003

RHEA 

“How far could live frown something deeper as a part of character development, is if until they lose their senses, and go insane 

I should have knew all the good girls go to hell” 

…..

I was suspended from my father’s company, the same company I had spent years helping rebuild.

From the company I had fought for even when everyone assumed I was only there because I was the founder’s daughter.

I slowly placed the file back on the table.

“Fine.”

Peter looked surprised, and I lifted my chin.

“But I am going to prove I didn’t do this.”

Nobody answered, and I chose to turn around and walked out myself, but the moment the conference-room doors closed behind me, my legs nearly gave out.

I grabbed the wall, cause my head suddenly throbbed hard, it was like a  sharp pain settled behind my eyes.

At first I thought it was all because of what I was going through, but the pain only intensified, so I squeezed them shut.

For the last few weeks, the headaches had been getting worse, and i didn’t have work to blame cause I was fucking suspended

I was dying silently, sometimes I would wake up nauseous, while sometimes my vision blurred for a few seconds, but I had ignored it, because there was always something more important, but  now, standing in the hallway with my entire life falling apart around me, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

I needed to know what was happening to me before I fucking lose my mind, so I left Lancaster Group without looking back after receiving the second heart break is my life 

I staggered my legs into the clinic that smelt like hospital, then I sat alone in the examination room, my hands clenched together.

The doctor had already run several tests.

You know blood work, neurological examinations, and all this while, I kept telling myself it was probably stress, cause I don’t want to freak the fuck out 

It had to be, I assured myself, cause my life had really been a nightmare lately, and anyone would get headaches under this kind of pressure.

I kept on assuring myself until the door opened, and the doctor walked in carrying a folder, but he didn’t sit immediately, he just stood there, looking at me, and it made me really uncomfortable 

“What?”

I questioned cause I was scared, and he lowered his eyes to the folder, then back to me

“What did you find?” I asked again eagerly as I watched how he pulled out a chair, then his eyes finally went back to mine 

“Rhea, I want you to listen carefully.”

My heart started beating faster, cause that was never good 

“You’re scaring me.” I admitted, my eyes looking for anything to distract myself from the tension, and he apologized

“I’m sorry.”

He said, and I swallowed, cause I didn’t know if I really did heard him right, cause this was what they all say before they said something devastating, but there was nothing wrong wifh me, right?

“Just tell me.”

I questioned him, and he took a slow breath, then he finally confessed 

“The scans show a mass in your brain.”

He said, and for a moment, I didn’t understand.

“A mass?”

I questioned, and he nodded.

His affirmation made my thirst go try, but i still didnt wanted to think of the worse 

“What does that mean?”

I inquired further, and he hesitated again, maybe because there was already tears on my face and my eyes were shaking 

“Rhea, the results are consistent with an inoperable brain tumor.”

Those words made me laugh, like i didn’t even know how long I laughed, but I laughed wuth everuthing inside me to ghe point, he actually called nurses to hold unto me, but i didn’t wanted to stop 

I knew I looked like a patient that deserved mental help, but I… all this was all jjst some kind of mistake. 

Brain tumor? All I had was headaches, all I fucking had was nothing serious 

My eyes went back to him, and my lips trembled 

“No.” I shook my head, cause I was definitely misdiagnosed, but he wasn’t laughing and telling me all this was a final one big prank 

“I’m sorry.” He said, and I shook my head again 

“No.” 

My voice shook as hot tears left my eyes 

“That’s not possible.”

I kept on shaking my head, and he actually reached across the desk.

“We’ll need further evaluation and additional testing, but based on what we have—”

“How long?”

He stopped, cause I already knew I didn’t want to hear the answer.

“How long do I have?”

His silence answered before his mouth did.

“Approximately six months.”

He said, snd I started to laugh again, that was it, that was the final blow

The words echoed through my head, six fucking months.

I thought about my father, and the company he left in charge of me, I thought about the life I had spent trying to protect, and all the people that had hurt me 

Everything I had lost in less than twenty-four hours, and now this.

I looked down at my hands, snd they were trembling so badly covered with my tears 

“Six months?”

I repeated, and the doctor said silent, cause deep down he must have felt I was cursed

It made me laugh It wasn’t because everything was funny.

It was the kind of laugh that escaped when your mind couldn’t process what was happening.

Yesterday, I thought the worst thing that could happen to me was finding my boyfriend in bed with my stepsister.

Today, I had lost my career, my father’s company, my reputation, and now I had been told I was going to die.

I stared at the doctor.

“You made a mistake.”

“I understand this is difficult—”

“No.”

I stood so quickly that the room spun, and I grabbed the edge of the desk.

“I mean it. You made a mistake.”

“Rhea—”

“Run the tests again.”

“We can….”

“Again.” I didn’t let him finish, I said with my broken voice 

“Please.”

I pleaded, and even though the doctor finally gave in to this mad patient, still Somewhere deep inside me, I knew this wasn’t a nightmare I could wake up from.

I slowly sat back down as my head kept on spinning, that motherfucking headache was back

Six months, I had spent my whole life believing I had time, time to rebuild Lancaster Group, time to expose whoever had destroyed my father’s legacy, time  to find out what really happened to him, time to figure out why Darius had betrayed me.

Time to fall in love again, time to live, and suddenly, time was the one thing I didn’t have.

I was just 27 years old, and life was already a fucking bitch to me