/1/102441/coverbig.jpg?v=cf296c1ea32ecf994c1fa2e8139a3c5e)
thought it was just another one of my games to get his attention
me to the hospital, he grabbed my chin and
give you. I hope
l to be with his true love, Kacey-my best friend. She was t
fice to save his family from ruin. He never knew the depth of my lo
atch, I made my final choice. I would grant hi
pte
s cold beneath my bare feet. A sharp, twisting pain in my abdomen made me gasp, do
ng my reflection on the glass. My face was a ghostly white, shadowed by the
I he
e footsteps desc
der
lish hope. I took a shaky breath, gathering what little strength I had l
sper, barely audible, as if speaking h
ng, swept over me. There was no warmth, no flicker of recognition for the woman he marrie
breakfast?" I asked, my v
ope ignited within me. Maybe, just maybe
ble mask. He turned, without a word, and walked towards the front door. The sound of his
tricted, a familiar, agonizing pain spreading through me.
d. My fingers clamped onto the sl
ard on my lip to stop a cry from escaping. The metallic ta
low growl, laced with venom. He ya
gers clung to the very edge of his jacket, a desperate, last-di
ice trembling, each word a struggle. "I.
w I was self-reliant, fiercely independent. This wasn't a trick. This wasn't some m
s narrowing. "Whe
wave of nausea. I pointed vaguely to my lower ab
, Celina? Still acting for sympathy?" His words were like
rabbing my chin, forcing my face up to mee
hisper that promised irreversible damage. "I will never forgi
creaming in protest. I couldn't stop shaking, a violent tr
e, he strode into his study and the heavy oak door slammed shut, cuttin
d, struggling for air, clutching my stomach as if to physically
e in my pocket. My fingers, numb and clumsy,
ily dismissed. He stood by the window of his study, phone pressed to his ear, his face impassive. He assumed it was just another one of Celina
e believed she' d abandoned him then, seeking greener pastures. Thi
g a harsh glow on the stark white envelope in my hand. My name, Celina Fitzgerald,
ed in my head: "Terminal
lope, my eyes scanning the report, searching for a mistake, a typo, anythi
spered, my vo
in my chest. I rushed to another doctor, a specialist whose name I' d heard. I begged him for
k the same. A termin
sked, the words barely a breath. M
e me. He took my hand, his touch surprisingly warm. "We
umpled, fresh tears streaming down my face. "Everything you can?" I so
ge, for everything I had held onto. It was a failure I couldn't escape, a dem

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