Chapter 5
He seemed unaware that I was still awake.
Neil murmured softly, “I was impulsive today. I’m sorry!”
“I haven’t done anything with Carroll. I turned her down.”
“Once this is over, it’ll be fine, really…”
His voice trailed off, growing quieter and quieter.
Tears slipped into my pillow as I remembered Carroll’s latest social media post.
“Thanks to someone’s kind heart, sending medicine, flowers, and making soup. My
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wound doesn’t hurt anymore. Love, love.”
I stared at it for a long time before posting a status visible only to myself.
“But I hurt too.”
The wound on my leg had already scabbed over, but my stomach churned with deep, painful spasms.
They say the stomach is the organ of emotions.
Turns out, it’s true.
“Helen?”
“What are you doing here?”
I looked up to see Elon in a white coat, who was hurrying past.
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I smiled at him, “My stomach’s not feeling well. I came in for an exam.”
Elon nodded, “Your stomach’s always been bad. You really need to eat on time…”
“Do you have a scar from your leg?”
I froze for a moment.
Elon smiled too, “I was at the last banquet. Mrs. White came to the hospital, too.”
A nurse called from the end of the hallway.
Elon waved his hand, “I’ll go check. I’ll come back to find you later.”
I lowered my head, waiting for the results, while my phone remained eerily quiet except for a few work messages.
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The banquet was about to begin.
I sighed inwardly.
“Next, Helen.”
I snapped back to reality, grabbing my bag and stepping in the room.
The competent female doctor softened her tone, “Don’t you have any family with you?”
My heart dropped suddenly, a cold pang gripping me. “I’m the only one in my family. Please tell me about my condition.”
The doctor paused for a moment before speaking again. “Late–stage stomach cancer… six months, maybe.”
My brain felt like it had been struck by a
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hammer.
Before the blood could rush out, a thick fog enveloped me.
I watched the doctor’s lips move, but I felt that the words she spoke were muffled, distant.
The setting sun streamed softly through the window, casting beams of light across the
room.
Finally, the doctor patted my shoulder. “…If you have unfinished business, don’t leave yourself with regrets.”
It was like a thunderclap on a clear day. I was trapped in a dream–like daze.
I wandered out into the hospital garden, my mind lost.
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The sky was clear, the air crisp.
Birds flew back to their nests.
I lifted my head, watching dried yellow leaves swirl and fall with the wind.
Tears poured from my eyes, as if the dam had finally broken.
Why?
Why?!
Hadn’t I done enough?
Why was love gone, and now life, too?
I finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. I buried my face and sobbed uncontrollably.
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.Helen? Helen?”
“What happened? What’s wrong with you?”
A voice called, growing closer, and someone shook my arm, urgently.
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