Chapter 2

The next day, I was wheeled up to the operating room with tubes all over my body, all prepped and ready, waiting for Chloe to show up.

But she changed her mind again.

Ethan stood by my bed, looking awkward. After a long pause, he spoke quietly, "Wanda, Chloe... Chloe wants me to clear out all your stuff from our place. She wants to move in as soon as she's out of the hospital."

As soon as he finished, as if he suddenly felt a bit ashamed, he quickly added, "Don't worry. I'll find you a new place and make sure all your stuff gets moved there. I know how much you treasure those furniture and crafts..."

I cut him off. "No need. Just throw away everything of mine. I don't want any of it."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Ethan's eyes.

That place was packed with the furniture we picked out together when we got engaged, the handmade rugs I dragged all the way from abroad, and every photo of us growing up. Each piece was a trace of our life together.

But honestly, none of it mattered to me anymore. I just wanted to survive.

Because Chloe ate something before changing her mind, the surgery had to be postponed again.

This whole ordeal left me utterly exhausted. I needed a long time to recover before I could even feel halfway normal again.

The hospital scheduled the surgery again, but I still couldn't escape Chloe's change of heart.

When Ethan came to my room, he sounded apologetic, but he was just making excuses for Chloe. "Wanda, Chloe's been really anxious lately. She's been sick to her stomach all morning.

"She says she needs to get out to change her mood and relieve the stress, so the surgery's postponed for another month."

I lay in bed, not even having the strength to protest. The exhaustion in me was stronger than any sadness.

Ethan used to promise he'd spoil me like a princess and protect me for life, but those words meant nothing now.

"Forget about it, Ethan. Just call it off," I said.

I was exhausted. I didn't want to be tossed around like a pawn in their game anymore, waiting in humiliation, suffering disappointment and pain again and again.

Ethan cared so much for Chloe, but never once bothered to ask if I was okay, and if I could handle any of this.

After all, he hardly even came to the hospital anymore during the past two months.

So how would he ever see me losing my mind from the pain?

The room was dead quiet.

I lay there and stared up at the ceiling, heartache spreading through me, but I didn't even have the strength left to cry.

Ethan stood there, stunned for a few seconds.

Then he said something even more humiliating. "Your life is in Chloe's hands now. It's natural for a young girl like her to be scared. It's just a delay, not like she's refusing to help you. What's the point of acting like this?"

With that, he turned and walked out.

That night, I went to see Charles. "Dr. Bennett, am I dying?"

Charles was in his fifties, always gentle and caring. Over the past three years, he'd treated me like his own daughter.

When he heard my question, his eyes grew teary, and he clutched my medical chart a little tighter. "Wanda, you're just under a lot of stress lately. Don't think like that."

I stayed silent, and my eyes lowered as I looked at my hands. They were so frail now, covered in needle marks. Once, these hands brought the most beautiful designs to life.

I said, "But lately, I keep dreaming about my parents. They tell me they're lonely, and wish I could join them."

Charles gently ran his hand over my hair, his voice soft and full of compassion. "Is it because Ethan took Ms. Hart overseas to unwind? Is that bothering you?"

I nodded, not trying to deny it.

Ethan took Chloe all the way to Icelandia to watch the aurora. People said it was a magical place. If you made a wish when the aurora broke through the clouds, all your sadness would melt away.

I'd never been to Icelandia. Honestly, I hadn't left this hospital in forever.

Every day, all I could do was stare out my window at the endless gray sky and the leafless trees, watching the seasons pass, but there was never a single ray of hope for me.

It was so unfair, but I couldn't do anything about it.

Charles sighed, trying to comfort me. "Ethan told me that as soon as they're back, we'll get your surgery set up right away. And when you're better, you can go anywhere you like."

But I'd heard that promise more times than I could count. It didn't mean anything to me anymore.

Ever since Chloe said she'd donate her bone marrow, she'd been stringing me along with excuse after excuse.

All the prep and tests before surgery dragged on for more than a year.