Chapter 5

When I opened my eyes again, my vision was filled with a blinding, cold white.

Fred sat on the sofa beside the hospital bed. There was a stack of medical reports in his hands.

He read each page carefully with his brow slightly furrowed.

The door opened. The attending physician walked into the room.

Fred closed the folder and handed it to his assistant, who stood behind him.

“Use every pain-management option available. Cost is not an issue.”

The doctor nodded.

“Rest assured, Mr. Brown. We’ll do everything we can to ease her pain.”

Fred turned and looked at me.

“Since you’re awake, have some water.”

He picked up the water pitcher from the bedside table, poured some into a cup, and held the straw to my lips.

I closed my lips around it and took a small sip.

The water offered some relief to my parched throat.

“Thank you, Fred.”

He set the cup back on the table and handed me a tissue.

“The doctor says you need plenty of rest, so I’ve arranged a medical leave of absence from school.”

I took the tissue and dabbed the corner of my mouth.

“Thank you for taking care of that.”

He did not ask why I had hidden my illness.

Having once survived a terminal illness himself, perhaps he understood better than anyone what it was like to wait for death.

Fred rose and adjusted his cuffs.

“Get some rest. Press the call button if you need anything.”

He left the room and closed the door behind him.

Staring at the closed door, I felt strangely at ease.

Soft footsteps came from the hallway.

Then, the door opened a crack.

Audrey peered inside. She was holding an elegantly wrapped fruit basket.

She shuffled over to the bed and set the basket down on the nightstand with a thud.

“Um... The doctor said you shouldn’t eat anything too hard, so I only picked soft fruit.”

The tips of her ears had turned bright red. My expression remained calm.

“Thank you.”

Audrey pulled up the chair beside my bed and sat down. She nervously twisted the hem of her dress between her fingers.

“I didn’t know you were sick. I’m sorry for deliberately shoulder-checking you before.”

I turned my gaze toward the window.

“It’s okay. I didn’t take it to heart.”

Audrey bit her lower lip with a deep frown.

“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you ever get angry when someone treats you badly?”

The truth was, I genuinely did not care.

When death was so close, I had no energy to waste dwelling on such petty grievances.

I looked away from the window and stared at the ceiling.

“Being angry takes too much energy.”

Audrey froze for a moment. Her eyes grew misty.

“I won’t pick on you anymore. If there’s anything you feel like eating, I’ll get it for you.”

I gave a slight nod.

“Okay.”

Audrey stood up and awkwardly smoothed her skirt.

“I should go. Get some rest.”

She hurried out of the room, almost as though she were fleeing.

The click of high heels came from the hallway.

Mom stopped outside my room and peered through the window in the door.

She was clutching a stack of hospital bills tightly in one hand.

Derek approached from the other end of the hallway with a thermos in his hand.

“Aren’t you going in to see her?”

Mom hurriedly stuffed the bills into her purse.

“She only just woke up and needs her rest. I don’t want to disturb her.”

Derek studied her evasive expression.

“She’s awake.”

Mom took a step back, unable to meet his eyes.

“I... I should go home and make her some more soup.”

She turned and hurried away. Her steps were unsteady.

Derek opened the door and came in. He set the thermos on the table.

“Your mother made you some soup. Have some while it’s still warm.”

I stared at the thermos in silence.

Derek pulled up a chair and sat down.

“She was standing outside for quite a while.”

I lowered my gaze.

“I know.”

A few days later, I returned to the mansion to recover.

Mom came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of freshly made soup. She flinched when the hot pot burned her fingers.

Audrey happened to be coming downstairs and saw it.