CHAPTER 5

Alice

​Who needs an alarm clock when your own body wakes you up choking for air? These days, the sound of my coughing has become the alarm clock I never asked for. Every morning, before I even had the chance to wake up fully, my chest would tighten and I would almost cough out my lungs. Sometimes it went on for just a minute; other times, it would extend into minutes of painful coughing until tears filled my eyes. Today was no different.

​I coughed for a long while, left gasping for air as if I had just finished running a marathon. Mornings weren’t my favorite part of the day anymore. They just served as a constant reminder of the reality of my life.

​I sat on the bed waiting for my chest to stop heaving and the dizziness to pass before getting to my feet. I went over to where I hid the medicine and saw that three of the bottles were already empty. One had just two tablets left. Picking it up, I shook it slightly and heard the sound of the two pills dancing against each other, as if they were making fun of me. I laughed quietly to myself. It wasn’t even funny, but I felt like if I didn’t laugh, I would end up crying.

​“I’ll figure something out,” I whispered, placing a hand on my stomach. “I promised you, didn’t I? I’ll protect you.”

​But I had no idea how. Even the money I had saved up was gone, drained by prescriptions from this new doctor after I had explained my symptoms to him when I first coughed blood.

But then, my phone rang. Looking at the screen, I saw it was the doctor calling.

​I picked it up immediately. “Hello, Doctor.”

​“Mrs. Reynolds, I’ve been trying to reach you for two days.”

​“Oh, really? What happened?”

​“How are you feeling?”

​“I’m okay,” I said, sighing.

​“Still coughing?”

​“A little.” That was obviously a lie, but I couldn’t afford another hospital visit right now.

​He sighed as well, “I think you should come in again.”

​“I can’t. Not right now. But I'll keep you posted on everything going on, Doctor.”

​After the call, I picked up the set of divorce papers from my drawer. I had made up my mind already. I couldn’t do this anymore. This was the only way.

​I took a ride to Charles's office building and went up to the reception desk. The receptionist greeted me politely before leading me upstairs.

​I knocked once.

​“Come in.”

​I pushed the door open gently and stepped inside. Charles looked up, his eyes landing on the papers in my hand.

​“So…” he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms to his chest. ​"Honey, care to explain why your expensive jewelry is vanishing from the house?”

​My lips didn't part.

He finally broke the silence when he realised I wasn't going to respond. ​"OK, it is fine if you don't want to give me an answer.”

​“Just a few weeks ago, you told me you had nine months to live, and now you’re coming to me with divorce papers.” He stared at the document for a long moment, shock flashing across his face before he shook his head with a cold, dry laugh. “Are you really doing this?”

​“I’m not playing games,” I said, placing the papers directly in front of him.

​He stood up, walked around to my side of the desk, and leaned against it. Just last night, I had overheard him boasting to Carolyn that I would never leave because I had nowhere else to go. Seeing these papers right in front of him clearly caught him off guard, even if he was trying his best to hide it.

​“I’m not signing this,” he said, his voice tight with irritation. “If you want to throw a fit and leave, fine. But I won’t have you walking away with nothing. I’ll always cover your medical expenses.”

​“I don’t need your money,” I replied. That was a lie—I desperately needed financial help, but I refused to feel like I owed him anything ever again.

​He continued as though he hadn’t heard me. “You just need a full health assessment to be carried out by Carolyn first, and then we can talk.”

I thought about it. A full health assessment meant them knowing about the pregnancy and the severity of my health. No, I couldn’t do that. Before I could say anything else, a violent fit of coughing racked my chest. I pressed my white handkerchief to my lips, grimacing as the unmistakable metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

When the fit finally passed, I looked down.

Blood. A deep crimson stain soaked through the cloth.

Before I could hide it, Charles raced out of his chair and snatched my wrist, his grip iron-tight.

​“Alice...” His eyes widened in shock, his voice laced with anger and creeping panic. “What is that? Are you... are you skipping the treatments Carolyn gave you?”

​He tried to pull the handkerchief from my hand, his tone rising as he scrambled to regain control. “Give me that. Sit down. I’m calling Carolyn right now—we’ll fix whatever this is.”

​He was still blaming me. Still hiding behind Carolyn. Even with proof of my body breaking down right in front of him, his first instinct was to deny reality and assert control.

​I quickly ripped my arm free with every last bit of strength I had, staggering back out of his reach before he could grab me again.

​“It doesn’t matter,” I gasped, clutching the cloth to my chest. “I don’t need Carolyn or anything from you anymore.”

My hand was already on the handle when I suddenly stopped. There was one last thing, slowly, I turned around. Charles looked up and for a second, I saw hope in his eyes.

Without saying a word, I slipped the heavy diamond wedding ring off my finger. The ring I had worn every single day for seven years.

Walking back, I placed it on his desk. Without it, my hand felt uncomfortably light—as if a piece of me had been stripped away along with the ring.

“What are you doing?” he asked with surprise on his face.

His brows pulled together tightly.

I pushed the ring closer to him. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore, Charles. Take care of your new family.”

Then I turned around and walked out of his office without looking back.

This time, I knew I wasn’t coming back.