When I opened the door, Terrance and Claude were standing there, with Stephanie between them, holding a piece of cake.

"What took you so long? You left Stephanie standing out here forever." Terrance strode over and slammed into my shoulder.

I staggered back a couple of steps, catching myself against the shoe cabinet before I fell.

He didn't bring up the divorce. He probably hadn't seen the papers yet.

Claude led Stephanie inside and tossed the cake onto the table like he was doing me a favor.

"Stephanie felt bad that no one was with you on your anniversary, so she brought cake to celebrate with you. Hurry up and eat it."

The cake had clearly been dropped. It was cracked all over, with bits of grit and a few strands of hair stuck to it. It was disgusting to look at.

They wouldn't even touch it themselves, but they expected me to eat it. It was almost funny.

I was about to refuse when Terrance's cold voice cut in.

"Vivian, are you really going back home?"

So he had noticed the suitcase I had left by the bedroom door. For a split second, there was a hint of panic on his face.

Claude stepped forward and kicked the suitcase over. As if he had seen right through everything, he sneered, "Mom, you're getting better and better at putting on a show. Running away from home just to get Dad's attention? Fine, if you wanna play games, I'll go along with it."

Claude crouched down and yanked the zipper open, dumping everything out.

The things I had just packed spilled across the floor in a mess, including the gift Terrance had given me when we first got married.

It was a small teddy bear holding a ring box. It meant something to me, so I wanted to take it as a keepsake.

When Claude saw it, his eyes lit up, as if he had found proof of something. He picked up the bear and laughed.

"Dad, look! She's even taking the bear you gave her. Isn't this just for show so you'll comfort her?"

Terrance immediately gave me a look like he had expected this all along.

A sharp sense of humiliation crept up my chest. My hands curled into fists, trembling. I tried to speak, but Stephanie rushed in and cut me off.

"This ring is so pretty. It would look amazing on your hand. Are you not wearing it because you don't like it?"

Inside the little box the bear was holding was a large diamond ring. It stood for everything love was supposed to be. It was worth a fortune, limited edition. Back then, Terrance had spent over half a year getting it for me.

It was the best gift I had ever received, and I could never bring myself to wear it.

Terrance used to treasure it, too, never letting a speck of dust touch it.

But now, he pulled the ring out without a second thought and slid it onto Stephanie's finger.

"Vivian doesn't wear it anyway. If you like it, it's yours."

Something in my head snapped. I stared at Terrance in utter disbelief.

He acted as if I weren't even there, his gaze fixed on Stephanie, admiration written all over his face.

"Everything looks good on you."

Fine. We were done, anyway. I didn't need that teddy bear.

That was what I told myself, over and over.

Stephanie curled her lips in satisfaction. When she looked at me, her eyes were full of mockery, her voice soft and sweet in that deliberate way.

"Vivian, Terrance gave me your ring. You're not upset, are you?"

"Why would she be? She doesn't even wear it," Terrance said flatly.

Then he pulled out his phone, getting ready to take pictures of Stephanie.

"Wait, I haven't taken photos of you yet. You look amazing today. Can't miss this."

Claude rushed over to stand beside her, taking her hand for the photo like they were mother and son. I stood off to the side, like I didn't belong there at all.

I wanted to tell them to get out, but my flight was coming up fast. I didn't have time to waste. I forced it down and bent to gather my clothes, putting them back into the suitcase.

Stephanie suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned, cut off the worst part of the cake, and held it out to me.

"Look at me. I got so carried away taking pictures that I almost forgot you haven't had any cake yet. I heard you like grapes, so I had them add grape jam just for you."

I let out a quiet laugh. She was the one who liked grapes. Just last month, Terrance bought the largest vineyard nearby just so she could have some.

And because she complained that peeling grapes was too much work, he made me peel them for three straight days. Now even the sight of grapes made my head throb.

This was just an excuse to make me eat that ruined cake.

I frowned and refused without holding back. "I'm not eating it. I'm allergic to cream."

Claude was young. It made sense if he didn't remember.

But Terrance knew. I told him on the very first day we were together.

And after that, there had never been anything with cream around me.

I thought that would be enough for them to drop it.

Instead, Terrance let out a cold laugh.

"We've been together this long, and I've never actually seen you have an allergic reaction. Stop being dramatic. Stephanie's not asking you to eat the whole thing. One bite won't kill you."

But it would.

When I was a kid, I once snuck a bite of cream. That same night, I ended up in the ER.

After that, my parents cut everything with cream out of my life. They said they never wanted to go through that kind of fear again.

I didn't want to give my parents another reason to worry. I turned to leave, but Terrance grabbed me and yanked me back.

"Can you stop making a scene? Stephanie came all this way to bring you cake. You think she has nothing better to do? She's just being kind because you're alone. You have to eat it."

He gripped my chin hard, forcing my mouth open, then shoved a spoonful of cream inside. I choked, coughing nonstop, my face burning red.

"What the hell, Terrance?" I glared at him, bent over, and spat the cream into the trash.

But some of it had already gone down. I could only hope nothing would happen.

He looked at me coldly, not a trace of guilt on his face. "I've never heard of anyone dying from eating cream. You're the only one who makes a big deal out of everything."

I didn't want to argue. I was leaving anyway.

But the way he looked at me made my anger flare.

Just as I was about to stand up and say something, Claude suddenly ran over with a grin.

The next second, he smashed a piece of cake straight into my face.

For a moment, everything went quiet. When I came back to myself, my vision was blurred with cream.

Laughter filled my ears.

"Mom, you look hilarious like this! I've got to record it and post it," Claude laughed, holding up his phone.

I wiped the cream off my face, caught sight of Terrance and Stephanie smiling, and turned, stumbling into the bathroom.

The tears came before I could stop them. I thought I could leave calmly. But facing their humiliation, I broke anyway.

I had just finished washing my face when something felt wrong. The skin that had touched the cream started to itch and burn. When I looked closer, small bumps had already broken out. It looked bad.

Then pain spread through my throat and lower abdomen, and even breathing began to feel strained.

I didn't expect the reaction to hit this fast. I tried to call an ambulance, only to realize my phone was gone.

My breathing got worse. I tried to walk out, but my strength drained away, and I collapsed onto the floor.

I felt awful.

"Terrance… Help me… Claude…"

Outside, the three of them were smearing cream on each other, laughing and jumping around the living room. Cream was everywhere, the whole place a mess.

I shouted for help with everything I had, but it was like they couldn't hear me.

No one came.

In my haze, I even caught Claude's dismissive voice.

"Mom's probably pretending again. Just ignore her."

Just as the air was slipping away and everything started to go dark, the bathroom door was pushed open.

Terrance thought I had been in the bathroom too long and came to check. The moment he opened the door, a sharp scream from Stephanie came from behind him.

He didn't even glance at me before turning and rushing back.

Stephanie had knocked her knee against the edge of the table. It was just a small bruise, but he panicked anyway. He scooped her up and ran out of the apartment.

Claude hurried after them, worry written all over his face.

The whole time, no one looked at me even though I was already unconscious, suffocating on the floor.

In the end, it was a neighbor who found me and took me to the hospital.

When I woke up, there were only 30 minutes left before my flight.

My father called. "Are you at the airport yet?"

I didn't want him to worry, so I kept my voice steady. "Yeah. I'll call you and Mom after I land."

He was the kind of man who could read people easily. He caught the strain in my voice right away, but he didn't say anything.

After listening to the doctor's instructions, I decided to leave everything behind and head straight to the airport.

The moment I stepped out of the hospital room, I ran into Terrance and the others.

He was carrying Stephanie in his arms. When he saw me, his brows knit together. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom, you really will do anything to steal Stephanie's attention," Claude said, looking at me with open disgust. "You even followed us to the hospital and made yourself look like a patient."

Then he delivered the final blow. "Let me tell you something. Even if you died, Dad and I wouldn't spare you a second glance. Not unless you were as gentle and kind as Stephanie."

This was the child I carried for nine months, the one I almost lost my life bringing into the world. Yet he said something like that to me.

Whatever was left in my heart went completely still.

"Terrance, I'm so hungry," Stephanie said softly, pressing a hand to her stomach. "I want something to eat, but my knee hurts so much that I can't walk."

Without hesitation, Terrance answered, "What do you want? I'll go get it."

Stephanie shook her head stubbornly. "You and Claude have already been running around for me all day. I don't want to trouble you anymore."

At that, Terrance's gaze shifted to me. His tone turned commanding. "You seem free. Go buy something for Stephanie. Claude and I will stay here with her."

I was in a rush to catch my flight. I didn't want to waste time arguing, so I just gave a quick nod.

Terrance frowned slightly, suspicious of how easily I agreed. He was about to say something, but Stephanie called out in pain again, pulling his attention away. He carried her off.

I watched their retreating backs and let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh before turning and leaving that place behind.

Right before I boarded the plane, my phone suddenly rang.

It was Terrance calling.