Chapter 2

I felt better after I comforted myself.

Then I got up early and made breakfast for Zoey.

She came out with sleepy eyes.

Subconsciously, I wanted to hug her.

But she turned away, showing impatience in her furrowed eyebrows.

My Adam's apple bobbed.

In the end, I didn't say anything.

Breakfast passed in an unprecedented silence.

I wanted to say something.

But Zoey's cold gaze silenced me.

After eating, Zoey picked up her bag.

"I have something to take care of today. You can go to the company yourself."

I said "Hmm" and was about to speak.

But she had already left.

At noon, I left half an hour ahead of time.

I went to the hospital to collect the results of my recent physical examination.

I kept a random diet when I was in college.

I barely eat one meal a day.

Since I graduated, my stomach had been bothering me.

Moreover, my already small appetite had worsened recently.

I lost 5 pounds within a week.

A sense of unease grew within me.

Unfortunately, it was nothing compared to what I felt when I received the physical examination report.

I felt desperate.

Advanced-stage stomach cancer.

There was no treatment available.

I clutched the report.

I was lost in the large and quiet hospital.

I didn't know who I could share this news with.

I picked up the phone, and only put it down again.

I was 24 years old.

Nothing was ever easy for me.

It felt like God was playing a cruel joke on me.

I absentmindedly sat on a bench in the hospital.

I contemplated that maybe I should simply leave this world.

But what about Zoey?

She couldn't cook, and I was the one who picked out her clothes.

During social gatherings, she was always forced to drink.

Every time, she vomited after drinking too much.

She would then lie on me like a cat.

Then she would have a headache the next day.

Who would make her chicken noodle soup?

I used to think I was alone and had nothing to worry about.

But I realized it at that moment.

Zoey was my sole concern in this world.

What would she do if I died?

I let out a sigh.

My time was running out.

I worried about the person I loved the most.

I stood up and prepared to go home.

I was about to descend the stairs.

But I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of my eye.

It was Zoey.

My heart tightened.

What was she doing at the hospital?

Was she sick?

Just as I was thinking of that, I saw Samuel coming out right behind her.

I didn't know what he had said.

Zoey hugged Samuel, who was wearing a patient's gown.

She buried her face in his chest.

I was stunned for a moment.

Then I rushed downstairs.

As soon as I reached the ground floor, I gasped for breath.

Occasional stomach cramps overwhelmed me.

I drove on my way home.

My mind was in a haze.

I tried to distract myself.

So, I prepared many dishes.

All of them were Zoey's favorites.

I kept myself busy.

When I called Zoey, it was already 5 o'clock.

But she didn't answer the phone.

I sat at the dining table.

I stubbornly waited for Zoey to come back.

It was seven o'clock.

She finally came home.

Subconsciously, I stood up and helped her take off her coat.

I saw her dodge for a moment.

It was then that I realized something was wrong.

"Where have you been today?"

It had been a long time since I last spoke, so my voice came out hoarse.

Her eyes were slightly red.

She glanced past the dishes on the table.

"I didn't know when you would be back. Let me reheat the food."

"No need. I've already had dinner."

Her tone was cold. "You don't have to make these anymore."

Then she went into the study without saying anything else.

I lowered my head.

I sat alone in the dining room.

The pain in my heart quickly overshadowed that in my stomach.

It was the first time in four years that Zoey had been so cold to me.

She stayed in the study all night.

And I didn't get a wink of sleep, either.

She packed her bags the next day.