Allergic to Me

My husband claimed he was allergic to women. Even the slightest skin contact made him break out in red, swollen welts. In three years of marriage, we had never once been intimate. Even our child had to be conceived through IVF. After three failed procedures, I finally became pregnant with what I believed was our baby. On the day I was discharged, I received a video. In it, my husband was tangled up with another woman in every position imaginable. His skin was perfectly clear, except for the love bites she had left across his chest. I looked up. My husband was standing beside my bed, peeling an apple for me. He wore a mask, his shirt was buttoned all the way to the collar, and gloves covered both hands. He was protected from me from head to toe. The video had been recorded only the day before. Trembling, I reached for his collar, but he violently slapped my hand away. "Don't touch me! Stay away from me!" He looked at me as though I were filthy. That was when I finally understood. He was not allergic to women's bodily fluids. He was only allergic to me. When my husband went into the bathroom to change, I called the number I had blocked five years earlier. He answered almost instantly. "Send me your location. I'm coming now." Chapter 1 When my husband, Julian Carver, came out after changing, he casually tossed the clothes I had just touched into the trash. I tried to stop him. "That was my birthday present to you. You've only worn it once." Julian answered flatly, "You touched it. No matter how many times it's washed, your scent will still be there. I don't want it anymore." Noticing how crushed I looked, Julian softened his tone. "Liv, you know I can't touch women. You just got pregnant. Don't upset yourself. It isn't good for the baby." As though he were comforting me, he pulled a pair of plush winter gloves over his medical gloves and gently rested his hand on my head, rubbing my hair like he was granting me a favor. That small gesture only made me fall apart even more. I jerked away, my throat burning. "Julian, am I filthy to you?" Julian froze, then frowned. "Olivia, I try to be understanding about how hard the pregnancy has been. You need to understand how hard I work too. Stop making a scene over nothing." Julian was the CEO of a publicly traded company. He was always busy. Yesterday, he had even arrived two hours late while I was undergoing the embryo-transfer procedure, claiming he had been trapped in a meeting. But after watching that video, I finally knew what he had really been busy doing. He had been busy in another woman's bed. I let out a cold laugh. "Julian, what were you doing while I was in surgery yesterday?" Guilt flashed across his face. He was about to answer when a bright female voice came from the doorway. It belonged to Tessa Brooks, Julian's childhood friend of more than a decade. "Julian, how is Liv feeling?" Tessa pushed the door open carrying two enormous fruit baskets. Her makeup was flawless, and her smile was radiant. She walked straight to Julian and naturally pressed her slightly damp palm to his forehead. "Look at you, working nonstop. You're going to run yourself into the ground." Julian did not recoil. Instead, he lowered his head so she could touch him more easily. The skin on his forehead remained perfectly smooth, without the slightest redness. My stomach dropped as the video replayed in my mind. Was Julian not allergic to other women at all? Was he only allergic to me? Or was the woman in the video standing right in front of me? When Tessa saw me staring, she smiled. "Liv, don't blame Julian. I hurt my hand yesterday, so I asked him to drive me to the hospital. That's why he was delayed. The moment I heard you had a procedure too, I came over to apologize. You're not mad at me, are you?" She opened her palm. Thick gauze covered her hand, and the small stain of blood in the center made my eyes ache. Those were the same hands I had watched all over Julian's body in the video, guiding him through one intimate position after another. She had injured that hand only because the two of them had slammed it against the bedframe while they were lost in each other. Chapter 2 Julian came to stand beside my bed, panic flickering in his eyes. "Liv, I really did have company business yesterday. Driving Tessa to the hospital was an emergency. Don't read too much into it. "Besides, it was only a minor procedure. You've already been through it three times. You should be able to handle it on your own by now. Stop sulking. Once things settle down at work, I'll take time off and stay home with you." Tessa selected an apple from the basket, peeled it, and cut it in half. She naturally held one piece out to Julian. Without thinking, he leaned in and took it directly from her fingers, his lips brushing the back of her hand. She playfully punched his shoulder. When they were done flirting, Tessa turned to me, linked her arm through mine, and brought the other half of the apple to my lips. "Oh, Liv, Julian and I have been best friends forever. I'm practically one of the guys. With me keeping an eye on him, he'd never cheat. Relax." The heavy perfume clinging to her made me gag. I instinctively pushed her hand away. Juice seeped into the cut beneath her bandage. She hissed and let go, and the apple rolled across the floor. I retched until my vision blurred. When I could finally see again, Julian was anxiously wiping Tessa's hand. "You can't get an open wound wet. Have the doctor rebandage it before it gets infected." Tessa waved him off with practiced carelessness. "It's a scratch. You know me. I hate people who act delicate and make a production out of every little injury. It's embarrassing." As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward me. I sat frozen. "Julian, didn't you say you were allergic to every woman? Why can you touch her?" Julian quickly released Tessa's hand. "Maybe it's because we grew up together. I've never really thought of her as a woman. I guess my brain doesn't register her that way, so I don't react." Was that it? He thought of her as a man, so he booked a hotel room with her during my IVF procedure. He thought of her as a man, so he ignored me while panicking over a cut on her hand. We had been married for three years. I had thought today would mark the beginning of our life with our first child. Instead, it marked the death of everything I had felt for him. Numbness spread through me. I took out my phone and messaged my attorney. "Draft a divorce agreement for me." Across the room, Tessa grimaced as her wound reopened. Pretending it was nothing, she said, "I'm going to the bathroom. Julian, stay here and make Liv feel better." Julian frowned and grabbed her wrist. "You're going to act tough and change the bandage yourself again? Didn't that scar last time teach you anything? Stay here. I'll get a doctor." He pressed both hands to her shoulders, firmly pushed her onto the couch, then strode out to find a physician. Tessa sprawled comfortably across the couch and picked up the magazine Julian had been reading. When she caught me watching, she shrugged. "Sorry, Liv. I didn't know he was supposedly allergic to other women. Don't worry, though. We've always been like this. He doesn't react to anything I touch. But after three years of marriage, he doesn't make you keep your hands off everything, does he? Wow. That would be pathetic." She raised an eyebrow and waved the magazine. "His female secretary brought this in, and he touched it without breaking out. He meets with women executives all the time too. Could Julian really be allergic to only you? That's extreme. It almost makes it seem like he thinks you're dirty. I'll give him a serious lecture later. He can't treat a woman like that..." A deafening buzz filled my head. I could no longer hear the rest. Chapter 3 My heart spasmed as though thousands of needles were piercing it. I fought not to remember, but the memories surged over me until I could barely breathe. Was Julian truly like this with only me? He had always thought I was dirty. By the time Julian returned, my attorney had delivered the printed agreement to the hospital room. I uncapped a pen myself and held it out. "Sign this." Julian instinctively reached for it, but the moment he saw my fingers around the pen, his hand snapped back and his eyes shifted away. After an awkward pause, he forced a casual tone. "What is it?" "A small agreement." Understanding dawned on him. "The Sterling Group deal you arranged? Leave it there. I'll sign it later." I stared directly at him. "I need you to sign it now. Why won't you, Julian? Is it because I touched the pen?" He sighed. "Liv, stop imagining things. I react because I see you as a woman. My allergy is proof that I love you. Don't be jealous over nothing." He refused to look at me and sat in the exact spot Tessa had occupied. Then he tipped his chin toward her. "Tessa, you're my executive assistant. Sign it on my behalf. Olivia arranged the deal, so I trust her. Go ahead." Tessa gave him a playful wink. "Yes, Mr. Carver." She took the agreement from me, flipped to the final page, and smoothly signed Julian Carver in the space provided under the proxy authority he had just granted. When she used his secure corporate authorization token, she finally noticed that it was a divorce agreement. She gave me a meaningful look but said nothing. "All signed, Julian. I'll put it in your briefcase." Julian nodded lazily and finally set down his phone. "Liv, stop being angry. I reserved a table at the rooftop restaurant tonight. I'll take you out for something good." I could not believe what I was hearing. I laughed bitterly. "Do you remember that I just had an embryo transfer? Do you remember that I'm pregnant?" Embarrassed at being challenged, Julian's face flushed and then hardened. "Do you have to be so dramatic? I told you your body wasn't suited for pregnancy, but you insisted. I'm allergic to women, so IVF was always the only option. You chose this. Why are you blaming me now? "I work all day and still make time to visit you and calm you down. What more do you want?" Julian stood and put on his suit jacket. "I planned to celebrate the Sterling deal with you. Since you don't want to go, I'll take Tessa and meet the team instead. Get some rest." Tessa immediately pressed herself against him and tugged his sleeve like a spoiled girlfriend. "Perfect! Julian, we haven't gone out drinking together in forever. Tonight, we don't stop until sunrise." The sight made the room spin. A violent cramp tore through my lower abdomen. Alarmed, I grabbed Julian's sleeve. "Julian, the baby..." Terror flooded his face. He recoiled as though I carried the plague and shoved me to the floor. "I told you not to touch me! I'll break out. I could die!" He ripped off his jacket. The place my hand had touched was already red and swollen. My back slammed into the corner of the wall. Pain stole my breath. When I opened my eyes again, blood and fluid were pooling beneath me. Terrified, I seized Julian's arm. "Save the baby. Please... my baby..." His hand visibly swelled where I had touched him, smeared with my blood and bodily fluid. He shoved me away in a frenzy, gagging as he tore off his shirt and locked himself in the bathroom. Chapter 4 Before the door closed, I clearly saw the love bites covering his chest. The moment Julian disappeared into the shower and abandoned me, Tessa smiled and dropped her friendly act. "Olivia, I thought Julian actually liked you. I had no idea you disgusted him this much. He can't stand even the slightest touch. I used to worry he might fall for you, but now I'm relieved. He really did marry you for your connections, exactly as he promised me. "You're so pitiful. You loved him for years, and he treats you like garbage. He can't even bear to touch you." My vision blurred. The pain was so intense that I could barely breathe. All I could do was beg her. "Please call a doctor. Save my baby..." "Why would I save Julian's child with you? I've been hoping you'd miscarry." Tessa laughed coldly, then covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise. "Oh, I almost forgot. Julian was afraid I'd get jealous, so the fertility sample was never his. If I remember correctly, it came from one of the company drivers. What was his name? Sterling something..." I stared at her in disbelief. "What are you saying? Julian used someone else's..." Tessa crossed her arms. "Exactly. Since you had enough sense to divorce him, I'm feeling generous. Otherwise, someone as stupid as you might have let Julian deceive you forever." She sat down, selected an orange, and slowly began peeling it. "Since you're carrying another man's child, I'll give the two of you one chance. Press the emergency button yourself." Grinding my teeth, I dragged myself across the floor. It felt as though knives were carving through my abdomen, but I used the last of my strength to reach the alarm and press it. Tessa laughed as she filmed me crawling. Then she sent the video to my phone. "Olivia, I never knew you could look this pathetic. I sent you a copy to keep. No need to thank me." My discarded phone lit up. A strange number had sent the clip. It was the same number that had sent me Julian's sex video the day before. I glared at her and tried to speak, but my strength vanished. Darkness swallowed my vision. Just before I lost consciousness, nurses rushed into the room. "She's hemorrhaging! We need an operating room now! "Where is her family? We need an authorized signature immediately!" Tessa's sugary voice floated across the room. "Her husband is in the bathroom taking a shower." A nurse pounded on the door. "Your wife needs emergency surgery. Get out here and sign the consent form. This is not the time to shower!" Julian shouted furiously, "Get lost! I'm allergic to women. She grabbed me and smeared disgusting fluids all over me. My whole body is swelling. I can't come out. Have Tessa sign whatever you need. It's only a miscarriage. She isn't dying. Stop bothering me!" The nurse snapped, "This is not a school permission slip. An assistant can't sign for emergency treatment without legal authority. Get out here!" No answer came from inside, only the relentless sound of the shower. My mind drifted farther away. I thought I could almost see the baby I had never met. Through the haze, I heard someone hurry into the room and say in a low voice, "I'll sign. I'm her fiancé, and I'm authorized as her medical proxy. I accept full responsibility. Use the best team and equipment you have, and make sure she suffers no lasting complications."