Chapter 2

The snow outside still hadn't stopped.

When I opened the car door and got in, I realized someone was in the passenger seat.

Nora Fairchild turned to look at me with an apologetic expression.

Her eyebrows and eyes were gentle and very beautiful.

Jonah started the car and explained in a low voice, "Nora had a bit of a cough this morning, so I'm taking her to get some medicine."

I looked out the car window and didn't say a word.

We were getting divorced soon anyway, so I couldn't control his affairs.

This time, the procedures went smoothly.

When he got the divorce certificate and walked out of the City Hall, Jonah took off his coat and wrapped it around Nora.

He turned back to me and said, "Nora needs to buy medicine, and it's not really on the way. Do you want me to take you back first?"

It was as if he really would take me back if I said yes.

I shook my head. "No, thanks."

He immediately opened the umbrella, put his arm around Nora, and walked into the wind and snow.

After seven years, he finally didn't have to keep up the pretense of superficial harmony with me.

He no longer had to sneak around, crossing most of the city at a few in the morning just to rush to see Nora before dawn.

I watched them walk away, and it took me a while to realize that my phone had been ringing in my bag for a while.

I took a breath and answered the phone.

I felt a little dizzy.

I could hear the middle-aged man's voice on the other end, but it was intermittent, and it took me a while to understand. "Late-stage left heart failure—

"We made a mistake with your test report. It's our fault. Mrs. Wren, we are really sorry."

"This is our mistake. We will seriously deal with the relevant personnel," he added.

I finally understood.

He said that the diagnosis sheet that floated to my feet yesterday didn't belong to the girl with the same name as me, but to me.

So, the person who was about to die, the person who should be squatting in the corner crying bitterly, was me.

The chill crept up, and I watched the man with Nora in his arms walk away.

I suddenly shouted instinctively, "Wait, Jonah?"

It was probably like a person who suddenly fell into the water, subconsciously wanting to grab something.

Jonah pulled open the front passenger door for Nora, letting her get in the car first.

Hearing my voice, he turned back to look at me.

On the other end of the phone, the doctor's voice continued, "So, Mrs. Wren, please come to the hospital with your husband again, just like yesterday."

I looked at Jonah in the distance.

Stepping on the snow, I hurried toward him, each step heavy and uneven.

Actually, I understood that Jonah wouldn't care about me.

But subconsciously, I still walked toward him.

He seemed so gentle, but as I got closer, I could see the indifference in his eyes.

When I opened my mouth, my voice trembled a little. "C-Could you possibly—"

I was interrupted before I could finish speaking.

Jonah frowned slightly. "Ella, we're already divorced."

Oh, we were already divorced.

But, after all, we were married for seven years.

I was really flustered for a moment, not knowing who else to turn to.

I clenched my fingers into my palms, and cold sweat seeped out in the cold.

I tentatively spoke again, "The hospital called and said I—"

Perhaps, if I directly told him about the terminal illness, he might consider our past relationship and accompany me.

For a moment, I still didn't quite dare to go to the hospital alone.

Even though, between him and me, for so many years, it didn't seem like there was any affection to speak of.

The car window opened, and Nora leaned out, her expression concerned. "Jonah, is it alright?"

Jonah had always been considered a gentleman.

Over the years, he clearly hated me, but most of the time, he would barely maintain politeness and decency.

But maybe in his mind, it was really hateful that I was still pestering him like this after the divorce.

He was finally a little impatient. "Are you ill?"

"If it's serious, I can bear half of the medical expenses for you. Just send me the expense list then," he added.

Therefore, no matter how serious the illness was, it wouldn't be a reason for him to stay for me for even a second longer.

After leaving these words, he went directly to the passenger seat, drove off, and left.

I still went to the hospital alone.

I had just arrived at the doctor's office when I heard a commotion inside. Some family members were causing trouble.

"You can just say it was a misdiagnosis? Do you know that my daughter cried all night last night?"

"She even handed in her resignation letter to the company and almost committed suicide."

"You can misdiagnose a terminal illness? Do you know how much damage this has caused my daughter?"

Interspersed were the doctor's and the hospital's repeated apologies.

As I walked in, the doctor who had attended to me yesterday quickly noticed me.

The anxiety on her face increased. "Mrs. Wren, you've come."

The girl who had been crying in the corner yesterday glanced at me and was stunned.

"Madam? A-Are you Ella?" she stammered.

I nodded.

A look of sympathy immediately appeared on her face.

After a long moment of helplessness, she anxiously stopped her mother. "Mom, enough of it."

The woman, who had been extremely angry and questioning a moment before, looked at me following her daughter's gaze, and quickly understood.

The person who really had a terminal illness came.

Perhaps for them, an unacceptable misdiagnosis suddenly felt more like a survival after a disaster.

The woman's anger flickered out, replaced by a slow-spreading sympathy as her daughter tugged her sleeve and steered her away.

I was born prematurely, and I had had heart disease since birth.

So I knew a lot about various heart diseases, and I had heard about heart failure for a long time.

To put it bluntly, I could only wait to die.

After listening to the doctor's euphemistic explanation for a long time, I only asked, "How much longer can I live?"