Lies, Love, And Letting Go

"Given your current condition, we strongly recommend sticking to conservative treatment. You might want to inform your family without delay."

Caroline Cooper drifted out of the hospital like someone moving through fog. The doctor's voice kept looping in her head, each word hammering deeper into her chest. Her fingers clenched the diagnosis report so tightly that the paper had gone soft and wrinkled.

Hearing the words conservative treatment felt like being handed her own death warrant. A fresh wave of pain knifed through her abdomen, twisting her insides until her knees nearly buckled. The agony radiated along every nerve, cold and relentless, burrowing into her bones and stripping away what little strength she had left.

Suddenly, a sharp blast of a horn split through the noise of the street.

Caroline's head jerked up just in time to see a car hurtling toward her.

The driver yanked the steering wheel at the last second, tires screeching as the vehicle skimmed past her shoulder. The rush of wind whipped her hair back, the near miss snapping her mind into brutal clarity.

She stumbled backward, but her foot caught at a bad angle, sending a sharp bolt of pain up her leg as she collapsed onto the rough pavement. A fierce throb pulsed through her ankle, forcing a wince as she tilted her head toward the car.

The driver shoved his window down and barked viciously, "Hey, are you fucking blind? You got a death wish or something? If you're so eager to die, pick another street. Just my damn luck!"

With a final curse, the car lurched away, leaving the air reeking faintly of exhaust.

A brittle laugh slipped from Caroline's lips as she sat there, palms scraping the cold ground. She was indeed teetering on the edge of death. The word "cancer" still echoed mercilessly in her head. She hadn't expected a diagnosis like that, yet looking back, the signs had always been there. Years of scarfing down cold meals at odd hours, pushing through endless shifts without rest, dragging herself through each day-her body had been quietly unraveling under the weight of exhaustion and heartache.

For someone who'd always forced herself to stand tall, the sudden awareness of her fragility cracked something open inside her. In that moment, the strength she'd clung to for years felt paper-thin.

A bitter heat prickled behind her eyes, but she clenched her jaw and forced the tears back. With trembling fingers, she pulled up the number of her husband, Vincent Cooper, and hit call.

If death truly waited just around the corner, the only thing she wanted was to hear his voice one last time.

The line rang until it automatically disconnected. She dialed again. And again. Still, no one answered.

Each unanswered call dragged her deeper into the cold pit of despair.

Even so, she tried to cling to a sliver of hope-maybe Vincent was tied up at work, stuck in another endless meeting.

Swallowing hard, Caroline steadied her breathing and typed out a message to Vincent with deliberate care. "I got hurt today. Will you be home later?"

Five minutes crawled by before his reply arrived. "Yeah."

That single word sent warmth surging through her chest, softening the ache in her ankle and loosening the weight crushing her heart. For the first time that night, the pain had felt a little more bearable.

...

At eight that evening, Caroline stepped through the gates of Luna Villa, her pulse unsteady with a mix of nervousness and fragile hope.

This house had been their shared sanctuary after the wedding-her most familiar and cherished place.

Crossing the threshold of their bedroom, she lingered for a moment, fingers brushing the edge of the folded medical report. Vincent was rarely home these days; the last thing she wanted was for tonight to be tainted by anything heavy.

She slipped to the wardrobe and rose onto her toes, sliding the report toward the top drawer.

Just as she was about to close it, a flash of color snagged her attention. Wedged in the pocket of one of Vincent's tailored jackets was something pink. Not just pink-lace.

A chill crept up her spine as her hand, suddenly clumsy, reached for it. Between her fingers emerged a delicate scrap of lace underwear, soft and damning against her skin.

The air seemed to drain from the room. In that shattering instant, it felt as if she'd been dropped into an icy abyss, the ground beneath her heart giving way.

The invisible blow slammed into her chest like a sledgehammer, and a bitter surge climbed the back of her throat. Vincent... had betrayed her?

For three years, she had walked a tightrope between career and home, constantly yielding to Vincent's needs. She'd convinced herself that hard work and gentle patience would win his heart, that one day he might finally choose to spend more of his nights at home.

But life had slammed that fragile hope to the ground. Every sacrifice, every moment spent pleasing him and his family, had been rewarded with cold, shameless betrayal. She hadn't even gone yet, and his infidelity was already sneering at her in the open.

A sharp spasm tore through her gut. Caroline hurled the offending lace to the floor, stumbled into the bathroom, and bent over the toilet.

What rose from her throat wasn't bile but a horrifying streak of dark red.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, blurring the blood against the porcelain in a cruel, vivid smear.

Her knees nearly buckled as strength bled out of her limbs. The tiled wall was the only thing keeping her upright as a high-pitched ringing filled her ears, her vision tunneling at the edges.

Just as she fought to steady herself, the unmistakable sound of Vincent's footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Her entire body went rigid. She slammed her trembling palm against the flush button, heart hammering against her ribs, eyes locked on the fading swirl of crimson.

A second later, the door burst open with a hard, jarring crack.