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.
It turned out that while I spent countless nights alone, he had been next door, satisfying himself with another woman.
After putting the box back, I ignored his assistant’s call and threw away those ridiculous raincoats and gloves. I didn’t stay any longer; I packed my things and left the house that had been my home for five years.
Just then, a message popped up from a bar owner I had worked with before. He said there was a masked-themed wine tasting that night, with new bottles to try, and invited me to join.
I slipped into the dress Max always hated, the one that showed my shoulders and collarbones. Letting my hair fall freely, the way he never liked, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and felt a strange lightness in my chest.
When I arrived at the bar, the first thing I saw was Paige arguing with a waiter. “The private room upstairs is empty! Why can’t I have it? I want that one!”
The waiter saw me, quickly bowed, and said helplessly, “Sorry, that room is reserved for Miss Chase; she’s our boss’s partner.”
Paige turned toward me, her eyes full of contempt. “Lila, I thought that fall from the cliff would finally wake you up.”
“Max doesn’t care about you at all. He won’t even touch you. Even if you followed us here, he still wouldn’t look at you.”
I didn’t look at her. Instead, I calmly put on the queen mask and said, “Tonight, the drinks are on me.”
“Go put up a sign at the door: this lady and dogs are not allowed in.”
The waiter understood right away and was about to call security to have them removed.
Just then, Max walked in.
“Max, they’re mistreating customers here. I came first, but they wouldn’t let me have the private room. And this woman, she called me a dog and tried to kick me out!”
Max didn’t even look at me. He asked the waiter coldly, “How much did she invest?”
“Five hundred thousand…”
Ten minutes later, Max’s assistant came in carrying two boxes full of cash.
Max grabbed a handful of stacks and slammed them one by one onto my head. “Here’s one million. Take it and get lost. Is that enough for you?”
The sound of bills hitting the table drew everyone’s attention; all eyes turned toward us. The waiter, unable to stand it any longer, quietly reminded him, “Mr. Kennedy, she’s not just a partner, she’s your wife…”
Max let out a short laugh, his tone cold and mocking. “No wonder she’s so full of herself, an acquaintance of Lila?”
In that moment, dressed like I was, he didn’t even recognize me.
“I’m telling you, if Paige wants something, even if it belonged to Lila’s own mother, she’d still have to move aside!”
I turned to leave, but Max’s lazy voice stopped me.
“Did I say you could go? Is that how you run a business?”
“Isn’t one million enough to make you apologize to Paige Vargas? Kneel and bark twice, and I’ll let you go.”
My hands curled into fists.
The waiter froze, shocked by what he had just seen. He had never witnessed something so humiliating before and tried to help me remove the mask.
“Mr. Kennedy, this isn’t right, she really is your…”
Before he could finish, Paige quickly wrapped her arm around Max’s and gave me a mocking look.
“Forget it, Max. Is she even worth a million? Let’s just go get something to eat.”
“Only a lonely old woman would come here at this hour to drown her misery. That private room is dirty anyway.”
Max’s face finally relaxed a little. “All right, do as you please.”
“Tell your boss to throw this woman out. Kennedy Corporation will pay the penalty. If not, this bar won’t open again.”
Without looking back, he left with Paige.
I looked at Max and Paige holding hands tightly as they leaned against each other, and my heart went completely cold.
The bar owner came running after hearing the noise. She was an old friend of mine and started cursing Max angrily, calling him a monster.
She couldn’t understand why I didn’t just take off my mask and make those two lose face.
“What difference would it make if I did or didn’t?”
She stayed quiet for a moment before sighing. “A man who won’t even let you touch him, what did you ever see in marrying him?”
I gently swirled my glass, watching the red wine shimmer under the light. It looked just like the blood Max had once shed for me when he was still a boy.
After his parents went bankrupt, they had no choice but to end their lives.
The old butler, driven by greed, sold Max like a toy. I was the little slave bought by that rich man.
To avoid being poisoned mute, I pretended to be unable to speak and only used sign language. Max stabbed the rich man in defiance and was beaten again and again, left to starve over and over.
I couldn’t stand to watch such a beautiful boy die so miserably, so I shared my food with him every day. He was the only one who knew I could speak.
One night, when no one was around, I secretly set him free. But we were caught, and the rich man almost beat me to death on the spot. Max threw himself over me, shielding me from the blows, and his blood splattered across my face.
That was the first time I ever felt someone treated me like a real person.
Later, his aunt came with people to save him, and the rich man’s house was raided by the police. But we never got the chance to say goodbye.
Still, I could never forget that night, the weak sound of his voice through the pain, saying, “We have to live… grow up… and when I’m older, I’ll marry you.”
I could no longer remember how I made it through all the hardships to find him again, just as Max had long forgotten the little mute girl from back then.
The day I returned with my visa, a group of strangers dragged me to the rooftop of an abandoned building on the edge of town.
Paige’s hands were tied as she hung outside the building, yet she was smiling.
“The main character is here, let the show begin.”
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hall, and soon Max appeared with his men.
“What are you doing?!”
“Max, Lila is angry because you ignored her to save me that day, and she wants to throw me off! Please, save me!” Paige cried.
For the first time, I saw a cold, dangerous look in Max’s eyes, and it was aimed at me.
He ordered his guards to take down the men and ran straight to Paige, pulling her up without hesitation.
He held her tightly, his face pale with fear, as if she were the most precious thing in his world.
“Thank goodness you’re safe. I won’t ever let you be in danger again.”
It was exactly the same as that time long ago.
As he brushed past me, I instinctively grabbed his hand. “Max, it wasn’t me.”
His face went white. Fighting the nausea that twisted through him, he threw my hand away.
The slap came suddenly, hard and sharp across my face. “Get away! Don’t touch me! You make me sick!”
“Paige would never lie to me. She’s the kindest girl I know.”
Blood slowly trickled from the corner of my mouth, and at that moment, I no longer wanted to explain anything.
“Lila, everyone has to face the consequences of their own actions; you’re no exception.”
“Break her hand. Make sure she remembers this lesson and never dares to touch Paige again.”
The bodyguards forced me to the ground as the iron rods came down on my arms again and again. The sound of bones cracking filled the air, and the burning pain made my vision blur.
In that haze, it felt like I was back on that night when Max had taken the beating for me. My mind drifted as I softly hummed the lullaby I had made up long ago.
Back then, he had been beaten until he lost consciousness, and I had been terrified, terrified that he wouldn’t wake up, and that there was nothing I could do to help him.
I could only stay by his side, softly singing to him, hoping it might ease even a little of his pain.
Max froze for a moment, his expression unreadable. “This tune… it sounds kind of familiar…”
He took a small step closer, trying to listen, but Paige clung to his arm.
“Max, my arm hurts so much.”
Max’s face turned cold again. He took off his coat and gently draped it over her shoulders.
“Lila, this is the last time.”
When the final rod came down, I thought, Max, I don’t owe you anything anymore.
The bar owner rushed in and took me to the hospital to set my broken bones. She didn’t trust me to stay alone, and a few days later, she came with me on a plane heading overseas.
……
Max sat in his office, his mind tangled with the gossip he’d just overheard from his employees.
“Did you hear? She got jealous and tried to push Miss Vargas off a building. Crazy, right?”
“No wonder the President won’t touch her. Even that lost child came from IVF. People say the allergy is fake, that he just finds her disgusting. Can you imagine? Married five years and still untouched…”
His mood was complicated, realizing this was how everyone spoke of Lila behind his back.
He knew his allergy came from the trauma he had carried since childhood, but things couldn’t go on like this forever.
Lila hadn’t reached out to him for days, for the first time. Maybe he should give her a real child, just to silence everyone once and for all.
For the first time, he contacted Calvin, who had also once been trapped by that wealthy man and had now managed to move on with his life.
When Calvin heard what he said, he congratulated him again and again, even saying he wanted to see a photo of the little mute.
Max sent him a picture of himself with Paige.
Half a minute later, a reply came. [Max, I think you’ve made a mistake. This girl is definitely not the little mute.]
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