Chapter 2
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She went to the doorway and saw Samuel in an apron, awkwardly moving around the stove.
The sunlight made him look surprisingly homely and down-to-earth.
When he heard her, he turned with a smile, kissed her forehead, and put a plate on the table.
"I haven't cooked in a while, but I made this just for you, to thank you for last night."
Tania stared at her plate. The fried egg was burnt to a crisp, and the veggies tasted like they were scorched.
She took a bite, grimacing at the salty bitterness, but managed a nod. "It's yummy."
Samuel sighed in relief and playfully tousled her hair. "I'm glad you like it. I was worried I'd ruined it."
He then turned to make a call on the balcony, his back to the kitchen. He did not see Tania's grip on her fork tighten.
She had learned to read lips while teaching at a school for the deaf during her first year of college.
Thus, she could read every word Samuel said, clear as day.
"Lulu, it's been five years.
"I haven't cooked your favorite dish in five years. I tried it just now and botched it."
He tapped his fingers on the railing, his eyes soft with affection, "However, Tania, that silly girl, she'd eat anything, even trash. She said it tasted good.”
"Why marry her?" Samuel's chuckle was low. "The Ferguson family needed a sweet, obedient woman to continue the family name.”
"If you'd agreed to be Mrs. Ferguson, she'll be out of the picture.”
"Come over this afternoon? We can have some fun, like we used to."
He paused, then added, "She'll be at school, the house will be empty."
Tania sat frozen, watching the tenderness in his eyes through the glass. Her heart felt like it was dunked in ice water, the pain turning her numb.
The "fireworks" she thought she saw in his eyes were just part of a rehearsal for someone else.
She quietly got up to clear away the plates, her eyes landing on the fancy dinner set they had picked out on their wedding day. Samuel had promised then, "I want to use these with you forever."
However, in a heartbeat, she let go on purpose.
Crash! The plate shattered on the floor, pieces flying everywhere.
Samuel stopped talking mid-sentence, quickly finished his phone call, and hurried to the kitchen.
He saw the broken pieces and frowned deeply, gently pushing Tania aside to start picking them up.
"Wasn't this our special wedding set? Why did it have to be this one that broke?"
"It slipped," Tania said flatly, without a hint of emotion.
Samuel did not think much of it and said, "I'll get us a new set, just like it, tomorrow."
Then, as if something came to mind, he added, "An old friend from college is visiting this afternoon. She studied the same thing you did at Kingston University. It'll be nice for you two to meet."
Tania felt a wave of cold air wash over her.
She knew Lucy was about to step into her life in a big way.
At two o'clock, the doorbell rang right on time.
Samuel dashed to the door. His eagerness made Tania grip her phone tighter as she sat on the couch.
The door swung open, and Lucy strolled in, eyeing Tania with a look that took her measure.
"So, this is your sweet little wife?"
Lucy moved next to Samuel, patting his shoulder as if she belonged there, her voice dripping with a touch of scorn.
"I hear you're still at Kingston University for your master's? I just got a job offer to teach there. How about you join my class? I'll make sure to look out for you."
Lucy's words were dripping with pride and a challenge.
Tania glanced up, her reply polite but firm. "Ms. Canfield, thanks for the offer, but I've got my own research to focus on, so I'll pass."
Lucy's smile faded, and she turned to Samuel with a look of hurt in her eyes.
"Samuel, your wife sure has a strong will. I’m trying to help her, yet she doesn't even thank me."
Samuel did not hesitate. He turned to Tania and lectured her.
"Tania, tell Lulu you’re sorry. She's a senior student and a professor at Kingston. You should be nicer."
Tania bit her lip and stayed silent.
'I'm not in the wrong. Why should I say sorry?' Tania thought.
However, Samuel just grinned at Lucy, his voice gentler: "I’ve spoiled her. She hasn't had a hard time in the three years we've been together, so don't mind her.”
"I'll go grab my special coffee beans from the study for you. Hang on a sec."
The moment Samuel stepped into the study, Lucy's friendly mask slipped off.
She stormed up to Tania and tried to grab her phone. "Did you just take a secret photo of me? Listen, don't think you can get famous off my back. I've got a deal with a big network, and if a rumor spreads, can you pay the fine for breaking the contract?"
Tania was busy checking experiment data on her phone screen.
That was it — the crucial data that could make or break the new medicine. The fate of the Ferguson family's genetic illness and Samuel's chance to live beyond thirty hinged on those numbers.
Tania's grip on her phone tightened as she glared at Lucy with icy eyes.
"Ms. Canfield, I don't sneakily take photos of people. Show some respect!"
"Respect?"
Lucy scoffed, rolled her eyes, and yanked Tania's hair before slapping her hard across the face.
"You should’ve listened while I was being nice! Give me that phone or I swear I'll ruin your face right here!"
The sharp sound of the slap rang through the living room. Tania's cheek turned red and swollen, her hair sticking to her face in disarray.
At that moment, Samuel walked in with coffee beans. He saw what happened but did not even glance at Tania. He hurried to Lucy and cradled her hand with concern.
"Your hand is too valuable for our experiments. Why get upset over someone who doesn't matter? What if you had hurt your hand?"
Sitting on the couch, Tania watched Samuel fuss over Lucy's hand, feeling sharp pangs of pain in her heart.
Three years of being close, and yet she was still nothing more than "someone who doesn't matter" to him.
She stayed silent, grabbed her laptop bag, and stood up to leave.
Samuel finally spoke, "Where are you off to?"
"Back to school," Tania replied calmly. "There's urgent work at the lab."
Samuel picked up a glass of juice from the table and offered it to her. "Have some before you go — it's fresh."
Tania did not bother with more conversation, took the glass, and downed the juice in one swift motion.
However, as she stepped into the entryway, a wave of dizziness assaulted her. Tania's world turned black as she fell unconscious.
