in my blissful ignorance, had never suspected a thing.

If I hadn't been trying to play the hero for Jessica, would I have ever found out?

The thought that just hours ago, I was on my knees, pregnant and desperate, begging doctors to save her it made me want to laugh.

But the laughter died in my throat. A cold, chilling thought sliced through my mind.

Jessicas suicide attempt was it a calculated move to force my hand?