My husband sent me to a strong
radiation area for Bai Yueguang
Chapter 1
–
Okay, so, my ex, Chad – yeah, I know, Chad
thought he was being all clever when he
–
shipped me off to the boonies to “tame my wild
side.”
Apparently, I was too much drama for his
delicate sensibilities.
What he didn’t know was that this backwoods
place was a total hot spot… for radiation. Like, Chernobyl–levels of messed up.
Fast forward five months.
Chad shows up with his entourage, ready to welcome back the “new and improved” me.
Only, surprise! I was basically a walking, talking, festering mess thanks to the lovely radiation.
74
<
6:41
“Brittany,” he says, all self–righteous, “if you hadn’t pushed Tiffany down those stairs, I wouldn’t have had to punish you by leaving you
in this godforsaken wilderness.”
“Do you realize what you did?”
He stares at me, expecting tears or something. I just drop to my knees and start bowing my head to Tiffany. The whole “kowtowing” thing.
Chad’s face went slack. He actually reached out to stop me. “Okay, that’s enough… you don’t
have to do that…”
I didn’t say a word, just let him grab my arm.
He had no idea what he was touching.
Every inch of my skin had been marinating in
radiation for months.
Anyone who touched me was gonna get a
く
6:41
74
My skin screamed where Chad grabbed me, but
I didn’t pull away.
Standing up almost sent me crashing back
down again.
Chad caught me, wrapping his arms around me. “God, you’re skin and bones! Didn’t anyone bring you food?”
Newsflash, buddy: nobody showed up with even
a crumb of food.
To survive out there, I was eating worms, bugs,
anything I could find.
A half–rotten squirrel was a five–star meal.
I was a far cry from the polished, pampered girl
Chad used to know, especially when he had
Tiffany hanging on his arm.
I looked and felt like a homeless bum.
Tiffany? Chad’s secretary. She was supposed to
be my personal GrubHub.
I saw Chad glance at her, and she did her whole
wounded–puppy–dog act.
“Oh, Brittany,” she sighs, all sweet and
innocent, “I know you’ve never liked me. But it’s
not fair to lie about me. You’re upset that Chad
sent you out there, so you’re making up
stories.”
“I picked out a ton of groceries every week, and
I have the receipts to prove it.” She pulls out a
stack of perfectly printed receipts, proving she
had spent money on food in my name.
Then Tiffany bats her eyelashes and lays on the
sympathy. “Brittany, were you trying to starve
yourself so Chad would feel sorry for you?
Don’t worry, honey, he’s not mad at you. Just
pull out whatever food you stashed away. You
have to take care of yourself.”
L
Chad’s face hardened as he took a step back
from me, letting me fall.
He hated manipulative women. That was the
last time he touched me. I slumped back down
onto the dirt.
I hadn’t eaten a proper meal in forever. There weren’t any more edible plants or animals left in the vicinity, and I was weak from the radiation exposure. Getting up felt impossible.
Chad frowned, then looked at me with
contempt. “Cut the drama, Brittany. Get up
now.”
Tiffany giggled. “Yeah, Brittany, pull yourself up
by your bootstraps! Remember what you said
about female empowerment?”
Some guy in Chad’s entourage couldn’t take it
anymore. He crouched down to help me.
<
Before he could touch me, Tiffany snickered
again. “Brittany, even looking like that, you can still get men to wait on you hand and foot? I’m
so jealous!”
Three years ago, I was a celebrity. Beauty
pageant queen. It was like something out of a movie. Chad came along and swept me off my feet, showering me with gifts and attention.
He’d whisk me away to exotic locations, fill our
apartment with lilies, and fill the sky with fireworks for my birthday.
Then Tiffany came home from college, and everything changed.
Chad, Mr. Always–Keeps–Business–Separate- From–Pleasure, hired her to be his personal
assistant. He started staying out late, always conveniently tied up with some “urgent” work
issue.
I got jealous and acted out. He started getting
6:42
74
Then my family’s business went belly–up, my
parents died in a tragic accident, and when I
finally made it back to our house, I found
Tiffany strutting around my bedroom in lingerie.
Chad was standing right there, looking like he’d
just rolled out of bed.
I flipped. I shoved Tiffany. I didn’t mean to send
her flying, but she tumbled down the stairs and
landed on the floor.
The next day, Chad dumped me out in the
middle of nowhere. Five months later, here we
are.
Now, the man who left me for dead was
glowering at me. “Brittany, you’re not some
high–society princess anymore. Are you
planning on hooking up with this guy?”
Tiffany snorted.
I gritted my teeth and stood up.
<
74
The mountain path was steep and slick from
the previous night’s rain. I stumbled four times. Each fall left me reeling in pain.
The last time, I slipped and almost plummeted over a cliff edge.
Chad yanked me back and pulled me into his
arms.
I looked up. For a split second, his face was filled with the concern I remembered. He used to lose his mind if I got a paper cut. I’d thought it was my own personal happy ending. Now, it was clear that love was as fragile as a bird’s
nest, and just as easily swept away by the wind.
“Brittany, are you trying to kill yourself? You’re
such an idiot. Don’t you look where you’re
going?”
“Did you forget that this is a cliff? You’ve been
here for five months!”
<
74
Chad’s voice yanked me back to reality. I stared
down at the dizzying drop below.
He squatted down in front of me. “Dumbass.
Get on my back. I’m carrying you down.”
Just then, Tiffany shrieked up ahead.
She’d lost her footing and was halfway over the edge.
Chad shot past me like a rocket, leaving me sprawled in the dirt. My head smacked against a rock.
Chad reached Tiffany in seconds. He grabbed her and held her close, murmuring reassuring words to the scared–stiff Tiffany.
Then he lifted her onto his back and started
down the trail.
Someone asked if I was okay. I shook my head,
<
but the movement sent a stream of liquid
trickling down my forehead.
I touched it. Blood.
Old me would have shrieked and demanded that
Chad take me to the emergency room. I would have milked the situation for all it was worth.
But those days were gone. This was nothing compared to the constant pain from the radiation poisoning.
I probably had five days to live. The first
symptoms were already kicking in.
By the time I limped down to the base of the
mountain, Chad was helping Tiffany into the
passenger seat.
His hand froze when he saw me. His brow
furrowed.
く
“How did you get so much blood on your
face?”
“Brittany, are you mute or something? If you’re
hurt, say something!”
“…You went too far away. You wouldn’t have
heard me.”
My voice sounded like gravel. I hadn’t spoken in
months. Back in the day, I’d taken singing
lessons because Chad liked the way I sounded,
and I’d given up spicy foods to protect my vocal
chords. Now, I could care less.
I grabbed a bag of potato chips from the car
and ripped it open.
Chad’s words died in his throat. He stared at
me, looking both confused and disgusted.
“Stop eating! You’ll be sick!”
<
6:42
74
He snatched the bag away and threw it on the ground. Then he grabbed my arm and shoved
me into the passenger seat. He turned to Tiffany, who was still standing outside the car.
“Tiffany, get in the back.”
Tiffany bit her lip, hiding the resentment in her eyes. She obediently opened the back door.
Chad had planned to take me to a hospital.
But Tiffany piped up from the back. “Brittany, when I fell down the stairs, I got a concussion. It was awful, and I get headaches all the time.”
“If you’re not feeling good, tell the doctors everything.”
Chad’s expression hardened. He yanked the
steering wheel and spun the car around.
<
6:42
3
74
“Brittany, Tiffany has been beyond generous about what you did. She could have put you in jail!”
“You don’t need to go to the hospital. Tiffany
has had headaches for five months because of
you. Fair’s fair. You can deal with pain for five
months, too. You deserve it.”
The car screeched to a halt in front of our
house.
Our house. After five months in the wilderness,
the place was unrecognizable.
My carefully cultivated rose garden was now a
plot of red roses, Tiffany’s favorite.
The swing I had designed was now marked
“Tiffany’s Special Seat“.
Inside, Ms. Davies, the woman who had
く
6:42
practically raised me, was gone. Instead, a
stranger practically bowed to Tiffany.
74)
She hurried to get Tiffany’s purse, and then
gave her a little curtsy. “Welcome home,
Madam! I made your favorite pasta!”
Tiffany smirked, but quickly schooled her
features. She gave me a fake smile. “Brittany, I
swear, she only started working here, so it’s
understandable. Don’t worry, she just mistook
me for you. Don’t feel bad.”
I ignored her and stared at the cracked jade
bracelet around the housekeeper’s wrist.
The jade bracelet was the only thing my mom
had left me. I’d locked it in the safe in my
bedroom. Only Chad and I knew the code.
Before I went into the mountains, I begged
Chad to give it back, but he said he’d give it
back once I repented. But now, my jade
<
6:42
74
bracelet had ended up on someone else’s wrist.
Tiffany saw me staring at the jewelry, and
giggled.
“Oh, that? Chad gave it to me. But it’s a little
old–fashioned for my taste.”
She slid the bracelet off and held it out to me.
“I know you love it, so I was going to give it to
you. Here, have it!”
Before I could grab it, she loosened her grip
and let it fall. The jade bracelet shattered on
the floor.
My mom’s jade bracelet was gone.
I took a deep breath and slapped Tiffany as
hard as I could.
Chad rushed in front of Tiffany to defend her.
<
6:42
Then, he slapped me.
“Brittany, what’s wrong with you?”
