Chapter 6

After Rowan was hospitalized for her allergic reaction, her health seemed to grow much worse.

Painkillers used to ease her headaches. Now they barely helped at all.

Her nosebleeds grew more frequent, and she struggled to eat.

Sometimes the pain made her want to bang her head against the wall.

She held back because Ian might notice something was wrong, though he had hardly come home lately.

She heard the company was busy.

Ian traveled overseas for work often, and Tina went with him every time.

Perhaps that was for the best. He wouldn’t grieve for too long when the time came.

When the headaches became unbearable, Rowan thought about ending her life.

Hanging would leave her looking awful, cutting her wrists would hurt, and she was afraid of heights.

After weighing it all, she decided that assisted dying in Valdoria would be the most peaceful choice.

It was snowing in Valdoria at this time of year.

Before she died, she could watch the snow one last time with the man she loved.

That would be nice.

When Ian finally had time to come home, Rowan asked him to take her to Valdoria.

He refused at first.

She pleaded with him for a long time before she finally brought up her birthday wish.

“You promised my parents that you’d grant me any birthday wish. This year, I want to go to Valdoria and see the snow.”

Ian frowned slightly.

In the end, he agreed to take her on her birthday.

Her birthday was only a month away. She still had time.

That night, she ordered several down jackets online, along with a pile of ski gear and an apricot-yellow dress.

She planned to wear the dress on the day she ended her life. First, she would go skiing with Ian in Valdoria. Then she would tell him she had decided on assisted dying.

She imagined smiling as she said goodbye. She would tell him not to be sad and to be happy with Tina. Soon, he wouldn’t have to put up with Rowan clinging to him anymore.

Once she settled on a plan, Rowan felt much lighter. She even pushed through the pain to attend an outing Ian’s company organized.

She didn’t have many days left. She didn’t want to miss a moment she could spend with him.

Everyone was in high spirits on the day of the outing. The weather was chilly, but they built a campfire and prepared food for a barbecue.

Tina arrived with a slight cold. She sneezed several times beside the fire, and Ian took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Tina looked up and smiled faintly at him. Neither said a word, but they smiled at each other as if they shared a private understanding. Rowan felt painfully out of place.

Cold gusts swept past. Rowan hugged herself and coughed a few times.

Ian looked up at the sound, his eyes cool. “What, do you have a cold too?”

Rowan heard the sarcasm in his voice and shook her head. “It’s just the smoke.”

As night fell, someone carried the fireworks to an open area and set them off.

One explosion after another sent fireworks into the air, lighting up the entire sky.

“They’re beautiful!”

Rowan turned to look for Ian.

Through the dim light, she saw Tina wearing his jacket, her head resting gently on his shoulder.

Pain stabbed through Rowan’s heart.

She quickly looked away, but tears streamed down her face.

Blood began to flow from her nose too, and it wouldn’t stop.