“You are dying. I’m so sorry to tell you this.”
Dr. Romano’s voice echoed in my ears.
I stared at him, frozen, unable to process what he had just said.
“W-What…?”
“And… I’m afraid it’s extremely rare and aggressive. There’s a high chance… you may not have much time left.”
A crushing weight sank into my chest, stealing the air from my lungs. My mind went blank. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t even react. I just… sat there. Numb.
“You need to tell your husband,” Dr. Romano added. “If you want, I can call him for you.”
I shook my head slowly, finding my voice. “No… I’ll tell him myself. Thank you, Doctor.”
I walked out of the hospital like a ghost. I didn’t remember how I got home. All I knew was that my world had tilted, and nothing would ever be the same again.
For the past few weeks, I’d been feeling strange…dizzy, weak, and fatigued. I thought maybe it was just stress, maybe overwork. But now I knew the truth. My body was betraying me, killing me from the inside.
When I reached the house, I hoped Lucas would be there. I needed him. I needed his arms, his comfort. I needed to feel that I wasn't alone.
“Lucas?” I called out, stepping inside. “Where are you? I… I have something important to tell you.”
I turned a corner just as he rushed past me, not even sparing a glance. His expression was tense, like he was distracted.
“Lucas, wait!” I said, reaching out for his arm. “Please, I need to—”
“Not now, Priscilla,” he snapped. “I have something to take care of.”
My heart dropped. “What? What could be more important right now?”
He stopped at the door, barely turning his head. “Jemma’s in the hospital! She might be dying! She needs me!”
And just like that, he left. No questions. No concern. Just walked out the door for her.
Jemma.
The first woman he married.
So, she’s back…on the very day I found out I was dying.
“Priscilla, maybe you should just rest at home,” Ava said gently, placing a hand on my arm. “Stop working for now. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
I let out a weak cough, then shook my head. “It’s okay,” I told her, forcing a small smile. “I can still manage. I’m fine, really.”
But the truth was…I wasn’t. I was far from fine.
That day, I tried to go on with my usual routine, pretending everything was normal. I didn’t want anyone worrying about me. But the moment I stood up from my desk, the room spun violently. My knees buckled beneath me. Everything went dark as I collapsed to the floor, completely drained and breathless.
My body had given up. I don’t know how that even happened.
Ava and the others rushed me to the hospital.
I was dying.
Later that evening, I went home, determined to tell Lucas everything. I needed him to know. But before I could get the words out… he left. He didn’t even let me explain. He just ran… because Jemma needed him.
Jemma. The first woman he married.
And I knew her.
She was my classmate back in college. They were sweethearts, deeply in love, and I… I liked Lucas even back then. But I never interfered. They had found something special, and I respected that. I didn't want to be the reason their love fell apart.
Eventually, Jemma left him after years of being together. She divorced Lucas for reasons I never understood, and it left him completely devastated.
When Lucas and I crossed paths again, our story began. He showed me a kind of love that healed parts of me I didn’t know were broken. He made me feel special. Cherished.
“I love you, Priscilla,” he once said, kneeling with a ring in his hand. “I’ll do everything for you. You’ve held together the broken pieces in me. I can’t imagine life without you.”
I was floating that day…completely in love, completely his.
But somewhere along the way, everything shifted.
Lucas became distant. I thought maybe it was work stress, after all, he ran a company, and I didn’t want to be a burden. So I found my own job, away from his business, just to prove I could stand on my own.
We both became too busy for each other.
And now… Jemma is back.
Despite being sick and struggling to breathe, I followed Lucas. I needed to see the truth for myself. I drove to where he went, coughing and barely holding on.
Then I saw his car, parked right outside the same hospital I had just left.
I rushed inside.
And there he was… with Jemma.
“She’s dying, Mr. Gray,” said Dr. Romano—the same doctor who diagnosed me. “I’m sorry to tell you this.”
Jemma looked up at Lucas, her eyes glistening with tears. “Lucas, please… don’t leave me.”
My breath caught the moment he reached for her hand and gently caressed her cheek. “I won’t leave you,” he whispered. “I’ll stay here for you.”
And just like that, everything inside me shattered all over again.
