Chapter 5

Blood came rushing out of my nose, sharp pain hitting me as it dripped down. Without thinking, I shoved him hard.

"Ryan, what the hell are you doing? If you lay a hand on me again, I'll call the cops," I snapped.

But before I could finish, Ryan suddenly stumbled and fell to the floor, his head hitting the wall hard. Blood instantly started trickling down his forehead.

"Help. Someone's going to kill me," he shouted.

I stared at Ryan lying on the ground, then looked at my hands, stunned.

I've been sick for seven years. Even putting on clothes wore me out, and sometimes I couldn't even hold a glass steady.

I barely had the strength to push him away, let alone knock Ryan down. All I wanted was for him to stop hitting me.

But somehow, he crashed right into the wall, blood trickling down from his forehead.

As I was at a loss, Claire suddenly appeared in the lobby. Seeing Ryan on the ground, she rushed over to him.

"Ryan, are you okay?" she asked.

Ryan clutched Claire's hand, his grip tight and full of resentment. "Claire, David, he's trying to kill me.

"As soon as you left, he started yelling at me. He said you were trash he didn't want, and that whenever he felt like it, you'd come crawling back to him.

"I couldn't take it, so I splashed a glass of water in his face.

"But that made him even angrier. He started calling me trash, said I was a loser who only picks up the women he's already messed around with and tossed aside.

"I lost it and punched him. Then he got pissed and shoved me so hard I crashed into the wall."

Hearing Ryan's words, I stood there, totally shocked.

My mouth was trembling, and it took me a moment before I could finally speak. "Claire, hear me out. It's not like that. I swear, I didn't."

But Claire suddenly snapped, her voice ringing out through the room. "David, how could you be so heartless? Seven years ago, you shamelessly messed around with other women.

"And now, seven years later, I'm about to get married, and suddenly you think I'm good enough for you again? You even went after my fiancé."

With that, Claire stormed over and hit me several times, furious. Then she shoved my wheelchair hard, sending it crashing into the dining table.

The wheelchair slammed into the table, bowls and plates went flying, the table tipped over, and my wheelchair flipped over with it.

My head crashed hard against the corner of the table, and blood instantly started pouring out, hot and fast.

My skull was ringing, and my whole body trembled uncontrollably.

But Claire didn't even look at me. She hurried to Ryan, helping him up with frantic care. As he moaned about his aching head, she pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his lips, completely ignoring me.

"Ryan, are you alright? I'll get you to the hospital right away," Claire said, without so much as a glance in my direction, guiding Ryan toward the door.

Watching Ryan's taunting grin and Claire walking away, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I laughed, not sure if it was from the pain or the irony.

It reminded me of when I was eighteen. I took a job as a bartender to buy Claire a graduation present.

One night, some creep with a weird fetish started bothering me. I threw a dozen punches at him, but he still left my face bruised and swollen.

When I got home, Claire saw my face covered in blood and started crying right away.

She kissed my battered cheek through her tears, then threw herself into my arms, sobbing as she asked why I was so stupid, getting hurt like that for a graduation present.

Back then, Claire's eyes were only for me.

But now, Claire only had eyes for another man.

My heart ached, but oddly enough, there was a sense of relief.

Strangely enough, it felt comforting, knowing that the girl I once loved with everything I had, even if I was gone, there'd still be someone who'd love her as deeply.

My head was buzzing, and blood and tears kept dripping from the corners of my eyes. The staff started crowding around me.

I could feel my life slipping away. It was a feeling I knew all too well. Whenever I was on the verge of giving up, this was always how it felt.

But I forced myself to stay awake, refusing to let my eyes close. I had to make sure Claire wouldn't get blamed for this. I couldn't let the girl I loved suffer because of me.

Hanging on felt impossible, but I still couldn't bring myself to check out for good.

It wasn't until the moment the police arrived that all my strength finally drained away.

I gripped the officer's hand tightly, barely able to hold on. "Tell my mom not to look into it. Tell her I chose this myself.

"Tell her I'm sorry. I won't be able to be there for her anymore."

My heart felt bitter, but somehow, I didn't feel any regrets.

After all, I'd battled cancer for seven years, waited seven years, and all I ever wanted was to see Claire one more time.

I saw her. My dream came true. That's all I ever wanted.