Chapter 4

Back in my hospital room, the attending doctor looked up anxiously, his brow furrowing deeper.

"Are you still alone?"

I nodded faintly.

"You need to call your family immediately."

An inexplicable wave of irritation flared in my chest. "Doctor, I am an adult. I have the legal right to know what's happening to my own body."

He hesitated, then handed over a thick stack of lab results.

I skimmed through the medical jargon until my eyes landed on the final biopsy report.

*Pathological Diagnosis: Highly consistent with advanced colorectal carcinoma.*

My vision blurred. The letters twisted into grotesque shapes.

A soft sigh came from the doctor, followed by dead silence.

I crumpled the diagnostic report into a tight ball and threw it onto the floor.

"Lana, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?"

A sudden, violent cramp ripped through my abdomen. I collapsed onto the bed, curling into a ball.

"Lana? Why are you sweating like that?"

"Painkillers... please... get me the painkillers..." I choked out.

Shawn rushed over, trembling slightly as he helped me swallow the pills with water.

His trembling fingers reminded me of a winter a year ago, when we both caught the flu.

Shawn had been sicker than me, yet he insisted on staying up all night to nurse me.

His hands had shaken just like this when he spoon-fed me medicine and placed cool towels on my forehead.

As the medication kicked in, I slowly managed to sit up.

Shawn stood by the bed, his eyes fixed on me.

"Lana... what's wrong with you?"

"I have cancer."

Shawn's mouth parted slightly.

I pointed to the crumpled paper at his feet. "Don't believe me? Read it yourself."

Shawn looked down, his body stiffening as he bent down to pick it up.

Just as his fingertips grazed the paper, his phone shrilled. He flinched.

Luna's hysterical weeping exploded through the speaker.

Shawn looked up at me. His lips parted, but not a single sound came out.

I shrugged, turned around, and lay facing the wall.

In the end, he left.

The moment the door clicked shut, I turned back.

The crumpled paper was gone.

I didn't have the energy to care whether Shawn had taken it or kicked it under the bed.

All I could think about was whether I should break my parents' hearts with the truth.

As darkness pulled me under, something hard came flying at my head.