ce I last heard her voice, a year of silence that felt like a lifetime. I di

entence that had ended my world. "Glioblastoma, stage fo

then twice. I almost hung up, my c

el

smooth sound that used to calm me down. Now

said, my own

than? Why are you calling me?" Her tone was

s," I said, pushing the words o

her perfectly, her brow furrowe

" she finally aske

second thing... you once promised th

t dead. She

s a year ago, before the diagnosis, before she shattered my heart into a million pieces. We were lying in bed, talkin

locking with mine. "If you die, Ethan, I promis

out later she was with Liam Stone, a man I vaguely knew, a man who had ever

e a mask of indifference. "It was a mistake. Liam

uld. The diagnosis just felt like an appropriate

calm lake, a peaceful view for a man about to end his life. The clinic had been very professional, very comp

of dignity, far from the wreckage of my lif

tanding by the water, skipping stones across the surface, just like we used to. For a

s her, my mouth open

recognize me. Or maybe she just didn't want to. I was thinner now, the illn

hing, maybe irritation, crossing her face. "Can I help y

ical blow. I felt the air leave m

, then narrowed. "Ethan.

und her waist. Liam Stone. He looked perfect, healthy, and happy. He

's this?"

y, turning away from me.

. He was polite, but his eyes were cold. "I'm Liam Stone.

r tomorrow. The universe had a sick sense of humor. The day she started her new l

eyes before she smoothed it over,

Olivia, searching for any sign of the woman I once loved, any hint of

The words felt like ash in my mouth. I forced a

didn't want them to see the single tear that