Part 3A Thousand Hearts Too Late

I was severely allergic to peanuts.

The sticky peanut butter coated my throat. Within seconds, my throat began to swell and itch, and I could barely breathe.

"Trevvy…" I forced out Trevor's name, desperate for help.

He glanced at me and immediately frowned. "Tessa, Giselle went to all the trouble of making these sandwiches. Finish yours. Don't be picky."

I couldn't make another sound. All I could do was gesture with my hands, but Trevor thought I was throwing a tantrum because I was being picky.

"You need to stop being so picky, Tessa. Eat. I'll sit right here and watch you. We're not going home until you finish it."

I looked down at the sandwich in my hand, then at Trevor's cold expression. In the end, I lowered my head and forced myself to take one painful bite after another.

Giselle laughed softly beside us. "See? Tessa's being so good. She finished it all."

By the time I forced down the last bite, a red rash had spread across my neck, and my face was flushed and burning.

I reached for the hem of Trevor's shirt, but Giselle handed me a bottle of water instead.

She patted my back and said gently, "Slow down. You must've choked. Here, drink some water."

Trevor still didn't notice anything was wrong. He just looked at the empty wrapper in my hand and gave a faint smile.

"See? You finished it."

I pulled my hand back.

For once, he wasn't embarrassed by me.

"Trev, I have a lecture later. Want to come?" Giselle asked.

"Sure," Trevor said without hesitation.

He looked at me, his tone still flat. "Tessa, take the bus home by yourself. Don't wander off."

With that, he walked away with Giselle.

I watched them disappear down the hall as my vision darkened in waves. The suffocating tightness in my throat became unbearable, and I finally collapsed.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard a nurse scream, "Someone help! She passed out!"

When I woke up again, it was already dark outside.

My phone was silent. Trevor hadn't called me once.

I pulled the IV out of my hand and hurried out of the hospital. Trevor had told me to go home by myself, so I had to hurry back.

I caught the last bus of the night. By the time I made it home, the lights were on. Trevor and Giselle were already back.

The moment Trevor saw me, his expression darkened. "I told you not to wander off. You were supposed to come straight home. Where did you run off to this time? Tessa, can you stop making me worry?"

The rash still hadn't completely faded. My skin burned and itched, and the back of my hand was bruised where the IV had been.

I opened my mouth. My voice came out terribly hoarse. "I'm sorry. I won't wander off again."

Trevor's expression eased a little, but all he said was, "Go pack up your clothes and things from the master bedroom. You'll move into the guest room from now on."

I paused. "Is Giselle moving into the master bedroom?"

Trevor nodded. "Once we're married, we can't exactly keep sleeping in separate rooms."

The system's countdown sounded in my head again. "Two days and one hour until you leave this world."

"Okay, I'll clear my things out right now," I said.

On the final day of the countdown, a rare downpour swept through Vareston.

An emergency meeting called Trevor into work, leaving Giselle and me alone at home.

She had stopped by to return some documents Trevor had left in her car, but she didn't leave after dropping them off.

Instead, she settled onto the couch and slowly sipped the water I had just poured for her.

"Tessa, Trev and I are getting married. When are you planning to move out?"