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748words
Three months ago, I left the company where we both worked. That same month, her childhood crush, Jacob, joined the same company.
From that day on, Emily worked overtime every day—sometimes until 8 or 9 PM, sometimes until midnight. But 2 AM was a new low.
Seeing her damp hair and the scent of shower gel lingering around her, anyone could guess where she'd just been.
Before, when Emily came home late and slept in the guest room to "not disturb me," I could delude myself into thinking she was being considerate.
But now, with the evidence right in front of me, I had to face the truth.
Emily was cheating on me.
I tossed and turned all night, only falling asleep as the sun rose.
When I woke up, Emily was already gone.
She'd left breakfast on the table: scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice, and a bottle of hot sauce.
Having grown uo in Louisiana,I've always loved spicy food. But Emily prefers mild flavors, so since we got married, I'd given up spicy food altogether.
This time, Emily had specifically bought that hot sauce—clearly her way of apologizing.
Under the jar was a note: "Honey, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean it."
"I know your mom likes spicy food, so I bought this hot sauce for her. Please don't be mad."
Reading that note made me feel a little better.
Maybe I'd overreacted. Emily and I had been married for two years—would she really cheat on me just because Jacob joined her company?
With that thought, I unscrewed the cap, shook a generous amount of hot sauce onto my eggs, and dug in.
A little later, Susan came out. When she saw the hot sauce, her eyes lit up.
I invited her to join me. "Emily bought breakfast—there's hot sauce too."
But the moment she took a bite of her eggs with the sauce, she started coughing. It grew rapidly worse, becoming violent. Her hands flew to her throat, clutching it, her face turning a deep, alarming red.
I dropped my fork in alarm and rushed to pat her back, thinking she'd choked.
But after a few pats, she went rigid and toppled backward, hitting the floor hard.
My hands shook as I dialed 911.
The ambulance arrived quickly. Within fifteen minutes, I was in the back with her.
The paramedics said it was an acute allergic reaction—her throat was already swelling shut.
Watching Susan being rushed into the ER, my legs gave way, and I collapsed to the floor.
How could this have happened? What caused the allergy?
I thought about what she'd eaten: the same as me—eggs, toast, hot sauce. She hadn't touched her orange juice yet. So it had to be the eggs or the sauce.
I knew Susan was allergic to shellfish—just like my mom.
But how could there be shellfish in steamed buns or hot sauce?
Just then, the ER doors swung open. A doctor came out with a critical condition notice for me to sign.
"The patient's condition is critical. We need a next-of-kin signature."
"I'm her son-in-law. Does that count?"
The doctor shook his head. "Where's her daughter?"
I pulled out my phone and called Emily. Like yesterday, the first call went unanswered. So did the second. The third one rang for a long time before she finally picked up.
"Emily, where are you? Come to Valleywise Health Medical Center now! Mom had an allergic reaction—she's in the ER!"
I don't know if I imagined it, but I could've sworn I heard Emily chuckle.
"Daniel, why are you calling me about your mom?"
"I'm busy! Stop bothering me!"
Before I could say another word, she hung up.
When I tried calling again, her phone was off.
The doctor frowned at me. "Are you sure you called her daughter? She seemed to think the patient was your mom."
I didn't have time to explain. "Her daughter can't make it. Can I sign?"
The doctor eyed me suspiciously. I knew he had doubts—first I said I was the son-in-law, then the person on the phone thought it was my mom.
"Doctor, I'll take full responsibility for any decision." I raised my hand as if taking an oath.
As much as I disliked Emily right now, Susan didn't deserve this.
The doctor handed me the form. I signed quickly and begged him to save her.
No matter what, she had to make it.
