today?”
Chapter 3
If he stayed–if he chose me, just this once–I swore I’d let it all go. I’d forget the texts, the pictures, the lies. I’d bury the betrayal so deep it’d never touch daylight again. I wouldn’t mention Zoraya Wouldn’t bring up the wrapper, or the desk, or how he left me sick and alone. I’d forgive him. Because I loved him.”
But then his phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked at the screen–face blank, unreadable.
Then without a word, he stepped away from me. Just a few paces. But it felt like a chasm opened between us.
He answered. Then I heard her voice, tinny but unmistakable through the receiver
Zoraya “I’m vomiting, Zeus,” she said, her voice shaky think I’m pregnant. Can you come with me to the clinic? I’m scared”
My ears rang My vision blurred, like my body was trying to protect me from hearing the rest. He turned slightly, like he might check if ! was listening–then walked farther into the hallway, lowering his voice. But it was too late. I’d already heard everything
The truth wasn’t a knife–it was a slow, cold bum
He came back a minute later casual like nothing had happened. Tossed on his jacket.
“I got a sit–down with Santino’s crew,” he said, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve. “Could turn into a war if I don’t show, I’ll be back early though. Don’t worry–go watch your shows, rest up a bit. I’ll be home before dinner
Liar
I couldn’t speak, Couldn’t breathe
He leaned down, fixed the blanket around me like I was a child, kissed my forehead like I was his home. And then he left. And the door didn’t just close behind him. It buried me.
Then I turned and signed the damn paper.
Organ donor
I went to the Hospital alone. Dr. Alex slid it back toward her and gave me this soft, cautious look. She was pale, well–dressed, probably a few years older than me, and completely out of place in the underworld we floated through.
“You sure about this?” she asked. “If your people disagree, they can override your choice.”
“I don’t got people,” I said. “No family. Just let them take what they can.”
At least if I end up six feet under someone out there might get a second shot.
She hesitated, I caught a flicker of guilt in her eyes.
“It’s alright.” I added. “You don’t have to sugarcoat it. I’ve been hearing bad news since I was fifteen.“}
“Actually, it’s not as hopeless as it looks. Chemo and precision therapy could buy you time. And the baby’s still early. We could-”
“I know,” I cut in, my voice calm. “If it was early–stage, maybe I’d fight it. But it’s not. And I’m not gonna pretend just to make you feel
better.
She swallowed. Doctors like her weren’t used to girls like me–girls who’d held blades and secrets, who’d cleaned blood off tile floors without blinking.
“How big is a baby at seven weeks?” I asked, just to change the subject. Tried to smile, like I wasn’t choking inside.
“There’s already a heartbeat,” she said quietly, and for the first time, her expression softened into something real.
“No kidding?” My throat tightened. “So it’s in there, alive.”
She nodded. “Little thing’s got its own rhythm already.”
That was the first time I felt something crack in me. It hit different–knowing something inside me was alive, even if the rest of me was dying.
no matter what time.”
She handed me a note. “That’s my number–WhatsApp too. Call me, no
“Thanks, Doc.”!
The bus home was packed. Elbows in my ribs, smells of cheap cologne, gun oil, and street snacks. I found a seat in the back, head down, hoodle up. I choose the bus instead of driving my own car
I texted Alex!
“Doc, how do you even know if nausea’s from cancer or pregnancy? I haven’t been a
Before she could answer, someone tapped me.
“Hey,” an older guy barked. “This seats for elderly or pregnant people. Get up.”
able to eat in days.”
“She looks fine to me,” a woman chimed in. “She can stand. Let the man sit.
The whole bus started to turn.X
1
I pulled my medical file out of my bag and flashed it like a badge. “I’m pregnant. And I got stage four brain cancer. I’m not getting up. Happy?”
Silence dropped like a shot fired into the air. I leaned back and stared out the window
And just like that, I didn’t feel scared anymore.
The door clicked behind me, and the house was thick with silence Too thick.
Rit the hallway smelled like wine and necfume–something expensive and ton sweet. The kind of scent that didn’t henna to me
But the hallway smelled like wine and perfume–something expensive and too sweet. The kind of scent that didn’t belong to me.
The lights were aff, except one in the entryway. A wine glass lay tipped on the console table. Bugundy puddled beneath it like blood. I didn’t clean it up. My body ached–every part of me from the hospital still throbbed like I’d been flayed open. But I walked. Step by step Numb. Quiet
The master bedroom door was cracked
I pushed it with my fingertips.
And there she was.K
Zoraya.
