LOGINAmira clutched the file tighter, her fingers trembling as she flipped through the pages again, as if rereading the words might somehow change them. The white paper blurred before her eyes, but that single bold line refused to disappear.BRAIN CANCER.“I… I have brain cancer?” she repeated, her voice hollow, barely recognizable even to herself.Her legs weakened, and she staggered half a step back, instinctively leaning against the cool exterior wall of the auction hall. The daylight was too bright, too sharp, almost cruel. People were still moving in and out of the building, their ordinary lives continuing as if nothing monumental had just collapsed inside her world.But the shock that froze Amira was nothing compared to the storm brewing inside Bradley.He turned sharply to face her, his brows knitted together in confusion and disbelief. “Amira,” he said slowly, searching her face, “didn’t you know you had brain cancer?”Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide, pupils shaking. For a s
"As a service provider, he tried to hit me," Amira repeated loudly, her voice carrying across the open courtyard with deliberate projection. She rolled her eyes with exaggerated annoyance as she folded her arms tightly across her chest, her designer handbag swinging from her elbow.Her posture screamed entitlement, her chin lifted as though she already owned the verdict, as though the outcome had been decided the moment she opened her mouth.Some stopped entirely, phones already rising to eye level."What?" Dr. Li exclaimed in disbelief, his voice rising sharply before he could restrain it. His brows knitted tightly together as he stared at Amira, trying desperately to reconcile her wild accusation with the man he knew standing calmly beside Eva, a man of integrity, skill, and quiet dignity.The disconnection was jarring.Amira scoffed loudly and waved her hand dismissively through the air as if brushing away his confusion like an annoying insect. "Bring your president here now," she
“Eva, didn’t you say you were going to die last time?” Amira said mockingly, her voice carrying clearly in the open space outside the auction hall. Daylight spilled generously across the marble pavement, reflecting off the glass façade of the building behind them.She tugged a slow, deliberate smirk as she approached, her arms folding across her chest with practiced arrogance. “But here you are,” she added, tilting her head slightly, eyes glittering with malice, “alive and well.”Eva halted. Emerson stopped with her.For a brief second, the world felt strangely quiet, as though even the passing crowd sensed the tension thickening the air.Eva chuckled softly, the sound calm, almost amused. She turned her head slightly toward Amira, her lips curving faintly. “Good people like me won’t die so easily,” she replied evenly. There was no weakness in her tone this time, only resolve.She tightened her grip on Emerson’s hand, grounding herself in the warmth of his presence, and gently tugged
Bradley and Amira walked into the hospital hand in hand, their footsteps echoing lightly against the polished floor. The smell of disinfectant hung thick in the air, sharp and unavoidable.Nurses moved briskly past them, charts clutched to their chests, while patients and families occupied the rows of seats lining the corridor. It was daytime, and sunlight filtered in through the tall glass windows, casting pale reflections on the white tiles.Bradley’s expression was calm, almost indifferent, as though the chaos of the past days had already been neatly boxed away in his mind.Amira, on the other hand, leaned slightly into him, her grip tight, her steps measured. To anyone watching, they looked like a devoted couple—concerned, united, and composed.Then Bradley’s phone began to buzz in his pocket.He stopped walking and pulled it out, glancing briefly at the screen before answering. “Grandpa,” he said, his tone instantly softening.Amira slowed her steps but stayed close, her ears pra
About three days later, Eva slowly drifted back into consciousness.At first, everything felt unreal, like she was floating between two worlds. Her eyelids fluttered weakly before finally opening, and the first thing she saw was a white ceiling flooded with harsh white lights.The brightness made her squint.Her throat felt dry. Her body felt heavy, as though it didn’t belong to her anymore.“Am I dead?” she whispered faintly, her voice barely louder than a breath. “Why does heaven look just like a hospital?”The words sounded strange even to her own ears, but nothing else made sense. She couldn’t feel pain the way she expected to. She couldn’t feel much of anything at all.Slowly, she turned her head to the side, every small movement taking effort. Her eyes drifted across the room until they landed on three familiar figures seated on a bench near her bed.Her heart skipped.“Why are my brothers here too?” she whispered again, confusion washing over her. “Did we all die together?”Ken
Eva was crying openly now, her tears soaking into Emerson’s shirt as though she was trying to leave a part of herself with him before everything faded away. Her breathing came shallow and broken, every inhale a visible effort.“Emerson…” she whispered, her voice trembling like glass about to shatter. “I’ve lived a life of loneliness.”Her words were slow, heavy, as if each one had to be dragged up from deep within her chest.“People mocked me for being an orphan,” she continued weakly. “No parents… no real home… I was always the extra one, the unwanted one.”Emerson shook his head frantically, tightening his hold on her as though his arms alone could keep her alive.“Don’t say that,” he said hoarsely. “You’re not alone. You’ve never been alone.”But Eva barely seemed to hear him.Her eyes brimmed with tears as she forced herself to keep speaking, afraid that if she stopped, she wouldn’t have another chance.“After I die…” she sobbed. “Could you bury me in the Mills Manor’s yards?”His







