Chapter 2

David walked over and sat on the same side of the couch as Helen, leaving a space between them.

Since everyone was here, I asked David, "So, what are you thinking about treatment?"

David rubbed the space between his brows, looking completely defeated. "I haven't decided yet."

He looked terrible. Since the diagnosis, he had been a shell of his former self.

Helen lowered her head and played with her phone, acting like she hadn't heard a word we said.

The doctors always beat around the bush, probably so the patients wouldn't lose their will to keep going.

They never straight-up told patients there was no cure, and they didn't promise patients could get better either. Doctors gave people a false sense that they might pull through, as long as they stuck to the treatment.

David had bought into that illusion.

He'd put away a good amount from his business over the years, so paying for the later stages of treatment wouldn't be much trouble.

At that point, Helen jumped in, "I think maybe you should stick with conservative treatment, so you won't have to go through so much pain."

David's face turned more ashen. To him, conservative treatment was basically the same as giving up. He usually listened to Helen, but when it came to his own life, he wasn't about to roll over.

No matter how much one bragged about not being afraid of death, when it was staring him in the face, that unknown fear always crept in.

The more one dwelled on that unknown fear, the more desperate he would get to stay alive.

*****

Helen said she wanted to stay at my place, claiming she was worried I couldn't handle taking care of David alone, and as his sister-in-law, she figured she ought to pitch in.

David didn't say a word. He turned to me, like he was checking for my say-so.

I indeed had work piling up and was thinking about hiring a caregiver for David. Since Helen volunteered, I had no reason to turn her down.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Helen," I said.

Helen smiled faintly. "We're family. Don't be so formal."

Sure enough, Helen didn't hold back at all. That night, she sprawled out on the couch with a face mask on, binge-watching her show.

She bossed me around to help her daughter with bathing. "I can't remember the last time that silly girl had a bath. Grace, why don't you wash her while you're at it?"

Emily was glued to the TV. She could giggle for hours watching Tom and Jerry chase each other around.

I still remembered how smart and adorable she was before she turned six. Now she was messed up. It was her bad luck to end up with a mom like Helen.

Sophie and Emily were born on the same day, with Sophie coming into the world three hours before Emily.

Emily was still glued to the cartoons and didn't want to go with me.

Helen gave her a disgusting glare and barked, "Go take a bath."

I clearly felt Emily's body shake violently. She crouched down, clutching her head, and started screaming.

That was the kind of trauma response found in kids who'd been beaten too many times.

The noise in the living room was so loud that David came out of his room. He saw Emily curled up on the floor, still screaming, and then shot Helen an annoyed look. "Why are you yelling at her?"

Helen snorted, "Sometimes I wish I'd choked her out the moment she came into this world."

She kept glancing at me as she said it.

I watched from the sidelines, totally unfazed. Emily was Helen's only kid, and how she treated her daughter was her business. Nobody else got a say.

*****

When David's friends found out he was sick, they started dropping by to check on him. Having that many people over for dinner wasn't convenient, so I booked a nearby hotel instead.

All the guests were old buddies who'd worked with David for years. Thinking about David's illness, they only swapped funny stories and recalled the good old days to keep his spirits up.

During the dinner, I noticed Jeremy Sterling and Helen seemed to know each other. They kept exchanging glances, like they were silently passing messages back and forth.

Jeremy never stood out to me. He'd only started associating with David a few years ago, and they didn't seem close. Even David looked surprised that he showed up today.

I kept my cool and watched them.