Q3
Hector, standing to the side, gave me an Innocent look.
“Ryan, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t know you were allergic to peanuts,” he said with an
apologetic tone.
“It’s my fault. I’ll apologize on behalf of the kids. Please don’t hold it against them.”
With that, he knelt down on the floor.
The sight made my stomach churn. I turned away, refusing to engage, but Maria slapped me across the face.
“He w
was just trying to be kind! How were we supposed to know you’re allergic to peanuts?” she shouted, her tone sharp.
“Isn’t this just a kid’s harmless prank? Do you really need to overreact like this? It’s just an allergy. You’re not going to die! And now you’re making people kneel for it?
Stop m
a mountain out of a molehill!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Hector sneaking a smug, fleeting smile.
Feigning remorse, he mumbled, “Maria, don’t talk to him like that. It’s my fault for not
disciplining the children properly.”
Tears began to roll down his face. The kids are just so mischievous… If something happens to me, you’ll have to take care of them for me.”
Maria’s eyes turned red, and she immediately pulled him into an embrace.
I staggered, reaching for my phone to call for help, but the children grabbed it and threw it to the floor.
“You’re not getting it! You’re not getting it!” they screamed gleefully.
As I watched Hector and Maria locked in their tender embrace, the room started to spin. My. body gave out, and I collapsed.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on a hospital bed.
A woman in a white coat stood with her back to me, busy preparing medication.
There was something oddly familiar about her, though I couldn’t quite place it.
“You’re awake,” she said, walking over to change my IV.
“Do you remember me?”
Her name tag caught my eye: Elena.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall where I’d seen her before.
When she saw my blank expression, the light in her eyes dimmed.
“Figures,” she said with a faint smile. “It’s been five years. It’s normal not to remember.”
She sighed and continued, “Even if you don’t remember me, shouldn’t you at least remember that you’re allergic to peanuts? Five years ago, you went into anaphylactic shock. Now it’s
happened again. Are you trying to test how short your lifespan can be?”
Her words were a mixture of exasperation and concern.
“Wait… how do you know about what happened five years ago?” I asked, confused. “Have we
11:59 Tue, 17 Dec
the floor.
“You’re not getting it! You’re not getting it!” they screamed gleefully.
1371%#
As I watched Hector and Maria locked in their tender embrace, the room started to spin. My
body gave out, and I collapsed.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on a hospital bed.
A woman in a white coat stood with her back to me, busy preparing medication.
There was something oddly familiar about her, though I couldn’t quite place it.
“You’re awake,” she said, walking over to change my IV.
“Do you remember me?”
Her name tag caught my eye: Elena.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall where I’d seen her before.
When she saw my blank expression, the light in her eyes dimmed.
“Figures,” she said with a faint smile. “It’s been five years. It’s normal not to remember.”
She sighed and continued, “Even if you don’t remember me, shouldn’t you at least remember that you’re allergic to peanuts? Five years ago, you went into anaphylactic shock. Now it’s happened again. Are you trying to test how short your lifespan can be?”
Her words were a mixture of exasperation and concern.
“Wait… how do you know about what happened five years ago?” I asked, confused. “Have we
met before?”
She huffed and slapped the medical chart onto the table. “Unbelievable! You’re seriously ungrateful. If I hadn’t seen you passed out at the Peace Hotel and performed first aid, you wouldn’t even be alive right now.”
She crossed her arms as she continued, “Back then, I rushed you to the hospital and left to perform surgery. When I came back to check on you, you were already gone.”
Her words left me stunned.
For years, I’d asked Maria about the details of how she saved me that night. Every time, she would dodge the question or give me vague answers that didn’t add up.
Now, the truth hit me like a freight train.
“Can you tell me more?” I managed to ask.
She turned back to me with an impatient glare. “New Year’s Day. Five years ago. Peace Hotel. Some drunk guy passed out under a tree from anaphylactic shock, reeking of alcohol. That guy was you.”
Her blunt recounting churned my stomach.
It turned out the woman I had loved and cherished for five years was nothing but a liar.
It turned out the woman I had loved and cherished for five years was nothing but a ligr.
