End of the Line

Compensation?

What a farce!

Was that ever a valid reason for Zach Hall to deceive me the entire time we were dating, all while he remained hung up on Jessica Baker?

Feeling even more disgusted, I tossed the test result straight into the trash bin.

And here I was, actually worried that Zach would be upset about my illness. It turned out I was just overthinking.

Back in the bedroom, I stared at the photo on the nightstand—in it, Zach and I were smiling. Now, it just made me feel empty.

Zach walked in with a cup of hot lavender tea and carefully fed it to me, one spoonful at a time.

"Honey, you're not doing well right now. If your boss makes you work overtime again, just play pretend and slack off a little. Look at you—you've lost so much weight in just a few days!"

His eyes were full of concern as he gently wiped the corner of my mouth.

Moments like this used to make me feel so lucky—that I still have someone to love me like this, especially after my mom passed away.

But now, I turned my head away. "I don't want it anymore."

He held my face and kissed my forehead. "What's wrong? Who upset you?"

I didn't answer, but he didn't seem bothered. He just tucked me in under my blanket.

"Tell me when you're ready, Annie. Whenever you want to talk about what's on your mind, I'll always be here for you."

It was fake—so fake that it disgusted me.

Tired of us hiding things from each other, I wanted to finally tear off this farce.

"My mom could have been saved. It was you…" I began.

Just then, Zach's phone rang. Jessica's name flashed on the screen.

He picked it up right away and walked out of the room, lowering his voice..

"Jess…?"

"Zach, you said you loved me the most! So why are you marrying Annie? Do I have less worth than her to you?!"

Jessica's questions came one after another, her voice choked with tears.

Zach's voice was filled with anxiety. "Don't cry. Where are you? I'll come find you."

Hearing, I didn't feel like arguing with him anymore.

The door closed behind him. Zach, who had just promised to always stay by my side, didn't even bother to say goodbye as he left.

My stomach turned. I stumbled into the bathroom and threw up all the tea I had just drunk. There was bile and blood, and darkness began to consume me.

Just before I passed out on the cold bathroom floor, I caught a glimpse of Jessica's latest post on her social feed.

It was a photo of two hands tightly holding each other, and I recognized Zach's hand immediately.

His left hand, where a ring should have been, was now marked only by a faint line.

The caption read: "No matter where I am, I'll be there if you need me."