Chapter 4

Back home, I couldn’t hold on any longer and coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

I numbly wiped the blood from my lips, poured a glass of warm water, and swallowed my medicine.

Stomach cancer, compounded by depression, was slowly consuming my life.

I knew I was dying soon.

But I didn’t want to die in a messy way.

Even if I was dying, I wanted to do it with dignity.

I packed my things overnight and drove out to the countryside.

The old Reed family estate was there.

It held the most beautiful memories of my youth with Alex.

The house was old and dilapidated, covered in a thick layer of dust.

The cobblestones in the yard were blanketed by pristine white snow.

It looked exactly like the night, years ago, when Alex first kissed me.

Alex and my story started here.

And it should end here.

I wondered if he would come to see it, if he heard of my death.

Would he remember that night, beneath the old locust tree on the estate, he’d promised a girl a lifetime of devotion, a love for only one?