Chapter 2

I was shivering with fever and didn't say a word.

As I bent down to find my slippers, Sara suddenly spoke up apologetically.

"Aileen, let me borrow your slippers for a bit."

"Anyway, Luther bought them to suit my taste."

I looked up and saw the pink slippers on Sara's feet.

I froze for a few seconds.

Luther came out of the bathroom with a dry towel in his hand.

He laid it over my head and gently patted it dry.

"Aileen, it's going to rain today. I reminded you."

"Where's your umbrella?"

"Don't tell me you left it somewhere again?"

My memory hadn't been good since I got pregnant.

During the rainy season, the weather in Kingsport always turned to sudden downpours.

After getting caught in the rain a few times, Luther had developed the habit of checking the forecast.

Whenever the forecast warned of rain, he would set an umbrella by the entryway.

This morning, Sara called him early.

She complained that she could never find an umbrella at home and had caught colds from getting soaked several times.

So he'd taken that umbrella with him.

I felt awful from the fever and didn't want to argue with him.

I turned to go into the bedroom, but he grabbed my hand.

"Aileen, let me see your wound."

Dropping to one knee, Luther tried to examine the wound on my thigh.

I turned aside to avoid him.

"No need."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you throwing a little tantrum?"

His brow furrowed, and his eyes turned cold and stern.

"I already told you, Kingsport has had zero rabies cases for ten years straight."

"You don't believe me—won't you at least believe the facts and the data?"

The familiar words landed in my ears again.

For a moment I felt dazed.

Not long after I got pregnant, I had a sudden episode of bleeding.

Panicked and frightened, I took the test report to his office.

He offered no comfort, only talking calmly and coldly about the possibility of a miscarriage.

At the third prenatal checkup, the baby was found to have a suspected finger deformity.

With tears streaming down my face, I called his number over and over.

When he finally answered, he said only one thing, coldly.

"Aileen, the facts won't change. All you can do is accept it."

It seemed that whenever it had to do with me, he loved to talk about data and facts.

After a few seconds of silence, I looked up and met Luther's gaze.

"Then what about Sara?"

"...Aileen, do you really have to be this aggressive?"

"Sara was bitten by a stray dog as a child. She has trauma from it."

"The vaccine is only for her peace of mind."

When Luther finished, he reached up and rubbed the space between his brows.

His tone was weary.

"I did three surgeries today. I'm exhausted. Let's both give a little."

"Call the hospital and withdraw the complaint you filed against Sara."

"Sara is about to be promoted. This complaint will look bad for her..."

"I won't withdraw it."

"This is what Sara deserves."

Once I'd said every word of it, I walked into the bedroom.

Enduring the pain, I kept the wound on my thigh out of the way and turned on the shower.

Scalding water poured down over my head without warning.

My scalp and face stung from the heat, so I shut off the shower.

I looked up and noticed the water heater had been set to eighty degrees at some point.

"Luther, I turned the water heater up when I showered and forgot to tell Aileen!"

"Hurry and go check on her, help her adjust it."

Sara's voice rang out, anxious and seemingly careless.

There was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Aileen, are you okay?"

"Do you need me to adjust the water heater for you?"

Less than thirty seconds after his voice faded, just as I was about to open the door,

Sara's voice rang out again.

"Luther, the rain's stopped, I'll head home now..."

"Aileen, it's too late now. I'll drive Sara home."

"When I get back, I'll take a look at your wound."

At that point, Luther paused for a second.

His tone dropped, conceding a little.

"If you insist on the rabies shot, I'll give it to you myself tomorrow."

"Also, Mom wants us to write up the wedding invitations tomorrow, don't forget..."