Chapter 3

Lucas bent down and picked up the diagnostic report.

I thought he would at least read it through.

But he merely glanced at the hospital stamp before crumpling the paper up into a ball.

“You certainly came prepared.

“Did you bring blood packs too?”

I wiped away the blood from the corner of my mouth.

“It’s real.

“The doctor’s phone number is at the bottom.

“You can call him right now.”

Lucas stared at my pale face, a flicker of hesitation flitting across his eyes for a split second.

Right then, Sally burst into tears.

“Babe, what about my dress?

“It’s a bespoke piece. The designer spent eight months on it.”

She clutched at his sleeve, showing him the blood-stained hem of the dress.

“Sophia knew perfectly well how important the dress was to me.

“She even said she would leave after the wedding.

“She must wanna spoil the occasion.”

The hesitation in Lucas’s eyes vanished instantly.

He tossed the report straight into the trash can, pulling out a tissue to wipe the blood from her dress.

“She wouldn’t dare.”

I pushed myself up from the ground, supporting my weight against the furniture.

“Can I have the check now?”

Sally looked at me in utter disbelief.

“You ruined my wedding dress, and you still expect to get paid?”

“I had your word just moments ago.”

I held out my hand.

“I’ve given you my congratulations.”

Lucas took the check from her hand.

Then proceeded to tear it to pieces in my face.

“Stop taking us for fools.

“Faking cancer, coughing up blood.

“What’s next? You gonna drop dead at the wedding to make an impression?”

The torn bits of paper fluttered down like snow.

A tiny scrap stuck to the top of my shoe.

I bent down to pick it up.

Only a single fragmented zero remained on it.

“Lucas.”

It had been a very long time since I last called him by his name.

“That’s not what I’m after.

“I only want a decent plot of land for my resting place.”

His jaw tightened abruptly.

“Shut up.

“When I hit rock bottom, I begged you not to leave.

“You walked away with half a million without turning back even once.

“Stop playing that pity card.”

He took a step forward, grabbing my chin in an iron grip.

“All you care about is money, dead or alive.”

My stomach felt as though it were being ripped open by a jagged blade.

The pain turned my vision black, yet I kept my eyes fixed on him.

Back then, I hadn’t taken a single penny of that half a million.

His mother had transferred the money into his company’s bank account right in front of me.

She forced me to marry Jack purely to sever any thought Lucas might have had of coming back for me.

I had kept the secret for eight years, despite being despised for it.

“Believe whatever you want.”

Lucas let out a sneer.

“Since you can’t get your hands on the money now, stop causing trouble before the wedding’s over.”

I was assigned to the smallest staff room in the wedding venue hotel.

The desk was piled high with guest lists and prepping documents.

When my phone rang, I was slumped over the sink, coughing up blood.

It was my primary care doctor from the hospital.

“Sophia, why are you not back yet?

“Your test results are extremely worrying. We can’t afford any more delay.”

I turned on the faucet, watching the bright red blood get washed down the drain.

“If I get hospitalized right now, will I survive?”

Silence fell over the other end of the line.

“We can only do our best.”

“Count me out then.”

I hung up the phone and, in the emergency contact field, scribbled over Lucas’s name till it was completely blacked out.