Chapter 28

Chapter 28

BLAIRE

Despite my inner struggle between going back to the hospital and

staying as far away as I could, I still ended up going back to the

hospital. I'm just glad that Sebastian has been with me the whole time,

showing his support.

My heart is racing as we step inside the hospital. Our way to

Catherine's room has been the longest walk I've ever taken in my entire

life. I'm not sure why, but I have a bad feeling about this. We still have

no idea what's going on with Catherine's health, but I can’t get off this

feeling that it will have a big impact on our lives.

“Are you ready?” Sebastian asked me when he noticed my discomfort

upon reaching the front door.

I took a deep before nodding my head. Before Sebastian opened the

door, he planted a soft k*ss on my forehead. I was holding my breath

as I watched him slowly turn the doorknob. I gulped, trying to even out

my breathing as I started to panic inside. I might look normal on the

outside, but my inside is in turmoil right now.

“Thank Go d, you're here!” Stacey was exasperated when she saw us

walk inside the room. She was quick to go near us.

I was slightly taken aback when she suddenly grabbed Sebastian's

hand and pulled him onto Catherine's side. She deliberately places

their hands together. It earns a deep frown on my forehead, as it seems

weird to me.

I noticed that Catherine was already awake, but her eyes were still a

little bit lazy, probably from the medicine that she was taking.

“Thank you for coming back,” Catherine said in her weak and h o ar se

voice.

Sebastian looked at me as if he were asking for my consent before he

answered. I give him a weak smile and a gentle nod to tell him that it's

okay.

“I came back because your mother asked me to. Blaire said it was

okay, so I'm here,” Sebastian said as if he was trying to point out that I

was the reason why he’s here. Somehow, his words gave me the

comfort and assurance that I needed.

She weakly turned towards me and smiled. “Thank you, Blaire,” she

said, which completely caught me off guard.

Before I could even react, we heard a soft knock coming from the door.

After a few seconds, the door swung open, and the doctor was expelled

from it.

“How are you feeling, Catherine?” The doctor greeted him as he

continued to walk

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Chapter 28

closer to the hospital bed. He reached out for the patient's record at the

end of the bed and read it. After checking it, he put it back before facing

us again.

“I'm feeling better, doc,” Catherine answered before she smiled weakly.

“I'd like to talk to your family first, Catherine. So, will you please excuse

us?”

“There's no need for that, doc. You can say it. There's nothing you can

say that I haven't heard of,” she said.

The doctor gently nodded before taking a deep breath. “I'm afraid the

tumor is back,” he said, breaking the horrible news. “I hate to be the

bearer of the bad news, but the only way to save her is through

surgery. Although the surgery doesn't guarantee that she'll be out of

danger completely, it's still the best solution I can suggest.

“What if I don't get another surgery, doc? How long do I have?”

Catherine asked.

“Three months at least. You're lucky if you survive six months.”

“And if I do the surgery?”

“I can't give you a guarantee, but in my expert opinion and based on

your lab reports, I'd

say you have at least a fifty percent chance of getting a successful

surgery. I'll give you some time to think about it. If you'll excuse me,” he

said.

“Thank you, doc,” Catherine replied.

The doctor then bid goodbye. As soon as he left the room, everything

finally sank in.

“What are you talking about, Catherine? Tumor? What do you mean it's

back?” My father exclaimed in shock. “Can anyb*dy explain something

to me?" he shouted in frustration. “Stacey! What's going on here?”

I was left speechless, while Sebastian was just watching everything

intently.

Stacey blew a loud breath before she answered. “I think it's time for

everyone to know the truth. Catherine didn’t run away with someone on

the night of your engagement. She left because she's trying to protect

you, Sebastian.”

“Mom...” Catherine tried to stop her mother, but she’s determined to tell

her everything.

In a tense moment, Catherine urged her mother to stop, but Stacey

was determined to reveal long-hidden truths. The room held its breath

as we anticipated the impact of these revelations on Catherine’s

narrative.

“No, Catherine. They deserve to know everything, so they would stop

painting you as the bad guy,” Stacey insisted, carrying the weight of

undisclosed secrets. “Yes, you heard it all right. She left when she

discovered that there's a big chance that she will die. She-

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didn't want to be a burden to you, Sebastian. That's why she chose to

lie and make it seem like she didn't want you anymore. But the truth is,

she doesn’t want you to see her losing her hair in chemotherapy or

losing a lot of weight because of the tons of medicines she was taking.

She endured everything alone so she wouldn't be a burden to you.”

As the truth unfolded, a mix of emotions surged within me:

understanding Catherine's struggles, worry about the aftermath of

these revelations, and curiosity about Sebastian's impending reaction.

Stacey laid bare the reality-Catherine left when she learned of a high

chance of her own death. She didn’t want to burden Sebastian with the

harsh effects of her illness, choosing to create a facade of rejection

instead. The room felt heavy as we absorbed the selfless sacrifice

beneath Catherine’s departure, transforming her perceived betrayal into

an act of love and protection.

Mixed feelings swirled: empathy for Catherine's ordeal, frustration at

the circumstances that led to her choices, and uncertainty about how

Sebastian would interpret this revelation. I glanced at Sebastian,

stoically standing by Catherine's side, his expression revealing nothing.

As the room absorbed Stacey's words, a tense quiet settled in. The

revelation prompted a reassessment of Catherine's actions, yet the

uncertainty of Sebastian's reaction hung in the air.

The silence that followed became a canvas for emotions. Catherine's

vulnerability, laid bare by her mother’s words, sought acknowledgment.

The room, once filled with anticipation, yearned for clarity and

reconciliation.

Sebastian's gaze, fixed on Catherine, remained unreadable. Would the

revelation cra ck his composed facade, revealing the emotions

beneath? Or would it fortify his stoicism, concealing the turmoil within?

What will happen to our relationship now that everything is revealed?

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