Chapter 81

Jake's POV

Two years later

The meeting dragged on forever. By the end, I felt like my ears would bleed if I had to hear another presentation. I thought I'd be better adjusted by now, but who was I kidding?

The truth was, I was getting worse. Recognizing faces had become a distant memory. I now relied on voices and the general throng of people to navigate the world. But that wasn't all. My doctor had delivered another bombshell that left me momentarily paralyzed.

It wasn't just the facial recognition - a condition diagnosed way back when I was still with Rose, ultimately contributing to our breakup. Now, I had leiomyosarcoma – a rare and aggressive cancer of the smooth muscle tissue. The smooth muscles, as I learned, lined the hollow organs in my body.

The doctor's prognosis was brutal: less than seven years to live. With that heavy weight on my chest, I decided to live life to the fullest. Since treatment wasn't an option, I poured myself into work, eventually becoming Chairman of Gra