In a single day, Jason and I had fought twice, and my body could no longer keep up. After Jason left, I sat on the sofa, feeling as though my stomach was being torn apart by insects. By now, it was completely dark, and my body and energy were too depleted to go back to the hospital. I gritted my teeth, rummaged through the drawer for the painkillers the doctor had prescribed, and swallowed a handful with water before lying down and closing my eyes.

After a while, perhaps due to the painkillers kicking in, my stomach gradually stopped hurting. I glanced at the quartz clock on the wall—it was...