6
720words
But then he showed up outside the small house I'd just bought.
I was coming back from dinner and saw him standing under the dim streetlight from afar.
He walked up to me. I noticed a light dusting of snow on his shoulders.
I sighed helplessly. “Leo, what do you—”
The next second, a familiar, clean scent washed over me.
Leo trembled slightly as he pulled me into a tight embrace, holding me so close it felt like he thought I'd disappear if he let go.
He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his warm breath ghosting over my skin.
“Why didn't you tell me?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “Sylvia, why didn't you tell me you were sick?”
I pushed Leo away silently, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze,
“What? Heard I was dying and rushed over to pay your respects?”
“Thanks for the thought, but you can just wire the money. No need to come in person.”
Leo stubbornly grabbed my hand, his eyes bloodshot.
“The person who bought your apartment found the cancer diagnosis you left behind… When were you going to tell me?”
“Or is this some game? Are you playing hard to get to force me to marry you?”
Anger surged in my chest. So in his mind, marrying me had become some pressure.
I laughed in exasperation.
“Yes, it's all a game.”
“Now that you've seen through it, you can leave, right?”
This time, it was Leo's turn to fall silent for a long moment.
“Sylvia, I'm sorry.”
Hearing his emotionally charged apology, I felt surprisingly calm.
I pulled my hand out of his grasp.
“What good is sorry?”
“Leo, you'd better not be saying all this because you pity me for dying. I don't need your pity.”
“If you really feel sorry, you should never appear in front of me again.”
After saying that, I walked through the gate and shut Leo out.
Another week passed in the blink of an eye. It was time for another round of hospital treatment.
The doctor saw me and asked irritably, “Can't you just stay in the hospital and take your treatment seriously?”
I just smiled at her without answering.
If it weren't for the fear of a painful death, I wouldn't want to spend a single day in the hospital.
I always hated hospitals more than anything.
Because I could never forget eight years ago I saw my parents in a hospital for the last time.
Thinking of that, I let out a bitter laugh and whispered,
“Such rotten luck. A family of short-lived ghosts.”
Then I took out my wallet and pulled out a faded photograph.
It was the only family portrait we had.
Tears streamed down and dropped onto the photo.
“Mom, Dad, I'll see you again soon.”
“Leo, that promise-breaker, went back on his word… but don't blame him…”
“After all… he truly loved me for a few years.”
Why did it hurt so much? Probably because in so many moments with him, I genuinely felt happy.
But things didn't go as planned. In the end, we still fell apart.
Just then, the hospital room door opened.
I quickly wiped my tears and put the photo back in my wallet.
It was Lina again.
She smiled brightly at me, holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
“Oh~ those red, puffy eyes. Crying alone again?” she teased playfully and placed the flowers on the table.
I took a deep breath and looked at her coldly. “What are you doing here again?”
Lina kept smiling.
“Last time you said you were dying, and that I could take your place as Leo's wife.”
“Well, I have to keep an eye on you, in case you change your mind, fight like hell to get better, and come charging back.”
She sat on the sofa across from me.
I couldn't help but ask again, “It was you, right? The one who texted me?”
This time, she nodded. I was stunned.
“Why? Did you just want to see me suffer? To see Leo protect you?”
But as soon as I said it, it didn't feel right.
Because if that were the case, she wouldn't have needed to send those last two messages.
