Allison’s change was starting to confuse Matthew.Nowadays, she seemed to cling to him even more than usual. When he thought about it now though, it wasn’t actually that unusual. Weeks ago, whenever she talked to her doctor or even when the nurses approached her, she would grab his arm tightly and never let go until they were gone, which puzzled him greatly because it wasn’t that long ago that she screamed at him, saying she never needed his help.But now, not only did she retain that habit, but she also insisted that he stayed with her at all times, even panicking whenever he merely went outside or talk on the phone. Her sensitivity levels seemed to have heightened, and when he asked her doctor about it, the doctor assured him that feeling emotional and having mood swings were common during cancer treatment.“She’s going through a very difficult time right now,” the doctor had explained to him gently. “The loss of hair, the drastic changes to her physical appearance, the anxiety conce
“...So that’s what we’re going to do?” Lily asked softly. “All right, then.” Matthew couldn’t even begin to describe how much he missed Lily. He missed her voice, her presence, their warm conversations together... he missed them all. One year ago, they’d been like two broken souls who met each other by chance and noticed the respective scars in their hearts. At first, they started out with wariness, but after a few drinks, they became comfortable with each other’s company as they vented out their sorrows by talking. It had been a simple meeting, but it turned out to be the start of their own love story. Having exchanged phone numbers after that day, they began meeting up at the same bar, but this time in a private VIP room where they could talk to their heart’s content. It had relieved Matthew greatly to finally have someone he could talk to, someone whom he could unconsciously trust with his burdens. “I wonder why it’s so easy to talk to you about my problems...” Matthew had ment
“What, are you crazy?!” Bryce’s tone was filled with shock and bewilderment. “Why would you tell the Chairman the truth? Aren’t you already aware of what he’s capable of?!”Matthew said nothing, and that seemed to stir up Bryce’s annoyance even more.“Matt, he’s more than capable of tracking you down there and taking you away by force,” Bryce said seriously. “You know how much the Chairman hates bad publicity. He already let you off easy with your divorce years ago, but if you plan on getting strike two, the Chairman will get really angry this time.”“I’ll talk to him, Bryce,” Matthew said quietly. “I can’t just leave Allison here all alone… She needs me.”“Your company and Lily need you, too,” Bryce reminded him. “Why would you care so much for someone who didn’t even try to contact you for six years already? She was the one who left you and broke your heart, yet you’re placing her feelings above everyone else?”“Bryce,” Matthew said solemnly. “Don’t talk about her like that. Don’t yo
As the days passed by, the two of them were slowly changing. As they spent more time with each other, the comfort that was once there between them years ago now rose to the surface, rising from its dormancy. Sometimes, it felt like they were back in the past again, before they got married.Like they were teenagers again.“Do you still remember our promise back when you turned 18?” Matthew asked her one day while preparing for her to take her antibiotics.“Our promise?” Allison asked, sitting up weakly in bed with a slightly confused expression on her face. “Oh… that one?”“Yeah.” Matthew went to her bedside and gave her a glass of water along with a medicine pill. “Still remember?”Allison nodded slowly. “When we turn 30…”“…we’ll go somewhere far away,” Matthew finished in a soft voice. “Like the beach.”A tender smile curved Allison’s lips. “We’ll sit on the sand and watch the sunset…”“Wait for the stars to appear at night…”“And then we’ll make a wish on a shooting star.” A poigna
“I met her at a bar.”Allison’s eyes grew wide in shock. “A—A bar?” she repeated, unsure if she heard it right.Since when did Matthew like coming to bars?Were there a lot of things that she didn’t know about him, after all?“Yeah, I used to drink a lot back then, when you…” Matthew’s voice trailed off before he could finish his sentence, and the atmosphere between them suddenly shifted into a heavy kind of awkwardness. “Well, yeah. At that time, I would usually take Bryce with me so he could drive me home. I stopped drinking there after a few months though with the decision that I’d bury myself in work instead. But five years later, I came back to that same bar to drink away my stress, and then I saw her.”Allison swallowed heavily, but she forced herself to listen. After all, she hadn’t seen Matthew in a long time, and there were probably a lot of things that happened to him during this period.She wanted to catch up to him.She wanted to be a part of his life again.For about two
Matthew left it at that since it was time for Allison to go to sleep. When she closed her eyes, he was about to leave for a moment when she suddenly spoke, her voice resounding in the otherwise silent room. “Do you love her more than you loved me back then?” Matthew froze in his spot. Allison waited for his response with a heavy, anxious heart. She knew that she was starting to tread on dangerous territory with this one, but she couldn’t help it. Every day, every night, she dreaded him leaving her. She had left him once, and that made her harbor such deep regrets in her heart which she carried with her for years. If he was the one who left her this time, it would make her break down in an instant. Hearing Matthew talk about Lily and how they first met made her heart ache. Their love story seemed like it was arranged by fate, while hers and his story began in a mundane manner. After Matthew had asked her to become his private tutor, both he and Allison benefited greatly from the
Allison didn’t know if it was because of what she said to Matthew, but she could tell that something had changed between them. It was subtle, but noticeable.He had become… more indulgent. More reassuring.Like she would break if he ever said the wrong thing.And every small move she did made him panic.Allison didn’t know what to think of that.Had she made him too conscious and careful that he was beginning to tread on eggshells around her?But she didn’t want him to feel forced around her. That wasn’t her intention at all.Yet, at the same time, it felt like this was the only way she could keep him with her all the time, no matter how wrong that truly sounded.“Are you okay?” he asked in concern. “Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Do you have any cravings?”“I’m fine, Matt,” Allison assured.“But… you look paler than usual,” he said hesitantly.“I’m just a little tired. The chemo is draining me a lot.”“I thought you were getting better.”“Not really… Well, I don’t know.” She gave a
As Matthew observed Allison’s condition each day, he felt like something was a little off.It didn’t seem like she was getting better or worse, but it was as though her state turned stagnant with no improvement whatsoever.He was starting to become worried.The doctor mentioned to him that Allison wasn’t responding much to the treatment, though they managed to reduce a good number of leukemia cells from her body. She was out of danger, but they were all still observing and working hard to figure out a proper solution.The doctor even mentioned that they might try another treatment on Allison after a few weeks of rest from the chemo. After all, her body needed time to produce new healthy cells. But before that, they had to reduce as many leukemia cells as possible so that the rest would be eliminated through consolidation therapy.Basically, the possibility of remission was there, but at this point, it was uncertain.Every day, Matthew began to dread. He hadn’t been so worried in the b
Two days had passed since that night.After Allison had spotted the suspicious pair of men, she and Matthew decided to watch them for a while to see if they might do anything alarming.Fortunately, the men seemed to keep their distance and only whispered to each other. They followed Zoren and Jane for a while before the couple finally disappeared into a crowd in the town square, and that was the end of it.Allison had briefly considered telling Jane about it, but now that she thought about it, she hadn’t been able to get the woman’s contact number. Matthew had no details, either.‘It’s probably nothing,’ Allison thought to herself.Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she wanted to believe that her mini-vacation with Matthew would not turn out badly in the end.Maybe it was just a coincidence that those two men were staring at Jane and Zoren and were merely walking in the same direction.Maybe she and Matthew were just making a big deal out of nothing…But despite her thoughts, she
Jane laughed. “Silly. You should call her Mrs. Laurier!” she scolded playfully. “They’re married.”“Oh.” But Zoren didn’t look apologetic at all. “Sorry about that.”“It’s fine.” It was Matthew who spoke, and his tone was polite.“So!” Jane said, smiling. It was weird for Allison to see her like this. She wasn’t usually this pleasant. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Why don’t the four of us go on a double date? You two must be here for a vacation too, right? Like we are?”“Well…” Allison began hesitantly.“That sounds good,” Matthew interjected with a smile. “How about dinner tomorrow? They don’t have any fancy restaurants here, but we could find someplace nice.”“Oh, you’re right.” Jane nodded. “My darling here made me go on a vacation in a small city like this. I refused at first, but he managed to persuade me. It was going to be romantic, he said. It was going to be just the two of us, he said! So I agreed. But I don’t know anyone in here and the places are too small and not very fa
Allison was caught off guard for several reasons.First, she did not expect to run into a former classmate in a city like this. Second, she did not expect to have a reunion with that same classmate with Matthew currently at her side.And third, she did not expect to run into Jane Winters, of all people.Back in high school, the popular girl was Reva Winters. She was a beautiful girl who came from a wealthy family, and she had it all: the beauty, the brains, and the talent. She was admired and envied by many.But while Reva was the popular one, her twin sister, Jane, was the opposite. The two were fraternal twins, with Reva having a soft, gentle beauty but an outspoken personality.Jane, however, had a fierce appearance compared to her sister, and she often exuded an intimidating aura. Although she looked ordinary at first glance, keeping her brown hair short and wearing glasses, she was known in school as a promising athlete. In fact, she had won several martial arts competitions in t
His words brought a smile to her face.The two of them were different in this way. At times, she preferred to be pragmatic and to stick to the cold, hard facts.Matthew, on the other hand, often preferred to think positively and see things in a different light. He knew that real life wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows, but he just believed that having a good mindset was a better way of navigating through life.He barely held any grudges towards anyone and rarely got angry. Although he had a tumultuous relationship with his parents, he was still polite towards them and made sure to fulfill his duties.“Remember when you used to read my stories?” she said softly. “I mentioned to you that I was going to pursue something that wasn’t my hobby or passion, but you encouraged me to write and enjoy what I liked. You also assured me that things would work out in the end.”Her gaze lowered.“I wonder, if I had decided to listen to you, would I have been happier in the past? But right now, even tho
Their little vacation went better than they had expected.Matthew took Allison’s hand as they walked down the main street of this small countryside town. They walked along the cobblestone sidewalks, seeing colorful storefronts and passing beautiful old buildings.They had been cooped up in the big city for so long that they enjoyed being in a much more peaceful area. They had already spent the morning wandering in and out of various shops, also stopping at a café for coffee and pastries.As the afternoon sun began to set, Matthew turned to Allison.“Do you want to hang out at Lake Mendel?” he offered. “We can relax and take in the surroundings.”Allison thought about it for a moment. “That sounds like a nice date, but isn’t it a little hot out for a picnic by the lake?”“Is it hot out?” Matthew looked up at the sun shining brightly on them. “I don’t think it’s that hot right now. But would you rather be indoors?”“Come to think of it, it is a nice day for a picnic,” Allison finally ag
Matthew sat down beside her on the grass. It was currently nighttime, and the garden was illuminated by the soft glowing outdoor lights, making it look like it came right out of a serene painting. The sky was beautiful, with a spray of stars across the dark expanse and the clouds drifting lazily across the bright crescent moon.He could feel Allison tensing beside him, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she continued to stare at the flowers as though they were the most fascinating thing in the world.She was pointedly not looking at him, which made him feel a bit sad. At this moment, even though they were physically close, it felt like there was an invisible wall between them, distancing them from each other.Finally, he heard her sigh softly before she turned to him with teary eyes. He didn’t say a word, just reached out and wiped the tears using his thumb, waiting for her to make the first move.Maybe she thought that he hated her now, but that was far from the truth. His love fo
When he opened his eyes, he felt much better. The headache was gone, and the unnatural tension in his chest faded into nothingness. His mind was clear as his vision slowly adjusted to his surroundings.He could hear Allison’s voice saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear it for a moment. Instead, he slowly turned his head to face her, unable to speak.Because what else could he say?This was such a strange phenomenon.It was as if he had awakened from a long dream, from a completely different life, and then suddenly jerked awake to realize that it was all a nightmare.Because it did seem like a nightmare. A terrible one, to be exact.“Why?” he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.Allison looked startled at this. “What?” She scooted closer to him, scrutinizing his expression. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”He felt like his throat was a little dry, so he nodded. It would help if he could talk to her properly without any interruptions.She nodded and quickly took the pitcher f
[A rewind back to the original timeline…]-Matthew closed his eyes before Allison did. He took a deep breath, wondering why he was even doing this.But he was desperate. He wanted something at least, even a miracle. He couldn’t bear to see Allison suffer any longer. He just wanted to increase the possibility that she would be cured.So even if it was something ‘silly’ like this, it didn’t matter. At least he tried.Who knows, right?What if miracles really did exist?Matthew thought of it that way, but to his surprise, his real thoughts surfaced, and they were quite different from what he had expected.‘I wish… that I could turn back time.’He took a deep breath, still keeping his eyes closed.‘I wish I could go back to those days when we were in love. When she was still in love with me.’‘When things were still good between us.’He tried to suppress the emotions that surfaced in his heart.‘I wish I could have a second chance with her. I wish that we hadn’t wasted too much time.’‘B
Allison was devastated.How could she have let this happen? She had sworn to herself that she would look after Matthew, that she would make sure he didn’t suffer the way she had.But she failed. All she could do was stand there, frozen in shock, as he stumbled and fell to the ground. All she could do was scream and hold him in her arms, crying for him to wake up.She had never been so relieved to hear his heart beating steadily.She immediately called for help from passersby, who quickly entered the hospital and alerted the guards and nurses. In no time, Matthew was lifted from the ground and examined by the doctors.He just fainted, they said. A result of stress and mental exhaustion. Probably also from fatigue and hunger.Allison couldn’t bring herself to believe any of it. After all, Matthew’s symptoms were erratic. His headaches did not occur at reasonable times. He ate three times a day, exercised, and managed his stress. He was perfectly healthy.But even though she told the doc