Chapter 3

At first, Chloe came to my hospital room herself, crying and begging. "Wanda, can you wait a little longer for me?

"I still have six months of school left, but all the pre-op tests and preparations would mess up my classes and exams. If I flunk, my whole future is ruined.

"Please, just give me six more months. Once I'm done with exams, I'll do everything you need right away."

Back then, I was still grateful for her 'kindness', forcing myself to nod despite how awful I felt.

Besides, Chloe was so weak that she really needed some proper nutrition.

I gave her three grand so she could eat better. She left, full of gratitude.

Half a year later, Chloe finished her exams, but she came up with new excuses.

This time, Ethan came to persuade me.

While giving me a massage, Ethan explained, "Wanda, the doctor just checked Chloe's medical report. She's still too weak to qualify as a donor. She needs to keep putting on weight and getting stronger.

"She's forcing herself to eat more every day, especially fatty foods. She was just crying to me, saying she can't force it down and keeps throwing up. I really can't stand seeing her suffer like this."

I didn't say a word, clutching the bedsheet in my fists.

Another three months passed, and Chloe finally hit the mark. She scraped by the basic pre-op tests, but fear hit her hard.

She said, "Wanda, Ethan, I'm terrified. Just thinking about the biopsy makes me tremble from head to toe. I can't eat during the day, can't sleep at night.

"I can't shake this dread. If I get on that operating table feeling like this, I swear I won't make it out alive..."

Ethan held my hand to comfort me, but his gaze lingered on Chloe, who was crying.

He said to Chloe, "This is a big deal. You need more time to get your head straight. No need to hurry. Just go at your own pace. Wanda and I will wait as long as you need."

I kept quiet, and my heart weighed down with heaviness.

The hope that once filled my heart was slowly fading, and my heart was growing cold.

I went to Charles and asked him to keep running compatibility tests for me.

But finding a match was never that simple.

While Chloe was spending those two weeks trying to get her head straight, my condition got worse. Severe gum bleeding and bruises started showing up.

Charles declared me in critical condition right in front of Ethan. "We need to lock in a surgery date as soon as possible. If we keep delaying, your life will be in real danger."

When Chloe got the news, she reached out to me herself, crying as she told me that this time, she wouldn't back out, no matter what.

She promised she'd cooperate and finish all the pre-op tests as soon as possible, no excuses.

Hanging on to that last bit of hope, I managed to survive the toughest crisis of my illness.

Turned out, it was just another excuse for Chloe to drag things out.

A week before the surgery, two elderly folks in simple clothes showed up at the hospital. They were Chloe's parents from a small town.

The moment they saw me, they burst into tears, wailing and dropping to the ground, refusing to get up.

They kept shouting, "You're killing our daughter!"

I struggled to explain, assuring them that Chloe wouldn't be at risk.

But they wouldn't listen. They kept crying and insisting on compensation.

In the end, I handed over 150 grand to finally make them stop.

As for Chloe, she stayed outside the whole time and never bothered to come in.

Ethan didn't spare a thought for how drained and wronged I felt after surviving a critical illness and being blackmailed. Instead, he went straight to Chloe, making sure she was okay.

That night, I saw Chloe's post on the nurse's phone.

Ethan had taken her to a fancy restaurant and bought her nineteen birthday gifts. The caption read: [Making up for all the hardships you endured as a child.]

In the photo, they were both grinning ear to ear, with gifts piled up like a mountain on the table. It was so flashy it almost hurt to look at.

Meanwhile, I was in the hospital, undergoing dialysis, relying on machines to keep breathing.

And the man I loved? He was off with another woman, celebrating her birthday.

I totally blew up, and the stress was so much that I ended up passing out.

The nurse looking after me freaked out and rushed to call Ethan.

But he lied right over the phone without a second thought. "Chloe's really sick. She's burning up and coughing nonstop. I can't leave her right now."

I was so exhausted. I couldn't take it anymore.

The next day, when Ethan came to stall on Chloe's behalf again, I looked him in the eye and finally asked, "Are you regretting it? You don't want Chloe to go through with the bone marrow donation anymore, do you?"

To my surprise, he got even angrier. "Wanda, Chloe gained weight for you, let her grades suffer, stood up to her parents, and even went through all those compatibility tests while feeling sick herself. How could you be so heartless to think that about her?"

In that moment, I realized he had changed his mind.

I'd been stuck in this hospital room, waiting for them to throw me a lifeline, a second chance at life. And just like that, two years slipped by.

I was done waiting.