Chapter 4

The pain in my arm throbbed for days. When I winced while serving dinner, Ethan' s eyes narrowed.

"Stop being so dramatic, Sarah. It was a simple procedure."

Chloe chimed in, "Honestly, some people are just so sensitive. I barely felt a thing when I had my treatments."

Of course she hadn't. She was probably numbed to the gills.

Ethan silenced my attempt to explain with a sharp look. "Just do your job."

The next day, Chloe decided the rose garden needed tending. Specifically, the bushes closest to the wasp nests. She knew I was terrified of wasps, ever since a childhood incident where I' d been stung multiple times and had a severe allergic reaction.

"The regular gardeners are so clumsy," she sighed, lounging on a patio chair, sipping iced tea. "You have such a delicate touch, Sarah."

I pruned the roses, my heart pounding every time a wasp buzzed near. Sweat dripped down my back, not just from the sun, but from fear.

Ethan watched from the veranda, a remote, unreadable expression on his face. He was with Chloe, laughing at something she said, a picture of domestic bliss, while I toiled in fear.

Suddenly, Chloe shrieked.

"A wasp! It stung me! Sarah, you did this! You agitated them!"

She clutched her arm, though I hadn' t seen any wasp near her.

Ethan was by her side in an instant. "Are you alright, darling?"

He glared at me. "What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing! I was just pruning the roses."

"She was careless, Ethan! She knows I' m allergic!" Chloe sobbed.

Before I could react, Ethan strode over to me. His hand shot out and grabbed my arm, the one still sore from the plasma donation. He squeezed, hard.

Pain flared, bright and blinding. I cried out.

"You' re a menace, Sarah. A constant source of trouble."

He shoved me towards the house. "Get out of my sight."

Later, as punishment, Chloe insisted I eat the leftover food from their plates, in the kitchen, like a dog.

I ate, choking back tears and bile. The injustice was a heavy stone in my stomach.

He believed her, always. My suffering was invisible to him, or worse, deserved.