บททั้งหมดของ A Life Without Sunlight: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 9

"Then, I’m leaving." I hoisted up my woven sack."Go on, get lost. Go find that gold-digging mother of yours." Dad waved his hand dismissively, like he was shooing away a fly.Mathias Clark hid behind him, pulling faces at me. His expression was smug, almost triumphant. "Don’t come crawling back later, begging me for money, Ty."Without saying a word, I smiled and turned to walk into the rain. I hunched my shoulders slightly. The cold seeped in so deep it felt like it was coming from inside my bones.Honestly, it didn’t matter where I went. I just wanted somewhere quiet, somewhere I could endure whatever time I had left.No more listening to debt collectors pounding on the door for a gambling addict. No more breathing in that nauseating stench of cheap cigarettes.Mom’s black Mercedes was parked at the mouth of Maple Alley. The window rolled down, revealing her well-maintained face. She frowned as she looked at me, drenched from head to toe, a trace of disgust flickering in her e

I settled into life in this house like a ghost.Jonathan preferred silence. Even the house staff walked on tiptoes.Every day, Mom tried new ways to please him. She made casseroles, gave him massages, and sat with him watching those dry financial news programs. In this house, she lived like a high-end housekeeper.As for me, I barely left my room except to eat. I cleaned out the storage room until it was spotless. Even though it was still packed with old furniture, the sunlight there was perfect. I often dragged a chair to the window and sat there for hours, basking in the sun, like an old man waiting for the end.Sometimes Jonathan would pass by my door. When he saw me sitting in the sunlight, he would pause for a moment, but he never said anything.The look in his eyes was strange, like he was looking at a reflection of himself.That afternoon at lunch, the table was quiet. The only sound was the faint clink of cutlery against plates.My phone suddenly vibrated. In the silence

My hand froze around the chess piece, and my heart skipped a beat.He knew. Of course, he did. In this house, if he wanted to know something, nothing could be hidden from him."You went through my things?" My voice came out dry."You didn’t hide them well enough." Jonathan withdrew his hand and leaned back against the sofa, his expression indifferent. "Late-stage brain tumor. You could die at any time. Why aren’t you getting treatment?"Now that everything was out in the open, there was no need to pretend anymore."I don’t have the money. And I don’t want treatment." I looked at him calmly. "Even if I survive it, it’ll just be more suffering. I’d rather end it sooner."Jonathan fell silent for a long time."You saw the bottle in the study trash, didn’t you?" he suddenly asked.I didn’t deny it. "Yeah. I saw it. That’s medication for the dying."He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I’m a dying man too."In that instant, the tension between us dissolved. "If your mom found out

"The doctor said that if there’s no intervention, it could happen at any time…"He didn’t finish the sentence, but I understood. I could die at any moment."That’s good." I smiled faintly. "Sooner than I expected."Jonathan looked at my smile, something bleak flickering in his eyes. "Tyler, you’re only eighteen.""So what if I am? Some people live to eighty and are still just walking corpses. I’ve lived eighteen years. That’s enough."Just then, a commotion erupted downstairs. Mom was crying and shouting."Mom, I don’t want to live anymore! I can’t do this anymore!"Mathias.He was here.I frowned.Jonathan stood up. "Stay here. I’ll go take a look.""I’m coming too." I threw off the blanket."You—""I want to see." I wanted to see what Mathias had become in this life after being crushed by reality.Jonathan didn’t stop me. He helped me up, supporting me as we slowly made our way downstairs.The living room was in chaos.Mathias was kneeling on the floor, covered in inj

My condition kept getting worse.My vision blurred more and more. I could barely make out people’s faces, so I had to rely on voices to recognize them.Mom cried every day, her eyes turning swollen and puffy. She started turning to religion, chanting prayers in the hospital room. She said she was praying for my blessings, but listening to it only made me restless."Mom, stop," I said. "If there really were gods watching, I wouldn’t be suffering like this."She froze. The prayer book slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. "Tyler…""I want chicken casserole," I cut her off."Okay, okay, I’ll go make it right now." She hurriedly picked up the book and rushed out.I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat it. I just wanted her gone because I needed some quiet.Now, it was just Jonathan and me in the room."Uncle Jonathan," I called."I’m here." He traced words into my palm, letting me know he was there."I don’t want treatment anymore," I said. "Pull the tubes." My body was covere