Chapter 2

The next day, I was heading to the hospital for surgery when I coincidentally ran into Mr. and Mrs. Hayes and Cassie. Leo's stomach issues had flared up again, and the whole family was rushing to be with him.

I went to the doctor's office and confirmed my surgery time. As I walked out, Cassie spotted me and grabbed my arm. Behind her, Leo's eyes were sharp and accusatory.

"What are you doing at the hospital? Leo's stomach is acting up because you haven't been eating or drinking. What else are you trying to do?" Cassie demanded, her carefully applied makeup unable to hide the harshness in her brow.

I waved her off. "I don't have time for this." To me, the Hayes family was as distant as strangers passing on the street.

Once I decided I was no longer a Hayes, I would sever all emotional ties with them, just like… my own parents did to me.

Perhaps, deep down, I did have the same cold blood as the Hayes.

I shook Cassie off and turned to leave. I used to always watch the backs of Mr. and Mrs. Hayes and Cassie. Now, finally, I didn't have to.

The biopsy results came back: Stage 4 brain tumor. Surgery was no longer an option. The old injury on my left arm, however, required another debridement surgery – the infection left by the kidnappers had turned cancerous.

There was no way I was keeping that arm.

When I came off the operating table, I felt like I'd lost half my life. I slept for two days, but it felt like just a shallow nap. If death was like this, perhaps it wouldn't be too hard to accept.

The doctor said the debridement surgery was successful, but the cancer cells had already spread. I knew my time was even shorter.

A month later, I was discharged. The doctor urged me to continue chemotherapy.

That's when I got a call from Leo. He said if I was leaving the Hayes family, I should do it cleanly. He asked me to meet him at a coffee shop to return my belongings.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the coffee shop. Leo was already impatiently waiting. I was surprised to see Cassie there too. She scrutinized me from head to toe.

I'd lost so much weight in the past month that my hospital gown hung loosely on my skeletal frame. My eyes were deeply bruised from the constant pain.

"Alex, look at you. How can you even compare to Leo? You've completely disgraced the Hayes family," Cassie said.

I didn't reply, just picked up my bag, preparing to leave. Cassie called out, a look of disbelief on her face. It was probably because of my blatant disregard. For four years, I had constantly tried to please her. When had she ever been treated with such indifference by me?

Seeing her silent, I reached for the glass door of the coffee shop to open it. Cassie tried to grab me, but accidentally tugged on my hair. My short, dark brown wig came off.

Cassie and Leo stared, stunned. "Why did you shave your head?!"