The hospital.By the time Mark and Arianne arrived, Eric was in the middle of surgery. No one was waiting outside the operating theatre before they arrived. It was heart-breaking.Arianne sat on a long bench in the hallway. “Who called you? Why is no one here?”“Tanya.” Mark looked at her from his side profile.Arianne frowned. “Why her? I guess it makes sense… She left after making that call, probably because she didn’t want to run into us.”“The condo she lives in is right across Eric’s office. She probably happened to see that something had happened to him, so she sent him to the hospital and called us.” He guessed. “Jackson is on his way back too.”Arianne had nothing to say about that. At least, Tanya wasn’t completely evil and hadn’t forgotten Eric’s kindness toward her.The surgery took more than five hours. Once the operating theatre’s indication lights went out, Mark rushed forward and waited for the door to open. The head surgeon’s forehead was drenched in sweat when
Eric was still feeling very weak. It took him a while before he finally answered. “What are you saying? I just… don’t feel like living anymore. By the time I realized, it was already in the late stage anyway. There’s no need for treatment.”Jackson’s voice grew hoarse. “What do you mean, ‘don’t feel like living anymore’? If you really didn’t, why’d you get a girlfriend then? You obviously wanted to live…”Eric shut his eyes and shook his head. “Everything felt perfect before we got together, and I began looking forward to the future. But she’s not marriage material. She’s only good at having fun and is only concerned about enjoying herself. She’s not ready to settle down yet. We’re from completely different worlds. I’ve had enough fun, and now, I want stability. But she has only just started having fun. Our paths were different from the beginning. If I’m correct, she must have gone out drinking last night and isn’t home yet. It’s fine. We’re going to break up anyway. By the way, when
Arianne and Tiffany couldn’t stand it any longer. They had no idea that Vicky’s number was the first one Eric had dialed. Vicky had actually rejected his call while he was dying, all for the sake of having fun. Now, she had the audacity to claim that she was the closest thing to Eric!The biggest irony of all was that it was Tanya, whom Vicky hated the most, that managed to save Eric’s life for the time being.Vicky was losing control of the smile on her face, but she persisted. “What are you saying? Are you feeling confused? This is all in your head. I’m not doing this for any inheritance! I wasn’t even aware that you’d called me last night. I went to the washroom and my friend rejected the call out of mischief. She didn’t tell me about it either. I realized that I couldn’t call you this morning and that you were in the hospital when I checked your location. I asked a nurse downstairs when I arrived… and found your ward. I really didn’t mean to do it. Please don’t think of me that w
Arianne’s expression hardened. She lifted her hand and delivered a hard slap. Her upbringing prevented her from spewing foul language, so this slap was an amalgamation of how upset she was. “Leave.”Vicky gritted her teeth but was too afraid to do anything to Arianne, so she left in a huff. Arianne had put a lot of force into that slap because she was truly infuriated. Her hand was still sore and numb when she returned to the ward. Mark pulled her aside. “We can take care of Eric from here. You should go home. Smore won’t be able to endure your absence.”Arianne could see how tired Tiffany was as well, so she dragged her along. “Come on, you can come home with me. We’ll come over when we wake up. I have to go home and check on the baby.”Tiffany knew that Jackson and Mark wouldn’t leave, and there were people watching over him. She said nothing, ordering take out for them before following Arianne back to the Tremont Estate.It was a bright, sunny day when they left the hospital,
Her feelings for Eric couldn’t be explained. She thought that it was love, at first. Later, she realized that it was completely different from what she had felt for Jackson. Now, she believed that Eric felt more like a brother to her, like family. She wanted to stay at the hospital but was afraid of running into Arianne and the rest. She still felt very concerned.Just as she was growing fidgety, she heard the sound of a key turning in the doorknob. Only Jett had the keys to her place.Jett had mentioned that he had to take a trip to South Park with Alejandro and that he would probably be staying for a week. She was surprised by his early return and got up. “Have you eaten?” she asked. “I… I didn’t know that you’d be back so soon. I haven’t had time to cook.”“Don’t worry about me,” Jett calmly replied. “Are you going out?”Only then did Tanya realize that she had been holding her phone and keys, looking as if she was ready to head out. She paused and decided to be honest. “I’m goi
Tiffany’s words echoed in her mind. Eric was dying…She stared at the white walls outside the hospital. She didn’t want to leave like this, but she couldn’t come up with a reason to go back inside. In the midst of her hesitation, she noticed a black BYD on the side of the road. The car window winded down, revealing Jett wearing a pair of glasses and gesturing at her with his chin.She looked around, ensured that no one who knew her was around, then got into the car. “What are you doing here?” Jett started the engine with an emotionless look on his face. “I’m worried. I have to go back to Alejandro’s, but I’ll drop you home first.”Tanya bit her lip and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t go into the ward at all. I ran into Tiffany at the hospital. Don’t worry. I didn’t say anything.”Jett did not answer. He tossed a plastic bag from the hospital at her, with two small medicine bottles inside. She took out the bottles and found that it was folic acid. “These are… for me?”Jett nodded. He
Life was funny that way. You hope and hope for something to come, but it never does. Then, when you least expect it, it arrives like an accident.Jackson noticed her staring at him and turned his face to the side to look at her. “Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?”She hurriedly turned away. “No, I was looking at the scenery. Don’t be so vain.”Jackson wasn’t in the mood to joke around with her. He dropped her off at the ground floor of her condo. “Here.”She opened the door and got down from the car then suddenly stopped. “If I told you that I was the one who got pregnant and not Tanya, would you take responsibility?”Jackson stared at her as if lost in thought, then said, “If you really could get pregnant, I’d love to see it. Even a chicken would have laid an egg by now after taking care of it for so long.”The corners of Tiffany’s lips twitched. “I really… can’t be bothered with you. Fine, fine. Go home and get some rest. Be careful on the way home.”Sh
Aristotle stared at Eric as he sucked on his fingers and drooled. His tiny face was a picture of innocence and naivety, completely unaffected by the suffocating air of illness in the ward.Eric smiled at Aristotle. “So cute… Unfortunately, I’ll never have children, and I’ll never get to watch him grow up.”Arianne took a deep breath as she felt her eyes sting with tears. “Don’t talk like that. What if a miracle happens? You look fine to me. You’ll be fine. You have to stay optimistic. Everything will get better.”Eric took off his oxygen mask and paused. “Do I look like a pessimist? You’re all sadder about it than I am. There’s no need, really. I think it’s fine. Putting this thing on makes breathing feel weird. I won’t die. Why should I keep it on?”Mark forced the oxygen mask back on him. “Are you nuts? If the doctor tells you to put it on, you put it on. Why are you taking it off?”Eric rolled his eyes helplessly at him. “Fine, I’ll keep it on, okay? I think I can leave the hos