The Price of His Sick Love

Three Days Left

Why had every compromise I made only made Zoey bolder? I couldn't understand it. I couldn't understand why the more I backed down, the more shameless Zoey became.

I didn't hesitate to slap her.

She made no move to dodge.

Instead, she let the slap land and collapsed dramatically to the floor.

At the same time, I heard Elias' horrified shout ring out. "Stop!"

He charged out of the kitchen and kicked me away. The painkillers in my pocket spilled across the floor.

His heel came down directly on the wound near my waist. The pain exploded through me so violently that I couldn't even get up.

The doctor had warned me that my wounds would heal poorly due to my leukemia.

Blood quickly seeped through the fabric at my waist.

He looked down at me in disgust.

"Celia, I thought you'd changed. It turns out that this was just another one of your games. I'm the one who asked you to sign those agreements. If you're upset, take it out on me. There was no need to hit Zoey."

I forced the words through the pain. "She smashed the bracelet!"

Elias froze for a second, then scoffed. "It was just a bracelet. It's just some cheap junk from a street stall. How could you hit someone over that?"

My eyes burned red. "That was my mother's keepsake!"

He went still. Then, he looked at Zoey, who only looked at him pitifully.

He didn't even bother asking me what had happened. Instead, he immediately started blaming me. "So what if it was a keepsake? I'll have someone fix it. You're a grown woman. Was it really worth fighting with someone you owe over a bracelet?"

Someone I owed. Again with that debt! But what did I supposedly owe Zoey for?

I finally lost control. "What exactly do I owe her?"

Elias frowned. "When you were in that car accident, Zoey volunteered to donate blood for you. Isn't that enough?"

A hollow laugh caught in my throat. "She gave less than half an ounce before you made them stop. Was it because she had a cold, or because you couldn't bear seeing her uncomfortable?"

Elias slapped me hard across the face.

"Celia, how can you think something like that? Everything I've done has been for you. Yes, Zoey is a match for you, but that doesn't mean we use her every time you have some minor issue. She's not an object. She's a living person."

He cared about Zoey, but he had never once cared that I'd given Zoey one of my kidneys.

I pressed a hand to my cheek and let out a broken laugh.

…

Then, I crouched on the floor, trembling as I gathered the shattered pieces of the bracelet.

"Mom... I have nothing left."

Before she died, my mother had thanked Elias again and again. She had thanked God someone would love me in her place. But now, even that promise felt like a complete joke. A terrible one, but a joke nonetheless.

Elias watched me laugh as tears rolled down my cheeks. There was an unsettled look on his face. "Cece... you still have me."

And then, right in front of him, I collapsed.

…

When I woke up, I was back in the hospital.

The doctor looked at me with open sympathy. "Ms. Starling, your condition has worsened again. You have three days left."

"Three days until what?" Elias had walked in just in time to hear that.

I answered smoothly, "Three more days until I'm discharged."

He didn't doubt me for a second.

He set my pain medication on the table. "Don't forget to take your medicine. I already sent someone to repair your mom's bracelet. Zoey took it without permission, so I punished her."

I said nothing.

He smiled faintly. "I told her she's not allowed to talk to me for a whole day and to reflect on her mistakes."

He had never once cared to ask just what medicine I was taking.

Apparently, a day without speaking to him counted as punishment.

"Cheer up, Cece. Guess what surprise I brought you?"

The next second, he revealed what he'd been hiding behind his back. It was a wedding proposal book.

He held it out to me. "To keep you from overthinking, I've decided to marry you. The wedding's in three days. Once we're married, I'll take care of you. I won't let you suffer ever again."

My hands clenched into fists. I didn't take it.

He didn't push. Instead, he softened his tone. "Promise me something. Stop fighting with Zoey, okay? You know I'm only good to her for your sake."