PART 2 — THE REACTION
The spray hit my face and neck.
For one second, nothing happened.
Then my skin began burning.
My throat tightened.
I grabbed the edge of the table.
“Fernanda…”
She stared at me.
“You wanted to say no. Now let’s see how brave you are.”
Alejandro moved immediately.
“Call an ambulance!”
My mother stepped backward.
My father didn’t move.
He simply watched.
I tried to breathe.
The room seemed to shrink around me.
Alejandro caught me before I fell.
“Valeria, stay with me.”
My vision blurred.
Then I heard my father say something I will never forget.
“This is what happens when you stop listening.”
Alejandro looked at him with disbelief.
“What did you just say?”
My father shrugged.
“She knows what she did.”
That was when Alejandro understood.
This wasn’t an accident.
He looked at Fernanda.
“You knew about her allergy?”
Fernanda’s face changed.
“I didn’t think it would be this serious.”
“You knew?”
She looked away.
My mother stepped in.
“Everyone calm down. We’re family.”
Alejandro’s voice became cold.
“Family doesn’t do this.”
The ambulance arrived within minutes.
Paramedics rushed inside.
I barely remember the ride to the hospital.
I remember Alejandro holding my hand.
I remember the monitor beeping.
And I remember thinking:
I survived my own wedding.
But I had no idea the worst part was still waiting for me.
PART 3 — THE ER
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