Chapter 1

ARIA HALE

“…..Her pills were tampered with. The pill bottles looked like they had been swapped at the audition. Do you know anyone who could have done that? Her condition is bad enough, we can’t afford to entertain more complications, Mr. Hale,”

Doctor Watson’s voice sounded distant, almost like I was underwater. My father’s reply came; strained and low. 

“I understand, Doctor Watson. It’s under control. I am assigning a bodyguard to her today onwards,” 

My ears perked at that word. 

Bodyguard. 

My eyes fluttered open slowly, taking in my all-familiar environment. Sterile white ceiling. The faint beeping of machines. The familiar cold scent of antiseptics invaded my airways. 

I turned my head. The doctor was gone. Only my father was standing in the middle of the room, staring into space. He looked older, like he had aged a decade overnight. 

My throat burned as I tried to speak, the words coming out raw and groggy, 

“A—a bodyguard? You can’t be serious, Dad,” 

I attempted to sit up but winced as a sharp pain shot through my side. I gasped and fell back, when the pain became unbearable. 

Great. Even arguing requires extra strength these days. How convenient. 

“I do not need a bodyguard.”

“Oh, you do,” He replied in a tone, signaling finality. He faced me squarely, and I couldn’t unsee the disappointment that shone brightly in his eyes. 

“Aria, do you realise what could have happened had you not been rushed into the hospital on time?! Do you hate your life so much that you’re willing to end it all? Just how selfish can you be!” 

My heart sank at his words and a flurry of anger settled in my stomach. He doesn’t get to throw harsh words at me, when he doesn’t even understand how much I’m trying….trying to stay alive.

“I will die anyway,” I snapped, the words leaving a metallic taste on my tongue, “what does it matter when and where that happens!” I yelled back.

I had never seen Richard Hale, my father, look as heartbroken as he did at this very moment. But I didn’t care. He wasn’t the one tied to a ticking clock. 

I was the one on a countdown, not him. 

“Aria…”

“No, you…you don’t get it, do you?,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “That was Mom’s favorite movie. It is the only thing I can remember vividly about the mystery woman who birthed me. You never tell me anything about her. Nobody mentions her, ever! Everyone acts like she’s—she’s a taboo. You act like she never existed,” my breath hitched, “ Did you even love her at all?”

The veins in my forehead popped and my vision became blurry. Emotions have always been a trigger, anger especially. I hated it. I hated this weak body. 

I took a deep breath before continuing slowly. 

 “I wanted to audition, but I knew you would never let me go, so I went myself,” I played with my fingers on my lap, avoiding eye contact with him.

“I…I just wanted to do something besides lying in this stupid room attached to a dozen tubes.” My voice softened and cracked at the last part, a lone tear slipping away, despite my effort to keep it in. Dad looked everywhere but at my face. 

He had made up his mind already. 

“Doctor Watson says you have a year left to live. If you keep going at this rate, you might not last up to a month,” He walked to the door. Paused. “Your bodyguard will pick you up once you’re discharged.” And then, he was gone. 

The silence crushed me. 

I couldn’t stop the choking sobs that raked through my body, shoulders shaking and hands trembling. Tears mixed with snot ran down my face but I couldn’t care less. 

I am just….tired. 

Tired of being sick.

Tired of being fragile. 

Tired of living in a body that betrayed me every single day. 

Tired of living my life on a clock, not sure when it would stop ticking.

I have been confined to beds year-round, not sure if I would ever be free. I didn’t know what would trigger the next seizure or what would set me off permanently. 

Now, just when I was about to get a little freedom, he was employing a bodyguard—a chaperone, to keep eyes on me and keep me bound in this cage forever. 

Does he think I’m a child? I am twenty-one years old and I still have no say whatsoever in my own life. My life would forever be a prison I would never escape from. 

My body sighed with exhaustion. I wanted to sleep but I knew I wouldn’t. This illness has never made anything easy for me. 

My phone pinged.

I reached for it with shaky hands, and the pill bottles clinked as my fingers brushed past them.  

It was a message from an unknown number. I clicked on it and saw it was some photos and a voice message. 

My heart thrummed in my chest, beating frantically. It felt like my lungs were constricting. I couldn’t breathe. 

I opened the photos. 

My stomach dropped. 

Adrian.

And Cassie. 

Pictures of them shopping together in stores. Kissing in what looked like a private club. Holding hands in public spaces.

My vision blurred again, but this time from betrayal and not from the illness.

Why would Adrian do this to me? Cassie has never liked me. She’s always been jealous of me for whatever reason and that led her to hate me. 

I should be the one jealous. 

Cassie has everything I could only wish for. 

Her healthy blonde hair always teased me. Her bright golden orbs mocked my pale, dark circles. 

She has the freedom to do whatever she wants without limitations and restrictions. Things I'm not privy to, so what is she so jealous of? 

My hands trembled, hovering over the voice message. Deep down, I could tell that pressing play would break me. 

Still, I pressed it anyway. 

“You don’t love me, Adrian” Cassie’s sultry voice came on.

“Don’t start that, baby. You know I love—”

“You spend so much time with that invalid, it’s sickening—”

I froze. 

“She’s supposed to be my wife,” Adrian whispered back. “You know I’ve got only eyes for you, right?” he paused, “I could never be with someone who has no life beyond a hospital bed. I’m agreeing to this marriage because my father says she’s the only heir. Once she dies, you and I will inherit everything. We’ll spend the rest of our lives lavishly, living the life she can only wish for in her dreams.” 

Cassie giggled. 

“It’s such an unfortunate thing for her. I wish I cared.” I could hear the unmistakable sound of lips meeting. A wet kiss. 

My phone slipped from my grasp and hit the floor with a sharp thud. 

My chest tightened painfully, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this…heartbreak, would be what finally killed me.