Chapter 5

After a lot of thinking, I decided to visit my best friend whom I had not talked to in ages. My last wish was to see her again after all these years.

Janet got a shock when she saw me. "You look so pale! Come in and rest..."

She could tell right away that something was off. Cancer had made me skinnier and my skin yellower.

When I shared that I had late-stage liver cancer, Janet could not hold back her tears, and we cried together for a long time.

Talking about my family and Ellison, I could only give a sad smile and shake my head.

"They've got Becky now. I don't matter to them anymore. Let me go quietly by myself."

Janet's eyes filled with tears again, and she gave me a tight, comforting hug.

"You're not alone. I'll be with you to the very end."

So, I stayed at her place from then on.

The cancer got worse. I could not eat, my stomach hurt like crazy, and I kept coughing up blood.

Eventually, I was stuck in bed, unable to move around.

I looked at a photo of Becky and Ellison on my phone, laughing under a big tree, looking like a perfect couple.

Ellison sent me a message too.

[We'll be home tomorrow. When are you coming back? The wedding's in a few days.]

[Don't worry, Becky's much better. No more delays.]

However, I could not even think about going to the wedding. I could not get out of bed or even type.

I stared at Ellison's picture for the longest time. I wanted to call him, and my parents too, but after a long hesitation, I just turned off my phone.

I never would have guessed that the last time I saw him in the hospital hallway would be our final goodbye.

My head felt fuzzy, and I could barely hear Janet's voice calling out to me. Something warm and wet touched my face like tears.

However, my eyelids were so heavy, and no matter how hard I tried, I just could not keep them open...

...

Ellison stared at his phone. "Lily" had texted him, saying she could not wait for the wedding and told him to get ready. He had gone all out, planning a wedding so fancy it blew the budget. He wanted it to be perfect after putting it off 18 times.

On the big day, Ellison, all dressed up in his suit, welcomed guests with a smile, peeking outside there and then, hoping to see her.

Then, the bride's car rolled up. Ellison's face lit up, and he hurried over.

However, to his shock, a woman he did not know stepped out, her eyes red and puffy. She handed him Lily's hairpin.

She said, "Mr. Perez, Lily's gone. She passed away. I'm sorry for your loss."