Chapter 2 - The Echoes of the Slap
The drive home was quiet.
Evan had finally stopped crying, clutching a juice box in his car seat.
My husband, Mark, sat in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead.
His phone was vibrating off the hook.
The family group chat was exploding.
"I can't believe you did that, Laura," Mark finally said.
His voice was tight.
"She hit our son, Mark. She left a handprint on a four-year-old."
"She was joking! You know how Diane is. She’s protective of her food."
"That stops today," I replied, gripping the steering wheel.
Mark sighed, rubbing his temples.
"My mom is furious. My dad wants you to apologize."
"I will never apologize," I said clearly.
"And what was that weird threat you made? About the meat?"
"It wasn't a threat."
Mark looked at me, confused.
"What does that even mean?"
I didn't answer him.
I am an immunologist.
I spend my days looking at infectious diseases, allergies, and pathogens.
Diane loved hiking.
She had just come back from a weekend trip in the deep woods of the South.
That bullseye rash wasn't just a bug bite.
It was the carrier of Alpha-gal syndrome.
A rare but severe condition.
A condition that rewires the human immune system.
A condition that makes the body violently allergic to mammalian meat.
Beef, pork, lamb.
Even dairy, in severe cases.
Diane was a prominent food influencer.
Her entire brand, her entire income, was built on barbecue, steaks, and carnivore diets.
She was arrogant, cruel, and obsessed with her lifestyle.
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Nature had just handed her a ticking time bomb.
And I knew exactly what was about to happen.
