Chapter 3

I wiped away the tears off my face and composed myself, and picked up the thermos flask as I entered Andy's hospital room.

He was pale as he reclined against the bed, hacking violently into a bin.

As I poured him a glass of water, his eyes lit up.

Wrapping a hand around my waist, he leveled me a miserable look as he asked, "Baby, does it hurt selling your blood? Just wait—once I'm better, we're getting married."

I used to imagine our future together once I heard such words, but now I only felt disgust.

Still, I fought against my heartache and feigned ignorance in reply, "Alright, then you get better soon."

Hearing that, he took his pills with a look of content and went to sleep.

I then took the bottle of pills to the doctor for a lab test, and she told me that those were just vitamin pills—not for cancer.

Overwhelmed, I passed out.

When I woke up, the doctor told me she gave me a full-body checkup and discovered that my lung cancer had relapsed. Fortunately, it was still at an early stage and she suggested getting treated abroad.

I said I would think about it, and headed to the nurse's station to make beef stew.

When I took it to Andy, he slid the beef into my bowl. "You have to eat—you need to heal before you can sell your blood again."

He looked at me then, as if he really cared about me.

There weren't extra beds in the room so I had to sleep at a park again.

Before I left, I gave him my medical history and said, "Read it after I'm gone."

He got up and hugged me then. "Don't go, baby."

The gesture softened my heart, and I couldn't help asking, "Did you do something that might upset me?"

He paused, but gave me a peck on my lips in five seconds and smiled. "With a girlfriend like you? Even the powers that be will intervene if I tried."

Once again, I found myself disappointed in him.

He was still lying to me, even now.

Still, I tousled his hair and smiled. "I knew you'd never lie to me."

After I left his room, I poured the stew he had given me into a chute.

Trash should end up where trash should be. Even the food he gave me disgusted me now.

I sat on the stairs in front of the entrance and called my mother. I quickly told her when she picked up, "I'll go abroad to join you!"

She was already worried about a relapse three years ago and had insisted I go abroad to recuperate, but I refused for this so-called love.

She was so upset that she hadn't contacted me for years, so I was ready for her to reject me.

However, that familiar voice was nagging right away, " Have you gotten your passport? Tell me when are you coming, so I can pick you up at the airport!"

All the grief I had been feeling swelled within me, and my tears welled up in my eyes.

Still, I said, "I'll be coming in a month. It's my fifth anniversary with Andy soon, and I want to give him a huge surprise—one he'd never forget for the rest of his life."

-

After I was gone, Andy quickly stopped pretending, throwing my medical slip into a bin without looking.

However, he frowned when he remembered what I had said.

After hesitating for a while, he tapped on his livestream account.

Seeing the view count and photos of me selling my blood at the black market, he was at once relieved—after all, he thought I was so stupid I'd never catch on!

But just in case, he turned off the livestream.

Sunny promptly called him, "Why did you turn the livestream off? It's just a month until the prank is finished!"

Andy looked outside the window as he growled through his teeth, "I regret everything. But if any of you tell Jane about the prank, I will cut you up!"

Sunny was clearly stupefied, but soon pressed, "Do you know what you're doing?! Have you thought about how Mandy would feel?!"

Andy hung up, annoyed.

He turned toward the door, thinking to himself that he would keep things up for the crystal shoes, but this time he was not getting them for Mandy Stiles.

It was just one month left now, and he would propose to his silly baby soon!