Everyone knew my husband, Max Kennedy, was allergic to women, including me. On our wedding day, when I leaned in with a shy smile to kiss the corner of his lips, he kicked me off the bed.

His face turned pale, and he began vomiting uncontrollably. That night, he moved into the study.

In five years of marriage, we never shared a bed. I lived like a virus in my own home.

Whenever we went out, I had to keep at least two meters between us, and even indoors, I covered myself in raincoats and gloves, terrified that a single touch might harm him.

Then one day, while I was accompanying a deaf client on a cliff bungee jump, Max slipped and almost fell. I instinctively reached out to grab him, but he pushed me instead.

Hanging helplessly from the edge, I looked up and saw him holding the frightened girl beside him, his voice gentle and comforting.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

In that moment, I finally understood that when someone truly loved another, they could endure anything.

So I decided to grant them their wish.

——

Cold wind roared across the cliff. The client panicked and clutched my hand, but her grip was weakening fast.

In desperation, I looked toward Max and shouted with all the strength I had left, “Max! Pull me up! She can’t hold on much longer!”

Max gently released the woman in his arms and looked down at me. His eyes paused on my bleeding arm and bare fingers, and he frowned slightly. His voice came out calm, almost distant.

“There’s water below. From this height, you won’t die. Wait for the rescue team.”

That was the last thing I heard before I fell. The client’s strength gave out completely, and her hand slipped away.

The freezing lake hit me like a wall, and for a moment, everything went black. Dirty water filled my lungs and burned my chest, but even that pain wasn’t as unbearable as his words.

When they finally pulled me out, the doctor said I had swallowed too much water, my lungs were badly infected, and I needed urgent treatment.

But the person who came to sign the papers wasn’t Max; it was his assistant.

He looked at my pale face and said in a scolding tone, “Madam, do you realize that because of your impulsive behavior, President Kennedy almost missed his international conference tonight?”

At that moment, it felt as if I had fallen into the freezing lake again. My heart turned cold, so cold it hurt.

The baby in my belly couldn’t be saved either. It had been a test-tube baby, one I had begged Max for, after enduring hundreds of injections, and because of his indifference, it was gone forever.

On the third day of my hospital stay, Max finally came. He sat in the chair with his legs crossed, his face showing not a hint of concern, and began to criticize me.

“Why didn’t you wear gloves that day? You know I’m allergic to women. Good intentions that cause harm are just foolishness.”

His eyes shifted to the miscarriage report beside me, calm and distant.

“If the child was that weak, it only means he wasn’t fit to survive in this world. It’s better that he’s gone.”

My hands gripped the white bedsheet so tightly that it wrinkled beneath my fingers. He had never looked forward to this child; the only one who truly cared was me.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and asked quietly, “Why did you hold that sign language interpreter? Weren’t you afraid of being allergic?”

For a moment, Max froze, and a flicker of emotion passed through his usually calm eyes.

“She was really scared at the time. I forgot.”

“She was on her period and couldn’t stand the cold. She was helping me, so I couldn’t just let her fall.”

A wave of irony filled my chest. During our second year of marriage, I had severe cramps and a high fever.

The housekeeper reminded Max to use a wet towel to help me cool down. But when my hand accidentally brushed his, he poured the entire basin of cold water over me, and then rushed to the bathroom to wash his hands and vomit.

“But Max, you clearly knew I couldn’t swim. Weren’t you afraid I would die?” In the end, I couldn’t hold it back and asked anyway.

“I calculated it. The rescue team at the base would arrive within ten minutes. You might suffer a little, but you wouldn’t die.”

“Lila Chase, I’ve already told you about my condition. You were the one who insisted on marrying me, so what are you complaining about now?”

His eyes showed nothing but impatience, as if everything had always been my fault. But he wasn’t wrong; I had chosen this path myself.

Max glanced at his watch and stood up. “All right, the doctor said you can be discharged. Let the driver take you home. I have work to do.”

A few minutes later, the sound of high heels and a girl’s surprised cry came from downstairs.

I got out of bed and walked to the window on the second floor. The sign language interpreter from that day stood there in a trench coat, her pale ankles showing beneath it.

It looked like she had twisted her ankle, but she only stuck out her tongue playfully. Max said something softly, then bent down and gently rubbed her ankle.

So, this so-called allergy only appeared when the woman wasn’t the one he loved. It felt like something heavy crushed my chest, leaving me breathless from the pain.

I quietly called my lawyer. “Help me prepare a divorce agreement. Yes, I want a divorce.”

When I returned home, I received a message from Max. “Because of your behavior, you upset the client. I’ll be hosting a banquet. Make sure you apologize properly.”

But what was my mistake? Was it that I shouldn’t have tried to save him and should’ve just let him fall off the cliff? Or was it that ridiculous ‘allergy to women’?

Still, I agreed.

On the day of the banquet, Max and I arrived almost at the same time. Standing beside him was that girl, Paige Vargas.

Their outfits, his tie and her gown, were all royal blue, designed by the same fashion house. It was part of a couple’s collection released to celebrate the designer’s tenth wedding anniversary with her husband.

Between Max and me, though we were only a few meters apart, it felt as if we were worlds away. The glances around us made him hesitate for a moment before he finally walked toward me.

I turned away and went straight to the client, handing her the gift I had prepared. The client was a kind woman. Although she couldn’t speak, she still expressed her concern through sign language.

“Mrs. Kennedy, you don’t need to be so polite. I heard about your loss. Are you all right?”

Paige immediately stepped forward, ready to interpret, but I lifted my hand slightly to stop her.

I raised my glass and gave the client a polite smile. “Thank you for your concern. And thank you for reaching out to help me when my husband, afraid of his allergy, chose not to.”

“But I think that child probably didn’t want to come into this world either. After all, his father saw his mother as something contagious, something to avoid. Being born into such a family would never bring happiness.”

“So, I’ve decided to divorce Max. I don’t want to burden him any longer.”

Then, I turned to Paige, making sure my words were loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

“Miss Vargas, even though my husband comforted you that day, I heard you were quite frightened.”

“So I won’t trouble you today. I’ll take care of this myself. Please, enjoy your dinner.”

The room quickly filled with murmurs and whispers.

“What does that mean? Mrs. Kennedy fell off a cliff and lost her baby because Max was too busy holding another woman. Isn’t he supposed to be allergic to women?”

“His wife was the one falling, and that girl was completely fine. What was there to be afraid of? Why did she need another woman’s husband to hold her? What’s her relationship with Max?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Their outfits match; his tie and her gown are from a couple’s collection. She’s clearly the mistress!”

Paige’s face turned pale, and at that moment, I caught a flicker of surprise in Max’s eyes.

Yes, I knew sign language too, but he had never cared enough to learn anything about me. I looked away, gave a polite nod to the guests, and turned to leave.

Just as I stepped outside the hotel doors, someone blocked my path.

“Lila, do you have any idea what you just did?!”

Max’s face was dark with anger. “Who told you that you could humiliate Paige in public?!”

“There were reporters at the event today! If this gets out, how is she supposed to face anyone again? Who would dare hire her after this?!”

I looked at his furious expression and replied calmly, “Calling it humiliation only makes sense if it wasn’t true. Didn’t you hold her?”

“Max, stop pretending. I know you’re not allergic to her, I saw you massaging her foot.”

Being exposed so directly, Max went silent for a moment, rubbing his temples in frustration.

“So what? Paige is different from you.”

“No matter what, you’re Mrs. Kennedy. Isn’t that enough? Lila, don’t be too greedy.”

In five years of marriage, I had never even received a single hug from my husband. Was that what he called greed? He wasn’t the same man I once knew.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and said quietly, “You’re right. Wanting too much is wrong. So I’ll fix it. Max, let’s get a divorce.”

Before he could reply, a guest rushed out and accidentally bumped into me, sending me stumbling down the steps.

Pain shot through my leg as my knee split open, and blood quickly seeped through the fabric.

Max instinctively reached out but froze halfway, his hand hovering before he pulled it back.

“Lila, stop making a scene.”

“If you still want a child, we can do another test-tube one. As long as you don’t touch me, everything can stay the same.”

He was about to say more when he suddenly turned his head. Not far away, Paige was covering her mouth, tears falling as she looked in our direction.

“Lila, go back to the hospital. We’ll talk at home. I won’t divorce you.”

Leaving those words behind, Max rushed toward Paige without hesitation. I watched as he pulled her close, his face filled with concern, then took her hand and walked away without even glancing back at me.

I stumbled back into my car, and the tears I had been holding in finally broke free. Max, there was nothing left between us worth discussing.

That afternoon, Kennedy Corporation released an official statement. “If anyone continues to speak badly about Miss Vargas, the company’s legal team will take action for defamation and make sure the offender goes bankrupt.”

When I saw that message, I was standing outside the door of Max’s study. He had always hated being disturbed while working, and that room had long been off limits to me.

“Sign this document.”

He was on the phone, his voice soft and calm. “What do you want to eat after the movie? Okay, I’ll come pick you up.”

Maybe because he was in a good mood, he didn’t show any irritation at my presence. He didn’t even glance my way, just lowered his head and signed his name with quiet indifference.

After ending the call, he put on his jacket and turned to me before leaving.

“Lila, I’m glad you finally came to your senses. I’ll have my assistant send you an unlimited card. Buy whatever you like, no need to ask me.”

“Consider it compensation for falling off the cliff.”

He didn’t realize the paper he had just signed was our divorce agreement.

My eyes drifted to the single bed in his study, where something caught my attention. A small box peeked out from underneath. I bent down, pulled it out, and lifted the lid, then a bitter laugh slipped from my lips.

Inside was a life-sized, realistic doll that looked exactly like Paige. No wonder Max had never let me step inside his study.