Chapter 7

Matthew's POV

Julia worked quickly and delivered the divorce agreement the next day.

As I looked through the terms, I couldn't help but feel she had been quite generous; she was willing to split half the assets with me. She was also buying my shares at the current market's highest price.

I silently thanked her on behalf of the kids in the orphanage.

After I signed on the dotted line, the two of us went to the courthouse to finalize the divorce. We finally no longer had any ties to each other after the staff member stamped the document.

Bradley, who had been waiting excitedly for Julia outside the courthouse, approached us as we walked out of the building. They got into a car together, started the engine, and quickly left the area.

As I watched their car disappear into the distance, I suddenly recalled an incident that happened not long after we got married, when our relationship was at its best.

I had seen Julia off on a business trip. When we got to the airport, she held my hand and said, "You should go first, Matt. I want to watch you leave."

Her eyes were full of passion, and her voice was so warm. I had almost believed that she actually cared about me.

I exhaled lightly before getting into a cab that drove me to the seaside.

"We'll probably never see each other again, Julia," I thought to myself.

…

I had decided to spend the rest of my life in a hospital by the sea. Julia and I had talked about vacationing here in the past. However, she had been buried up to her elbows in work at the time and couldn't spare any time for a trip.

Later, we no longer had a reason to visit this place together after our relationship soured.

The seaside breeze was extremely cold in winter. However, I still secretly snuck out of my room to enjoy the breeze on the balcony whenever the nurses weren't paying attention. Besides, I could only admire the cerulean ocean outside from the balcony.

"Why did you sneak outside again, Mr. Sawyer?" one of the nurses, Lily Trinton, asked.

"I didn't. I've only been outside for a little while," I replied before hastily going back into the room.

"It's very windy outside," Lily said with a frown, shooting me a disapproving look. "Aren't you afraid of catching a cold again? You should know that your body can't withstand any stress in your current state."

I good-naturedly admitted that I was in the wrong. "I know."

"Why did you go outside again then? Weren't you in a lot of pain when you were having a cold?"

For some inexplicable reason, my nose began to sting as I listened to Lily's words.

It was impossible that I wouldn't suffer when having to deal with a cold on top of battling cancer. It had been such a terrible feeling. However, the people who cared about me were no longer in this world, so I never once complained about my suffering.

"I'm fine. How could I possibly feel any pain when I'm taking painkillers and getting shots every day? Thank you for your concern, Lily."

…

The days passed with me taking medications and getting shots every day.

One day, I received a call from Julia. I couldn't help but feel a little amused as I stared at her flashing name on the screen. In the past, when we were still together, she rarely ever called me. And yet, she was calling me now after we had already gotten a divorce.

I didn't want to pick up, but she was relentless and kept calling me over and over again. In the end, I caved and answered her call.

"Where are you?" Julia asked.

"Did you need something?" I replied.

Julia was briefly stunned before she answered, "I just noticed that there's a property that I haven't split with you yet. When can you drop by? We can discuss how to split it then."

I didn't want Julia to benefit, but when I thought about the money in my bank account and the condition of my body, I finally shook my head and said, "We don't have to split it. You can just treat it as my wedding present to you and Bradley."

"Who said that I was going to marry Bradley? Do you think that everyone's a bastard like you, Matthew?"

She then abruptly hung up on me.

I watched the screen dim and spent the rest of the night wondering about how I could possibly be the bastard in our current situation. I had already granted all of her wishes. What else did she want from me?

Since there was no way that I could figure out what was going on in Julia's mind, I decided to just push all thoughts of her to the back of my mind. I also blocked her number, then quickly turned off my phone and went to bed before Lily realized I was staying up past my bedtime again.

…

My phone rang again a few days later.

"How dare you block me, Matthew?"

It was Julia. I had no idea that she would discard her pride and call me again with another number after I blocked her original one.

"We're already divorced," I said languidly. "I don't think that we have any reason to contact each other again. Also, aren't you afraid of upsetting Bradley with your fickleness?"

"You're a bastard, Matthew. I knew that I shouldn't have shown you any concern."

She then hung up on me again.

I watched the screen darken before blocking Julia's new number as well. I never expected her to show me any concern, but I wasn't interested in finding out why she suddenly had a change of heart.

…

The pain was so overwhelming during the late stages of cancer that I could barely breathe. Fortunately, Lily had downloaded several interesting variety shows for me to watch. I spent my days watching those shows, feeling as if the pain was somewhat bearable.

One day, I received a call from Julia again.

"Where are you, Matthew?"

I was having a good time watching a variety show and felt immensely disgruntled upon being interrupted. That was why I didn't bother hiding my frustration when I snapped, "Did you need something?"

Julia's breath hitched in her throat. A few moments passed before she finally asked, "Why aren't you at home?"

"Why did you go to my house?" I asked, rubbing my temples. "Get out of there. I'm going to sell it soon. Don't get in the way of my business."

"You're selling the house, Matthew? Why?" she demanded, sounding furious.

Still, she had no reason to be angry.

"That's none of your business," I retorted impatiently.

"There's something up with you, Matthew," Julia said. "Where the hell are you?"

"I didn't know that you were such a control freak, Julia," I said before ending the call, being the one to hang up on her this time.

I then blocked her newest number too.

…

The days were getting harder and harder to endure. Eating my daily meals felt like a chore. My stomach and my joints hurt. I knew that they were symptoms of the cancer cells spreading to the rest of my body.

I stared at the white ceiling as I swallowed mouthfuls of painkillers. I pretended I was still a normal person until Lily came in one day with a pair of hair clippers and told me she had to shave my entire head.

I sobbed my heart out as I covered my head with my arms, blubbering, "Can you not shave my hair? I know that I'm really handsome, but I don't think that I can rock a bald look."

"No," Lily said with a darkened expression. "You're going to start chemotherapy soon. All of your hair will fall off even if I don't shave your head. Besides, you'll still be handsome even when you're bald."

The tone of her voice made it clear there was no room for compromise. In the end, she shaved off all my hair.

A beautiful figure entered my room as I admired my bald head in the mirror I was holding. A familiar mocking expression appeared on Julia's face when she spotted me, but her eyes widened when she noticed my bald head.