My boyfriend held the white moonlight of returning to China and watched me being made fun of by the whole table, but later he cried and begged me not to leave.

Chapter 2

2,178 words

That's right, I'm dying soon.

I've had stomach pains and nausea for days. It wasn't until I vomited blood that I realized something was seriously wrong.

Went to the hospital for a check-up, and it was late-stage cancer.

I asked the doctor how much time I have left.

The doctor advised me to watch my diet, get out more, and not leave any regrets.

So, not much time left.

After returning from the hospital, I messaged Gideon.

[Come home for dinner tonight, I have something to tell you.]

Not long after, he replied with a single word: okay.

I prepared a whole table of dishes and waited quietly.

I didn't know how long I waited and then messaged him to check what’s up.

No reply.

The food went cold, the sky turned dark.

My stomach started to hurt again.

Ever since Gideon's long-lost love, Cora, went abroad, he's been frequenting bars every day.

I was always there to clean up his mess, helping him down drink after drink of strong liquor.

Maybe the irregular eating and excessive alcohol over time led to stomach cancer.

I was on the couch, drenched in cold sweat from the pain, my whole body weak.

I called Gideon.

The call connected, but a woman's gentle voice came through.

"Phoebe? Are you looking for Gideon? He just finished some hangover soup and is sleeping now."

The voice was unfamiliar yet familiar.

A voice I could never forget in this lifetime.

"Cora? You're back?"

The woman chuckled softly.

"Yeah, suddenly remembered someone here was waiting for me, so I came back."

"Got to thank you, Phoebe, for taking care of Gideon these past four years."

At that moment, the calmness I had maintained since my late-stage cancer diagnosis crumbled like sand.

My face was pale, and my voice hoarse:

"No need to thank me."

I hung up the phone.

The taste of blood rose in my throat.

I spat out a mouthful of blood.

Wiped it away carelessly.

Took out the doctor-prescribed meds and swallowed a few pills.

The stomach pain eased a bit.

I dumped all the food.

Threw the late-stage cancer diagnosis report in the trash.

Looked at this lifeless house.

I felt as calm as a dead sea inside.

Suddenly, it all felt meaningless.

Time to end it.