Chapter 3

I told her about my illness.

Looking at the thick stack of medical reports in her hands, the usually talkative Stephanie fell silent for a rare five minutes.

When she finally spoke, tears came with the words.

"No way. You're so young—how could you get something this serious?"

"If anyone should have it, it should be Sebastian. Are you sure they didn't make a mistake?"

I patted the back of her hand.

"I was just as devastated as you are when I first found out."

She asked again.

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"Madison knows too."

Stephanie couldn't believe it. "Hope, she knows, and you still didn't tell me."

I winked playfully. "So, is my acting any good?"

Her nose stung. "You could win an Oscar for Best Actress."

"Is there really no hope of a cure?"

I gave a wry smile and explained, "You're forgetting—I'm a doctor."

"You shouldn't be hiding it from Sebastian. He'll go crazy when he learns the truth."

"Then don't let him find out."

I forced myself upright, my expression serious.

"Stephanie, you know what? People only realize how important a healthy body is once they get sick."

"I may look no different from before, but I'm the only one who knows I've already started to rot away inside."

"Knowing Sebastian the way I do, if he found out I was dead, he wouldn't live past the next day."

I couldn't hold back the catch in my voice. "But he's only twenty-eight—healthy, full of life, with a bright future ahead of him. I can't be that selfish—seeing exactly how it would end for him and doing nothing…"

"If I don't deceive him, my conscience will never rest. I'd never be able to forgive myself, not for the rest of my life."

Stephanie's face was full of conflict. "The two of you really are made for each other. When Sebastian first came to me and asked me to help him put on this act, he said the very same things you're saying."

She lifted a hand to wipe the corner of her eye. "Heaven really is blind. You two were so right for each other. Such a pity."

She left the rest unsaid, but we both understood.

And there was nothing anyone could do.

Even with the most advanced treatments available, my body kept growing weaker.

The side effects of chemo made all my hair fall out, and I lost nearly sixty pounds.

Sometimes I'd drift off, lose track of time, unable to tell the nurses' faces from the doctors'.

Now and then I'd catch hold of the young nurse beside me and ask.

"Has my wedding dress arrived yet? My husband had it custom-made at a high price—it belongs only to me…"

Every time, the young nurse would look at me with sad, pitying eyes.

"Miss Mann, Mr. Rowe held his wedding a few months ago. Didn't you just see it in the news?"

My mind would clear, I'd pinch my fingertips, and I'd give an apologetic smile.

In the afternoon, Stephanie talked to me while she peeled an orange.

"Hope, it seems Sebastian is asking around for news of you."

My thin, bony fingers gripped her wrist. "No… you can't…"

Stephanie clasped my hand in return. "Don't worry. I sent him the photos from that trip we took, and he didn't suspect a thing."

Only then did I nod, relieved.

"Sebastian—how is he doing?"

"Doing great. His company just landed a nice piece of land yesterday, and they've got real momentum right now."

Stephanie hesitated, as if unsure whether she should say it.

"And Madison—she… the baby in her belly is five months along now. Sebastian's family adores her, and the whole Rowe family is looking forward to this child."

I smiled. "That's good. After all, they watched Madison grow up."

"It's not good at all…"

"Why should they get to be so happy while you're stuck here suffering all alone? It's not fair."

Stephanie rested her head against my chest, her tears slowly soaking into the sheets.

I stroked her hair.

This is fine. This is the best ending there is.