Regret in Three, Two, One

After being diagnosed with severe systemic lupus erythematosus, my attending physician advised immediate hospitalization.

The medical bills were expensive, so I stepped out of the hospital and called my husband.

After my 188th call went unanswered, I walked into the hospice service office with my diagnosis report in hand.

I said, "Hello, I'd like to schedule my own cremation."

The staff member noticed the butterfly-shaped rash on my wrist and looked at me with sympathy. "Sweetheart, did you come alone? Are there any family members with you?"

Before I could answer, the main door was flung open.

Jasper Horton barged in with his foster sister, followed closely by my brother.

Before I could say anything, Jasper slapped me across the face in front of everyone, his eyes filled with rage. "Just to compete with Janice for attention, you came to a place like this to scare us? Lisa Carter, don't you think you've gone too far?"

I stood frozen, speechless for a moment.

It wasn't until I saw the pink balloons behind them that I remembered that today was Janice Horton's birthday party.

Jasper had taken two days off just to help her decorate his venue. And I, his terminally ill wife, had merely wanted to ask him for some money for treatment.

In return, I got 188 rejections and a slap, along with being berated for going too far.

My eyes burned, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.

I raised my hand to my smarting cheek and murmured, "Jasper, I didn't…"

"Are you still trying to lie?" My brother, Casey Carter, suddenly snatched the diagnosis report from my hands.

After glancing at it twice, he let out a mocking laugh. "Lupus? You suck at lying. You had to pick a disease that only one in a million people get? Well, congratulations, you've ruined Janice's birthday party. You've been faking illnesses since you were a kid, and you're trying to pull the same trick?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand as if he were about to hit me too, only to be stopped by Janice.

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at me with a pitiful expression. "Lisa, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thrown a party…"

She continued, "Please, stop lying to them. They're really tired of this. I'm willing to give up everything, so please just wake up."

Jasper immediately pulled her into his arms, gently wiped her tears, and whispered, "It's not your fault."

My body screamed with escalating pain, and each breath became a struggle as a coppery tang filled my nostrils.

Without looking at them again, I wiped the blood from beneath my nose and turned back to the counter. "Please complete the paperwork for my cremation. Three days from now, I want the process to go uninterrupted. I have no family."

Behind me, Jasper let out a cold laugh as he looked at me with contempt. "Lisa, you staged all this just to ruin Janice's party? You should worry less about being sick and more about the consequences you'll face in three days. Don't expect me to clean up your mess."

With that, he walked out with Janice, never looking back.

After finishing the formalities, I returned home alone.

I only had three days left in the world.

With advanced lupus ravaging my body, I'd arranged my own departure, all on my own.

And at that moment, the two people closest to me were with another woman, blowing out candles and popping champagne.