Chapter 2

That evening, my friends dragged me out to a dinner.

"I have a severe, life-threatening allergy to mangoes," I told the waiter as I handed back the menu. "No purees, no sauces. Please."

The waiter jotted it down and left.

Just then, a burst of male laughter drifted over.

"Arthur, you've been glued to that scholarship girl lately. What, is your Queen still throwing a tantrum?"

My fingers tightened around my glass, my knuckles turning white.

I tried to tell myself it was just a coincidence.

Then Arthur's voice rang out, laced with a flippant ease. "She's just saving face. Give her the cold shoulder for a few days and she'll come around."

Another guy jeered, "No wonder. That Cinderella you're keeping is way more obedient."

"My hands are tied," Arthur chuckled. "Vivian and I are an arranged marriage set up by our families, you know how it is. Just gotta grin and bear it."

It felt like someone had shoved a handful of crushed glass straight into my chest.

Arranged marriage?

To ensure he—a reckless, illegitimate son of a wealthy family—could stand beside me legitimately, I had begged my father to pave his way to the heir's seat.

And now, all my sacrifices and insistence had been packaged into a "forced marriage" just to score points with his frat brothers.

Across the table, two of my sorority sisters were mouthing words to each other.

"Jealous. Total control freak."

"Bullying a poor student with her filthy money. No wonder he can't stand her."

I didn't say a word, forcefully blinking back the moisture burning in my eyes.

"This is a complimentary dessert."

Lily walked over in a waitress uniform.

The second she saw me, an unnatural glint flashed through her eyes. She lowered her head and quickly backed away.

The grating laughter next door was giving me a splitting headache. I mechanically picked up my fork and took a small bite.

Three seconds later, it felt like a ball of fire had been shoved down my windpipe.

My fork clattered against the porcelain plate.

"What's wrong?!" The girl next to me smelled the aroma, her face draining of color. "There's hidden mango puree poured over this!"

My throat swelled rapidly, instantly cutting off my oxygen. A cold sweat soaked through my back.

"Meds..." I gripped my collar, my nails digging into my collarbone as I tried to force the words out. "Car... hospital..."

"Hurry! Help her to the ER!" my friend yelled in a panic, grabbing my arm.

"Wait!" A figure lunged out of nowhere.

"I'm so sorry, I brought the wrong order! But... you can't leave!" Lily bit her lower lip, tears spilling out. "You can't leave without paying! If you dine and dash, the boss will deduct my entire month's salary!"

My friend yelled in frustration, "She's going into anaphylactic shock! Can't we pay the couple hundred bucks later? Move!"

"No, I'm begging you..." Lily sobbed louder. "You all have money. This meal is nothing to you, but it's life-saving money for me. Please don't make this difficult for me!"

I wanted to shove her away, but the lack of oxygen was rapidly stealing the control over my limbs.

Arthur pushed through the crowd. Lily clung to his back like he was her savior, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Arthur! I really didn't mean to... Vivian must still be mad at me. I just delivered the wrong dessert, and she's faking an allergy to make me pay! She wants the boss to fire me..."

Arthur's tall frame stood firmly in front of Lily, shielding her. He glanced at the seemingly normal dessert on the table, his brow furrowing deeply.

My lungs emitted a horrifying wheeze as I stumbled and reached out to him for help.

"There isn't even a trace of mango on this. What are you playing at?" His voice was as cold as ice. "Vivian, enough."

He swatted my hand away. "You were the one who brought up the breakup. Now you're using dirty tricks to extort Lily? Pay the bill, and then apologize to her."

The air went dead silent.

The girl who had been supporting me let go. They awkwardly backed away. Nobody wanted to be slapped with the vicious label of "rich girls bullying a poor student."

Losing my support instantly, I could only gasp for air like a dying fish as large black spots exploded in my vision.

During a summer in high school, he had carried me on his back and sprinted three blocks to the ER in the dead of night when I accidentally ate something I was allergic to.

With red eyes, he'd sworn he would guard everything I ate for the rest of my life.

Now, this exact same person was ruthlessly pushing me into the abyss of hell, all for Lily.

In this second, my love for him was completely drained away, right along with my oxygen.

A bitter, agonizing laugh ripped through my chest. Using the last remaining shred of my strength, I pulled a few bills out of my pocket and threw them down.

"Now... get out of my way," I wheezed out the broken words.

I staggered out into the hallway. My vision went completely black, and my knees gave out, crashing toward the floor.

But the expected impact never came. I collapsed into a cold, firm embrace, instantly surrounded by an aggressively crisp scent of cedarwood.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room.

Once I was cleared from danger, I discharged myself immediately and blocked Arthur on every possible platform without a second thought.

The next day, at the prep site for the university's charity gala, I ran right into Arthur.

After a brief moment of shock, he raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into his usual cocky, arrogant smirk.

"So, you've finally come crawling back to apologize?"