Chapter 1

We were stuck in traffic on the highway when my two-month-old son, Benjamin Wagner, started wailing with hunger. When I reached for the hypoallergenic formula I'd prepared, I found expired dog food instead. I scrambled in search of the formula, but my husband, Isaac Wagner, stopped me. "I gave the formula to Nancy because her dog's been having stomach issues lately. Just find something else to feed Benjamin for now. Nancy's dog cost 30 thousand dollars, so it deserves the two-thousand-dollar formula. Benjamin is a boy—he needs to learn to tough it out." I yanked my arm free from his grip and hissed, "Benjamin has severe allergies. He's reactive to over 200 substances and needs to drink the hypoallergenic formula. He's only two months old! He can't even handle solid food yet! You took his special formula to feed a dog. Do you want him to starve to death?" Isaac frowned, annoyed. "Nancy's parents are gone. Rocky is the only family she has left. What's wrong with letting it have a little formula to ease its stomach? You're a mother. How can you be so heartless?" I was ready to bolt out of the car. "Is our son's life worth less than a dog's?" Isaac slapped me, yelling, "As the saying goes, a baby only grows strong if they experience a little hunger and cold. It won't kill him to miss a few meals. Back when we were kids, nobody had allergies. It's just an excuse for being over-pampered. A little hunger will help clear his stomach. Stop overreacting." My heart wrenched as I looked at my son, who was weak and pale from hunger. I dialed a number I hadn't called in years. … "It's just a can of formula! Do you really have to make such a scene? Aren't you embarrassed?" Isaac ripped the phone from my hand and threw it out the window. It hit the road with a thud and bounced several times before the screen shattered into pieces. Benjamin was crying so hard his face had turned pale, and he was struggling to breathe. I tried to soothe him. Just as I was about to exit the car to retrieve my phone, Isaac shoved me back into the seat. "Give it a rest! So what if he missed a meal? A little starvation will make the child healthier." I retorted, "Benjamin has been without formula for three hours. If this continues, his blood sugar will plummet. We're in the middle of nowhere, and the ambulance can't even get here. What if something happens to him?" I suppressed my trembling and tried to appeal to whatever sense of fatherly duty he had left. "Benjamin had a difficult birth and survived only after spending a month in an incubator. He's made it this far because of meticulous care. He isn't like other healthy children. He can't skip a meal." Isaac hesitated for a split second before his gaze turned back to ice. "Make him stop crying, will you? Nancy's dog just fell asleep. If the noise wakes him, he's going to be cranky again." I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. Benjamin was crying so hard that he was on the verge of suffocating, yet he mattered less than a dog's nap. Five years of love and three years of marriage. Was this all it was worth? Just then, there was a light tap on the car window. Nancy Parmer was beaming as she held the poodle. "Isaac, thank you so much for the milk. Rocky is feeling much better." "Give the formula back to me! My son is hungry!" I cried, my voice trembling with desperation. Nancy blinked innocently and said, "Oh no. What should we do? Rocky hasn't had his fill yet. Its stomach issues have just started to stabilize. If he stops eating now, he'll have a relapse." My heart felt as if it were being crushed, the pain making it hard for me to breathe. "Who said you could take my son's prescription formula?" Nancy's eyes instantly filled with tears. She looked at Isaac pitifully and said, "Isaac, have I caused you trouble? I think Eliza's upset. I'm just an orphan—I shouldn't have expected anyone to help me. "Rocky, it's my fault. I'm too weak to protect you. I'll get the formula right now. It doesn't matter if Rocky starves to death. That's just my luck, being all alone in the world with no one to lean on." Isaac quickly got out of the car and placed his hands reassuringly over Nancy's shoulders. "Don't say that. It's not your fault." He shot me a cold look and continued, "Some people just love to blow things out of proportion, acting like a lunatic over a can of milk." Nancy cast a timid glance at Benjamin, who was crying miserably. "But Benjamin has never cried like this before. Has Eliza not been taking proper care of him?" Although she spoke softly, it was clear enough for the surrounding passerbys who were drawn to the commotion. "My goodness. Is she copying those TV dramas? Hurting her child just to win her husband's affection?" "Who goes out with just one can of formula? She's definitely just picking on the other woman because she's an easy target." "She can't even handle her own child. How dare she blame others?" Isaac scowled and jabbed a finger at me. "Are you done with this pretense? You don't even work, and you can't even manage one child. You're just a petty woman who can't bear to see Nancy happy." I was shaking with anger. I raised my hand to slap him, but at that moment, Benjamin's crying began to fade. His face was turning purple. "Benjamin!" I frantically rubbed his back, but his breathing grew weaker. I bit my lip until it bled, refusing to let a single tear fall. "Benjamin hasn't drunk the formula for four hours. He's in danger! We're stuck in traffic, and the ambulance can't get to us. I'm begging you to return the formula." Nancy cut in with a chuckle, "Are you trying to play victim again? Is your life so miserable that you have to use your son to stage an act?" Isaac wrenched his arm away from me in disgust. "You've lost your mind from staying at home with the baby all day! You're always paranoid and spouting nonsense." Then, he shoved me with sudden force. I pressed Benjamin to my chest, but the back of my head slammed hard against the car door. My head exploded in pain, and my vision went dark. However, I didn't have time to check my injury. I needed to check if Benjamin was hurt. "Formula…" I mumbled, carrying Benjamin as I stumbled toward Nancy's car. I found the familiar can in the backseat, but it was empty.