Broken Heart

Elena - POV

"There is no way that's true!" Tears streamed down my face as I sat in the doctor's office and learned I had only a year to live.

"I apologize, Ms. Hayes. I wish we could do more to help you recover from this disease." Dr. Marsh's voice took on a sympathetic tone as he spoke.

"I am just 26 years old. I am not prepared for my life to end in a year." My sobs intensified, and Dr. Marsh gave me a mournful look.

"I'm willing to pay whatever you need to come up with a cure for this disease," I begged.

"Ms. Hayes, we will try, but I cannot guarantee we will have the drug ready in time. We will need to do research since this ailment has never occurred to anybody before," Dr. Marsh said. I didn't know what to say; I was too numb to move from my chair. Despite hearing this, I left Dr. Marsh's office and walked to my vehicle, and my chauffeur drove me to my office.

I didn't want anyone, not even Jake, my fiancé, to know about my condition, because I was afraid he would worry. I would cure myself. I got out of my vehicle and walked to the building, and Dr. Marsh's words reverberated in my thoughts, making me tremble.

"Ms. Hayes. Are you all right?" Janice, my secretary, asked while directing her worried gaze at me.

"I'm okay, Janice. If you don't mind, please fetch me the manuscript so I can read it," I asked.

"Ms. Hayes, could you kindly tell me if you have any problems that I may help you with?" Janice inquired.

"You are my secretary, not my babysitter; fetch my manuscript immediately, Janice." I snapped at her, and she flinched as the entire staff gazed at me.

"Yes, Ms. Hayes." She whispered and walked away, while my harsh glare forced every employee to return to their task.

I removed my coat and slung it over the chair before turning to stare out the window at the significant, towering buildings. My circumstances made me feel frustrated and enraged. I had put in a lot of effort to get to where I was now, living the life of a celebrity and having my ideal job, but things were going downhill.

My phone rang, interrupting the silence. When I saw it was Jake calling, I felt dread. I knew I should tell Jake about my health. He deserved to know. However, I informed him when I got home later tonight. I sensed Janice had returned with my manuscript and was hovering outside my office door. 

"Come in, Janice." She came in with a script I needed to read before signing on for the next movie. I felt like snapping at her and removing my anger of grief by yelling at Janice, but I didn't yell. And instead, I asked Janice to help me find a doctor to help me with my rare illness.

"Janice, I'm going to tell you something, and I'm going to need your help." She agreed and placed the script on my desk. I explained everything to Janice about my condition and asked her not to tell anyone about it, not even my fiancé.

"Ms. Hayes, don't worry. I'll locate the physicians who cure these diseases," Janice said, and I nodded. Janice walked away, and I glanced out the window as the day turned into twilight. I have friends, but I'm reluctant to trust them since they have betrayed me. It's challenging to talk about my difficulties with anyone. I didn't want to go home, anxious and unable to accept the reality that I was ill. I sent Jake a message, telling him I would be late. While reading the movie script, I was trying to get my head into the game to focus on my job. Janice walked in with a grin, and I looked at her with optimism.

"Did you track down a physician?" I asked as she nodded and handed me her phone so I could see the article and the background.

Dr. Mash discovered no treatment for the lupus virus, which gradually weakens the organs and causes them to cease working in a year. Dr. Mash said the drug was challenging, and I found the same information about lupus on the internet; there was no medication.

"Can you tell me where the doctor's office is?" I inquired.

"The address is here, Ms. Hayes; Dr. Rudolf is in Minnesota," Janice said.

She checked her watch. "Dr. Rudolf will be on leave from this afternoon and won't be back until the beginning of next month, so I've already scheduled an appointment for this morning." I glanced at my watch; it was already 3:45 in the morning.

"At what time is the appointment?" I inquired as I put the manuscript away in the drawer.

"At 6:30 am, Ms. Hayes, that is the best that I could get as he was fully booked, and I arranged your private jet so that you may reach your destination on time," Janice remarked, and I nodded. I took my suitcase and traveled with my security guards to the airport. The flight from New York to Minnesota was short, so I felt confident about arriving on time.

I told Jake I would travel to Minnesota for business and return soon. I suspected he was likely busy with shooting if he hadn't responded to my messages by now.

A car was waiting for me when we arrived at the airport, and I strolled right into the hospital unnoticed, as no paparazzi had heard about my arrival. When I arrived, the receptionist asked me to sit, as Dr. Rudolf was not yet in the office. I felt compelled to yell at the receptionist: Why was the doctor not at the office yet? Wasn't the doctor going to leave early this afternoon? But I didn't. Instead, I sat down and searched for my phone to catch up on the news.

'Jake Smith cheated on Elena Hayes,' the headlines said, and my pulse quickened as I scanned the image of Jake and Lucy Mathew, seeing them kissing and holding hands while walking around the city. This article cannot be real! I quickly contacted Jake, but he did not pick up the phone when I called him.

Jake only sent me a single text message: "It's true, Elena. I have fallen in love with Lucy. Our relationship can no longer continue."

I wiped away tears as I thought of the day Jake proposed to me with the diamond ring I am wearing. I felt everything falling apart.

"Bring the car to the front gate," I instructed my guard. He nodded, staring at me with concern, before walking out. I rose from my seat, and the other security personnel escorted me out of the hospital. The vehicle was waiting for me outside the lobby.

"I'll be driving, and I don't want security following me," I told the guard. They exchanged worried glances but remained silent.

When the driver exited the car, I got in and drove away. My phone buzzed with another text message, and I hurled it out of the moving car in anger. As I picked up speed and the wind whipped my face, tears formed in my eyes. I had no destination, just the empty highway stretching out before me.

The towers disappeared, replaced by a forest emerging in the distance. I slowed the car as an enormous wolf appeared on the road ahead. As I watched, the wolf transformed into a human and stood naked before me. He resembled Hercules in build, and his ocean-blue eyes met mine, startling me. He didn't move from the road and blocked my path. Despite hitting the brakes, my vehicle spun out of control, hit a tree, and my head slammed into the steering wheel.

My vision blurred as I made out the same man who had scared me earlier, helping me out of the car. His piercing blue eyes stared at me intensely. Despite wanting to resist and run away, my body was too weak as darkness enveloped me.