Chapter 3

AIDS really was terrifying!

From the balcony, Aaron watched Vanessa’s car weave unsteadily out of the residential complex.

He knew she was probably panicking, so flustered that she could barely keep her hands steady on the wheel.

After watching her disappear, he looked up at the pitch-black sky. It felt as though the shadow of death already hung over him.

Back inside, Aaron looked around at the familiar furnishings.

Every item reflected the love and effort he and Vanessa poured into building their home together. The happier those days were, the more painful and empty everything felt now.

He entered the bedroom and stood beneath their enormous wedding portrait, staring blankly at Vanessa, the beautiful bride in the photograph.

His heart was torn by conflicting emotions.

He loved her, yet he also hated her.

Part of him hoped she was infected, while another part prayed she wasn’t.

The contradiction tore him apart and made his suffering even worse.

Without warning, his vision suddenly went black, and he collapsed stiffly to the floor.

When he woke again, he found himself lying on the cold carpet in the same position in which he had fainted.

Loneliness and despair washed over him.

After wallowing in self-pity for a while, Aaron went to the bathroom to wash up.

When he looked in the mirror, his reflection seemed blurry. He assumed the mirror had fogged up and tried wiping it, but nothing came into focus.

His heart sank.

Could this be another symptom of AIDS—acute aseptic meningitis? Had the virus already reached his brain, affecting his vision and preparing to attack his nervous system?

After a long time of rest, Aaron’s vision finally cleared.

But the moment he saw his reflection, he recoiled in shock.

His cup and toothbrush fell to the floor when he noticed large patches of rash spreading across his face.

When he looked down, he saw similar red spots scattered across his chest and abdomen. They looked like chickenpox and itched faintly.

“It’s happening too fast… Am I going to die? Could I die at any moment…?”

Fear of death surged through him like a wave.

Aaron gripped the sink with both hands and trembled violently as tears and mucus streamed down his face.

He looked utterly pitiful.

A month passed between the onset of his first symptoms—diarrhea, fever, and the rest—and his diagnosis.

During that time, he lived in constant fear and barely rested. His immune system weakened rapidly, allowing the virus to spread faster and faster as it ravaged his body.

“I don’t have much time left… I need to arrange everything before I die.”

Aaron forced himself to calm down.

He cooked a plate of pasta and struggled to eat it. Even when he vomited halfway through, he made another batch and forced himself to keep eating so he could regain some strength.

Then he put on a mask, sunglasses, and a long-sleeved shirt before leaving to see Edward.

Edward served as a senior adviser at the Eastbridge Geological Survey.

Although he lived in university faculty housing rather than the Geological Survey’s staff residential complex, he remained the most important mentor and family member in Aaron’s life.

“You’re back! Come in quickly! I was just about to call you.”

Edward was in his early sixties, of average height and build, with a clean-cut face and glasses. His slightly rounded figure gave him an air of scholarly refinement.

He called into the house for his wife, Diane Walsh, to come out.

Meanwhile, Aaron dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together.

Edward froze for a moment, then broke into a broad smile and reached down to pull him up.

“Aaron, there’s no need for this! You’re not even thirty, yet you already have a doctorate. You’re the most highly educated person at the Eastbridge Geological Survey, and you earned your senior position through your own hard work.

“You’ve even secured a leadership role at the agency on your own merits! Keep it up, and you could be running the Mineral Resources Department next year.

“At this rate, a senior executive position won’t be far behind. Keep it up. I have faith in you!”

Just then, Diane came out and stared at the scene in surprise. “Goodness, what are you two doing?”

Aaron turned to Diane and apologized. “Mrs. Jones, I’m useless. I’ve let you down!”

Diane quickly helped him up. “How can you say that? You’re talented, accomplished, and incredibly devoted. How could you possibly have let us down? Stop apologizing and get up. Talk to us.”

At first, Diane noticed nothing unusual. But when she heard the grief in Aaron’s voice, a sudden premonition gripped her heart. Something terrible must have happened to him.

“Aaron, what’s wrong? Get up and tell us!”

Edward also sensed that something was amiss and gestured sternly for Aaron to stand. But Aaron stubbornly refused, so they let him explain first.

Aaron drew a deep breath and asked them not to touch him. Then he slowly removed his mask, revealing the angry rash covering his face.

Diane asked with concern, “What happened to your face? Why do you have so many bumps? Have you been eating poorly and sleeping badly? Maybe that’s what caused it.”

Aaron shook his head and struggled to speak. “It’s not that… I…”

The words caught in his throat.

He hesitated, seemingly afraid that the truth would disappoint the elderly couple even more.

In the end, he asked them to sit down and took out the notice confirming his positive test.

Edward glanced at the conclusion, and the room began to spin around him. If he had not already been sitting, he might have collapsed.

Diane was equally shocked, tears streaming down her face. She understood exactly what the diagnosis meant.

Edward clenched his teeth and forced himself to ask, “You were perfectly fine before leaving on your business trip. How could you come back like this?”

After considering his symptoms, the doctor’s opinion, and everything else he knew, Aaron reached one conclusion: Vanessa infected him.

Edward and Diane exchanged a stunned look.

They could hardly believe that the seemingly gentle and devoted woman had done something like this and driven Aaron, such an outstanding young man, into an abyss of suffering.

The thought broke their hearts.

Edward paced back and forth, his brows tightly furrowed and his hands trembling.

He muttered under his breath, unable to find the words to say. Even as a university professor, he felt utterly helpless in the face of such a cruel reality.

“Goodness, honey, stop pacing and think of something!”

Diane wiped away her tears, frantic and helpless.

She never had a son of her own, so Aaron became like one to her long ago.

“Professor Jones, Mrs. Jones, please don’t worry about me anymore. I know exactly what’s happening to me.

“I’ll never be able to repay everything you’ve done for me in this lifetime. Let me show my gratitude to you once more. I’ll repay you in my next life!”

After speaking, Aaron dropped to his knees and thanked them once more before getting up to leave.

Diane hurried to stop him. “Where are you going?”

Aaron lowered his voice. “I’m going to resign from my job first, then check into the hospital. I may never come out.”

“Don’t rush off. Sit down first, and let’s think this through together.”

Diane tried to hold him back, but when she saw him avoiding physical contact, she scolded him, “I’m not afraid of you, so what are you afraid of? I’m already this old. How much longer do you think I have left? Do you really think I’m afraid of getting sick?”

“Oh, right. We should ask Natalie to come home. She’s always full of ideas. Maybe she can think of a solution.”

Diane was referring to her only daughter, Natalie Jones.

Natalie had just finished her college entrance exams with excellent results.

She could have attended one of the country’s top universities, but she chose to stay at Eastbridge University so she could remain close to her parents.

Aaron gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“She just finished her exams and is still celebrating. Don’t tell her about me. There’s nothing honorable about this illness of mine. The fewer people who know, the better.”

Edward stopped pacing and asked in a grave voice, “What does the Hart family have to say for themselves? What did Vanessa say? We can’t just let this go without holding someone responsible.”

Aaron answered bitterly, “I was only diagnosed yesterday, and I already spoke to Vanessa. She’s probably still in the asymptomatic stage, which is why she hasn’t developed symptoms as I have.

“I told her to get tested, but she still hasn’t told me the results.”

His voice broke. “What good would an explanation do? Even if they took responsibility, could it change anything? I suppose this is simply my bad luck.

“Still, meeting you and Mrs. Jones is the greatest blessing of my life. At least you made me feel that my life had meaning.”

Aaron fell to his knees again and thanked them.

He did not know how else to express his gratitude.

With tears clouding her eyes, Diane finally could not hold back.

She pulled him into a tight embrace and choked out, “No matter what happens, you must never give up! You have to hold on to hope for yourself, and for us! You have to live!”