He was still staring at me in silence. His eyes were emotionless. After a while, he rejected my request, “No. You need treatment now.” “I’ll still die with treatment. The one thing I want to do the most now is to have our honeymoon. Otherwise, I’ll have regrets. You don’t want me to die with regrets, do you?” “Cassia…” he said my name and fell silent. From his grimace, I could tell that he was more annoyed than sad. Cecilia was sick, and it was absolutely disastrous news to him. However, he probably just felt a bit guilty after he learned that I was sick. He knew that I had loved him for many years, and it was very tough on me. I could not force him to love me, so I could only use his guilt to my advantage. In the end, I insisted on what I wanted. “Zach, you know that the treatments are useless with my current condition. This is my only request. I’ll discharge myself tomorrow.” He looked at me but still did not utter a word. He had rejected my request partially becaus
I was close to Zach, so I could hear Cecilia talking.She spoke gently and with understanding on the phone. “Make sure to take good care of Cassia. She can be quite careless. Check if she has all her medicine. Since she’s just had surgery, don’t let her do any heavy exercises…”When Zach turned around, I was rolling my eyes. He looked at me and gently replied to Cecilia, “Got it. You take care too.”Compared to Cecilia’s “magnanimity,” I seemed ridiculously petty.I was worried that she might fake an episode, like faint at a crucial moment. So, I asked Sophie to keep an eye on her to make sure that everything went smoothly.With Sophie watching her, Cecilia did not try anything funny. In the end, Zach and I boarded the plane without any problems.Before I turned off my phone, I received a short message from Cecilia. [Take care and have fun.]I thought about blocking her but decided not to. While Zach was not paying attention, I took a selfie with him and sent it to Cecilia.I e
I was stunned, and I thought that I must have heard wrong.“What?” I asked.“I need to go back. Cecilia vomited blood.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Stay here and enjoy yourself. I’ll get someone to book a plane ticket.”He then told Jon, “Take the boat back. I’m going to the airport.”I felt dizzy. Zach had suddenly pulled me back to reality in this beautiful, dream-like place.I gulped and asked, “What’s Cecilia suffering from?”“Breast cancer.”“Breast cancer? Why did she vomit blood, then?” I was doubtful. It was definitely fake. I thought that Cecilia would not do anything, but I was wrong. Instead of making a move before we left yesterday, she waited until we were already in Iceland. She wanted Zach to leave me here alone.She was truly ruthless.Jon looked troubled, and Zach told him, “Take the boat back now!”I did not say anything more in front of Jon. On the way back, I sat curled up in a corner of the deck. The beautiful aurora was still above me.I had alwa
When we were young, Zach, Sophie, Cecilia, Austin, and I were close friends.We were all about the same age, with similar backgrounds, and our families were friends. Since we lived near each other, we naturally got close and spent almost every day together.We remained very close up until we were ten. Sophie and I were straightforward and got along well with everyone. But after I broke my leg, Cecilia started to pull away from us.Things got more complicated when I developed feelings for Zach.Friendships between boys and girls often did not last. Cecilia and I had feelings for Zach, and Sophie seemed to have a secret crush on Austin, though nothing came of it.Everyone knew that Zach loved Cecilia. We all had our own secrets, and we knew each other’s. Austin was the only one who kept his secrets to himself. As we grew older, Austin went abroad for school and only came back during vacations, which caused our group to drift apart.Rosie made some coffee for Austin and complimented
Just then, Austin knocked on my door. I went to open it as I held the phone.He leaned against the door in a white bathrobe and looked relaxed. “The underfloor heating in my room isn’t working. I’ll stay in your room tonight.”I stepped aside to let him in. He was carrying his pillow.He had a pillowcase with a little bear print, and he took it wherever he went. Sophie and I used to tease him about being so attached to it.He placed his pillow on the bed and saw the phone in my hand. “Zach?”Before I could reply, he took the phone from me and put it to his ear. “Zach, since you’re with Cecilia, I’ll stay here with Cassia,” he said.Then, he hung up and tossed the phone onto the couch. Under the light, I could see the fine hair on his face.“Do you think this will make Zach angry? He doesn’t care.”“Even if he doesn’t care about you, he still cares about his reputation. After all, you’re his wife.” Austin’s words stung. He always had a knack for pointing out the painful truth.
Sophie drove me back, while Austin’s driver came to pick him up. So, we said goodbye at the airport.When we got to my house, I asked Sophie if she wanted to come in, but she shook her head. “No. If I see Zach, I might lose my temper.”“It’s not his fault that he doesn’t love me.”“But it’s his fault for loving that b*tch!”“B*tches exist because men want them. They’re around because there’s demand.” I opened the garden gate and pulled Sophie inside. “I bought a lot of gifts. Can you help me take them to your parents and mine? By the way, how are my parents doing?”“A few days ago, your mom and mine visited a church to pray. She also hired an expert to make the house more comfortable and soothing.”I stopped in the garden that was filled with the scent of flowers and turned to Sophie. “Have we gone too far?”“We have no choice but to go all the way. Do you know why you can’t be the villain? Because you always feel guilty when you do something bad.” Sophie dragged my suitcase and
Sophie’s ideas were often childish, but they were good enough to deal with Cecilia.Sophie stayed for two hours, but Zach never returned. When she left, she picked up a brick from the garden. I did not know what she was planning. As I was about to go inside, I heard the sound of glass breaking. I ran outside and saw that Sophie had smashed one of Cecilia’s windows. She winked at me and drove away.Her plan worked well. Zach soon came out to check the broken glass, and he saw me standing by the gate.We looked at each other through the black fence of Cecilia’s garden. It made Zach look like he was broken into pieces.It reminded me of a time when I was eighteen. I had ordered a large jigsaw puzzle of Zach’s photo. I sat on the floor and spent two weeks working on it. Once I was done, I gave it to him excitedly.Cecilia was there too. She looked at the puzzle and joked, “Good thing it’s not black and white. Otherwise, Zach’s mom might find it depressing.”Zach accepted the puzzle
Zach did not answer me. After a brief pause, he went upstairs.I knew he was not that cruel. He just did not love me.I wanted him to say something comforting, even if it was a polite comment like, “How could you think that? I couldn’t bear to let you die.” If a man would not even say half-hearted remarks to you, you did not matter to him.I sat on the couch and stared blankly at the gifts on the coffee table. Mrs. Hudson came over and softly asked, “Mrs. Gordon, would you like to have dinner?”I was not hungry, and the weird smell was still around.Sophie soon sent me a message in excitement. [I got a recipe from Hayden that’s perfect for Cecilia’s illness. I’ll buy the ingredients tomorrow and bring them to your house. After looking through the ingredients, I have a feeling that it’ll be even worse than Cecilia’s concoction.]It was just a harmless prank. The more I caused trouble, the more Zach would find me unreasonable. However, being reasonable did not matter. It would
Sophie knocked on my door the next day around 7 a.m.I only managed to fall asleep at about 2 a.m., so I had a bad headache. I sat on the bed as she ran over excitedly and asked, “Are you busy this morning?” “Go away.” I lay down again. “Come to the city hall with me. I’m getting married!”“Why do you need me there? Am I going to breastfeed you?”“You don’t have milk right now.” I was disgusted by our conversation. Rachel sat up from the bed and asked, “Why are you going to the city hall?”“To get married.”“Shouldn’t you be going to a church for that? There’s supposed to be a priest with a bible that asks if you’re willing to marry this person next to you regardless of… something?”“That’s a religious wedding. Besides, it has to be lawful. What we’re doing today is the legal side of things.” Sophie carried Rachel up from the bed. “Do you want to be a witness to our marriage?” “Yay, sure!” Rachel immediately beamed and agreed. “I want to be the priest who holds the bibl
Cecilia had no shame at all. I would be speechless if this worked on Zach. After a while, she walked out dejectedly with her flowers. It seemed like she did not even manage to enter his office. She stood there in annoyance for a while before she suddenly looked over in my direction. I could see her, but she might not be able to see me. I was on a high floor, and the sun was blinding. Right then, Hailey gave me a call. I knew that she wanted to rant about Cecilia. Sure enough, Hailey started to complain, “Ms. Freeman, Cecilia is really shameless. I’ve never seen such a shameless woman. When Mr. Gordon was cut off from Gordon Corporation, she abandoned him immediately. Now that she knows he’s going to be Gordon Corporation’s acting CEO, she instantly starts visiting him again. I really can’t stand her.” “Hasn’t she always been like this?” I was unfazed. “Fortunately, Mr. Gordon is not willing to see her.” Hailey sounded relieved. “Do you really think he won’t see her fo
I looked at Austin’s pale face, and I was at a loss for words. His argument was reasonable, and I had no way to refute it. I was upset, but I could not cry. I felt a heavy feeling in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. “Look at your face. Have I ever said that I liked Sophie? I don’t like girls like her. I prefer girls like you who are smart, beautiful, and decisive. Why don’t you marry me after you give birth to your babies?”I did not want to joke around with him. It was not funny.After that, Lucy exited the bridal shop and got into the backseat of the car. I stood in front of the bridal shop and watched as his car disappeared into the corner. “Cassia,” Sophie called out to me. I turned around. “What?”“Whose side are you on? I realize you’ve been extra nice to Austin recently. Have you forgotten that he’s a jerk?”“Watch your mouth.”I got into my car unhappily. “I’ll make a move first.”“Aren’t we having dinner together to
I knew that he was looking at the photos of him and Sophie in her wedding gown. Perhaps this would be the only time in his entire life that he could stand next to Sophie while she was dressed in a wedding gown. I felt the waterworks coming. When I tried to look for tissue papers in my bag, Zach called me. He sounded a bit excited. “Cassia, there’s this person overseas who has the same blood type as Austin. He has ALS, which is a fatal motor neuron disease. His family has already signed an organ donation form for him, and his condition recently worsened. He may pass in a month’s time, so I got in contact with them. His family has agreed to donate his heart to Austin.” “Really?” It was good news, and I almost leaped in joy. I glanced at Austin excitedly. He was staring intently at his phone, so he did not notice me. “Does Austin have to leave immediately?”“It’s still early. We can leave when the donor’s condition worsens.” I estimated the time. Zach said that it would ta
Sophie could easily start a fight wherever she went. I immediately went over and saw that Austin’s forehead had turned red. It seemed to be getting swollen. I kicked Sophie in anger. “Is there something wrong with you? What are you doing?” “Why did you kick me? Didn’t you hear what he just said?”Austin bent down and picked up Sophie’s phone for her. “Luckily, your phone screen isn’t cracked. It’s fine if my skull is cracked; it can heal.” Sophie took her phone, and it immediately unlocked due to face ID. Her wallpaper was a photo of Kingston and her. She had just changed the wallpaper yesterday. It used to be a photo of me and her. Austin was the one who had taken that photo. Even though Austin was not directly in the photo, it felt like it was a photo of the three of us. He must have noticed it. He smiled and said, “I’ll make a move. Tell Lucy I’ll be waiting for her in the car.” Austin walked out of the bridal shop, and Sophie looked dispirited. “I was quite happy, bu
“You’re getting married too?”“I’ll be your best man or maid of honor. What? You’re too cheap to pay for the outfits?”“You, my best man?”“Look around you. Are there any single people left?”Sophie rolled her eyes. “Hah, I wasn’t planning on inviting you.”Kingston tried to shake Austin’s hand, but Austin ignored him. Sophie got mad and pulled Kingston away. “Don’t pay attention to him. He thinks he’s too good for anyone. He’s crazy.”“Sophie,” I warned.“What? He’s always acting crazy!” she yelled.I was not sure if Austin really wanted to be Sophie’s best man, or if it was just an excuse to come here.Anyway, Austin went to change too. I could not tell the difference between the best man’s and groom’s outfits. However, the difference between the bridesmaid and bride was clear.While Sophie was posing in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, Austin came out of the fitting room.Austin was very thin, and the suit hung loosely on him, but it still looked good.He had a
Sophie’s wedding preparations were progressing quickly. She limped to work in the mornings and dragged me along in the afternoons to buy wedding stuff.I felt like the wedding was just an excuse for her to go shopping.“This afternoon, Kingston and I are trying on our wedding outfits. You should come too.”“It’s your wedding. Why should I come?”“To help me choose! I look good in everything, so it’s hard to pick.”“If it’s that hard, just buy them all. Aren’t you rich?”“Why are you so grouchy?” She leaned closer and observed me. “Cassia, are your hormones off balance?”“I’m pregnant, so everything’s a mess right now.”After some thought, I called Austin and told him, “Sophie’s trying on wedding dresses this afternoon.”“Okay,” he replied in his usual lifeless tone.“Aren’t you going to say anything to her?”“Don’t eat too much. The wedding dress will be a pain to alter.”I was so angry that I hung up. He was so stubborn. I was sure that he would regret it and cry later.M
Austin was the weakest among us when we were kids. He could not climb trees, run, or do anything physically demanding. Instead, he would play board games and puzzles with us.Sophie always thought that he was smart, and she admired him.I never imagined that someone I grew up with might die so soon.“You should leave,” he said weakly. “She should be done by now.”“Austin.” I wanted to say something more, but he turned his back to me.He did not want to listen, so I had no choice but to leave.As I reached the door, I heard him say, “Actually, this is a good thing.”Was he saying that Sophie marrying Kingston was a good thing?What was good about it?I felt like grabbing Sophie over. I wanted to point at the dying man in bed and say, “This guy loves you more than you know. He helped you test Kingston’s character. He thinks about you all the time. He comes to see you every night using his half-sister as an excuse, but he’s dying. He doesn’t want you to be sad, so he plans to die
“I just went for a checkup.” Austin walked over to me. “Why are you sweating so much?”He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. Honestly, only Austin would still carry a handkerchief in his condition.I wiped my sweat. “I came with Sophie to get her cast off, and I thought I’d stop by to see you.”“Get her cast off? I thought that wasn’t until next month?”“She insisted on getting it off today. The doctor checked, and her bone is healing well, so it’s fine for her to take it off.”“When did she start caring so much about her looks?” Austin walked back to his room, and I followed him.He sat down and seemed a little out of breath. I had already asked the doctor about him. Austin could not engage in any physical activity; he could not even walk fast.I was about to pour him some water, but he waved me off. “Don’t bother. I’m not thirsty. How could I let you take care of me? I might be a patient, but you’re pregnant.”At least, he could still joke. If I were him