Ivan remained by my side constantly, only leaving to use the bathroom. He said he wanted to take care of me in Dad’s place, but this was becoming too much.
One day, while he went to pay the hospital bills, snuck out of my room. As I walked along the hospital paths, I felt the sunlight generously warm my skin. It felt wonderful.
Suddenly, a stranger called out to me. “Charlotte, what are you doing here?”
I turned around and looked at him in confusion. “Do I… know you?”
The man’s face was contorted with grief as he struggled to hold back his tears. “Charlotte… It’s me… Theodore Jenkins.”
I jerked my hand back as if I had been shocked. I forced a smile as I joked, “I know. I was just messing with you.”
However, his expression did not lighten up. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward my room. I did not resist since I could not remember where my room was anyway.
As soon as we entered, he took a deep breath and solemnly asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you were sick? If you had said something sooner, maybe things could have been—”
I shook my head and cut him off, saying, “No, they couldn’t.”
When Dad got sick years ago, I thought the same thing. Sadly, dreams would always shatter in the end.
“I never hid it from you. You just chose not to believe it,” I said quietly.
The birthday argument and the incident where I coughed blood during the interview… I had told him countless times, but he refused to believe me.
I kept my cancer medication in every visible spot at home to avoid forgetting them, but he never noticed. His attention was always on Janice instead.
When I got lost during an episode, he was embracing her. When I was suffering and coughing blood, he was whispering sweet nothings to her. So, in his mind, I was always pretending to be sick.
He sat quietly for a long time before murmuring, “That’s because you’ve always lied to me. You were so afraid of death. How could you be sick? I thought you were lying again.”
He asked, “Charlotte, I need to know the truth. Do you still love me?”
I lay in bed with my back to him, saying nothing. Ever since he had made his fortune and decided to marry me, I had stopped lying. He just would not listen or believe me.
I wanted to explain everything and tell him why I had left without saying anything. So I texted him to meet me.
1/3
+25 BONUS
We agreed to meet in an underground parking garage. I sat in my car, repeatedly rehearsing what I wanted to say.
Suddenly, I noticed movement in the black sedart in front of me. Frowning, I called Theodore to suggest changing locations,
A familiar ringtone echoed through the garage. It came from the car in front of me. I anxiously walked over, dread creeping up my spine.
Through the partially open window, I heard passionate kissing. A woman was sitting in Theodore’s lap, embracing him.
When he noticed me, he smirked and said, “What? You can’t handle this? You’d better get used to it. Once we’re married, I’ll bring my lovers home-”
