No More Living in Her Shadow

Chapter 1

The smoke from the burning candles in front of my grandmother’s grave stung my eyes, turning them red. A bunch of bright flowers lay on the ground. I stared at them mindlessly, my body like an unthinking machine.The doctor’s words echoed in my head, carrying a hint of regret, “You should get hospitalized soon.”I was twenty-two years old, and I had just been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer.My life was supposed to just be starting, but it was already hurtling toward a desperate end. I gripped the diagnosis. There it was—my name, Lynn May, clearly written on it.Henry Shaw gave me that name when I was twelve, after I came to live with him.The other children at the orphanage called me ‘Little Mute’ because I hardly ever said anything.I still remember that boy, who was a head taller than me, leaning down with warmth and kindness in his eyes.“You’re so small. Let’s call you Lynn from now on.”I cherished that name. After all, one only named something if one cared ab...