Ashes to Dawn のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 6

GRACE’S POVApril 11, 2023. 6:00 a.m.My alarm rang loudly, but I had already been awake for nearly an hour. Even then, it started me a bit.Sleep didn’t seem to come to me as easily as it did before anymore. Whenever it tried to come, it was thin and restless, slipping away whenever the dull ache in my stomach increased into something sharper. This morning the pain had woken me before dawn, as usual. It left me dreading the entire day already. The pain laid curling low beneath my ribs, and spread slowly outward like water penetrating a cabin.I laid still, staring at the ceiling, the doctor's voice echoing in my head. I couldn't get it out of my head.Gastric cancer.The words still didn’t feel real, even after hearing them twice. The doctor had spoken gently, carefully, as if speaking softly could make the pain go away.“It’s spreading, Mrs. Williams.” He had said, eyes searching my face as my own eyes strayed from his to my fiddling hands.I turned to the other side of the bed. B

GRACE'S POV When I left the hospital, the sky had turned gray. It seemed to match my mood. Lovely. I half expected it to start raining so I could finally let go and cry my eyes out. I stood outside for a long moment, holding the envelope of medical reports against my chest. Maybe if I held it tight enough, it would disappear alongside the illness. It didn't work. Eventually, I realised that I probably looked weird as I stood there, outside, unmoving. People probably thought I was a suicide bomber. I drove away from the hospital, praying that the ache in my chest would disappear.When I reached the house, the sun was already beginning to set. I hadn't realised how much time I had spent in the waiting room at the hospital until then. The living room was dark with the curtains drawn, almost like no one lived there. Michael wasn’t home from work yet, so I started thinking about dinner for the both of us. I moved through the house slowly, and into the bedroom. I set my bag down on th

CHAPTER FIVEGRACE'S POV April 12, 2023.4:16pmI'd always heard that betrayal hurts, that it was brutal, but I never thought I'd be experiencing one. Especially not when it was my best friend and my husband in our bed. My gasp drew their attention and they looked my way. Susan gaped, eyes wide, skin pale and flushed at the same time. They were under the sheets, tangled up in their limbs. There was no denying what was happening at that moment. If I thought my heart was hurt by cracking, my heart shattered. I saw red, and my head ached in a way that made me cradle my forehead. “Grace…” Susan started, but I stopped her by raising my hand. The last thing I wanted to hear was what she had to say. “How long has this been going on?” I asked both of them, my voice cracking. Susan glances at Michael whose attention was on me. He didn't look remorseful or whatever, he had a blank expression on his face, not saying anything.“A few months.” Susan replied, getting out of the bed and strug