Chapter 5

I gritted my teeth and fixed my gaze on the bottle in Evan's hand. "Evan, give me the meds!"

Evan seemed to savor my agony. He twisted the cap open, shook out two pills, and took a few steps back. He clicked his tongue like he was calling a dog over. "Declan, crawl over here and beg, and maybe I'll give them to you."

Nobody could stomach that kind of humiliation, especially not when the pain was already eating away at my last shred of sanity.

A blind rage surged through me. I let out a guttural roar and lunged for the medicine.

But whether by design or dumb luck, Evan stumbled back and tossed the entire bottle into the garden fountain.

He put on a face of mock regret, but the malicious triumph in his eyes only burned brighter.

I raised my hand to strike, but a violent shove sent me reeling. Then, a sharp crack echoed through the air as a palm slammed across my face.

My mind went blank.

Amelia's face was flushed with fury. "Declan, you've lost your mind! You actually dared to bully Evan while we were gone?"

Bethany and Chloe threw themselves toward Evan, frantically checking him for injuries. When they spotted a tiny scratch on his hand, they yelled, "Amelia! Forget about him! Look at Evan's hand. He's bleeding!"

Amelia panicked instantly, rushing over to join them.

Bethany's expression darkened as she leveled a threat at me. "Declan, Evan is going to be a surgeon! If anything happens to his hands, you're done here. Get to your room and stay there until you've realized your mistakes!"

The pressure in my skull was unbearable, and the injustice of it all felt like a physical weight. I tried to defend myself. "He threw my medicine into the fountain! I could die if I don't take those!"

Chloe's lip curled into a sneer. "Really, Declan? Faking an illness just for attention? Should I applaud your dedication to the drama?"

"You're a massive disappointment," Amelia added coldly.

With that, they ushered Evan away, not bothering to spare me a single backward glance.

I curled up on the floor in pain, and my tears finally broke free.

That targeted medication was the only thing keeping the tumor from growing, and they were incredibly hard to get. By the time a new application was approved, I might already be dead.

Battling a headache that felt like my brain was about to explode, I fumbled for my phone and called Aunt Linda. I didn't even try to hide the sobbing. "Aunt Linda, change the flight. I'm leaving tomorrow. Please get the surgery scheduled immediately."

I managed to stumble back to my room and choked down a handful of painkillers. After that, I headed straight for the airport with my suitcase.

During the ride, the Kane sisters sent a barrage of messages demanding I apologize to Evan.

Enduring the pain, I blocked their numbers, one by one.

I endured the ten-plus-hour flight with painkillers.

When I landed, Aunt Linda didn't ask questions. She just rushed me straight to the hospital.

As they prepped me for the operating room, my phone began to buzz incessantly.

Aunt Linda, with tears in her eyes and hatred in her heart, hung up on them one by one.

I reached out, weakly taking her hand, and forced a small smile. "Don't be angry, Aunt Linda. The moment I decided to come here for surgery, I had already made my choice. I don't want them in my life anymore."