Chapter 11
618words
I hurled my phone across the ward, shattering it. Then, I laughed and cried. I completely broke apart.
I had always thought I would go peacefully, slipping away in my sleep. But no—my dear mother just had to get in one last fatal blow before I left.
My body gave up on me, and I could barely stay awake. I was stuck in bed, slipping in and out of consciousness. Everything hurt—every inch of me, from my hair to my toes.
I started dreaming. Or at least, I think I did.
I could hear Yannick's voice.
"Yulia, you have some nerve. You take what you want and leave me behind? Haven’t you slept enough? Open your damn eyes and look at me! Try a little harder, Yulia. I’ll take you overseas. There’s gotta be a way. Yulia… please don’t leave me alone."
I frowned. I wanted to tell him to quit bugging me. But I did not even have the energy to open my eyes. Honestly, I wanted to tease him.
Men. They were always saying things they did not mean. Maybe try thinking with their heads instead of their private parts.
Guys like that always ended up getting hurt.
And then, I woke up.
I saw Yannick, looking like a mess, and smiled.
"Yulia! I’m getting the doctor!"
"Don’t bother…" I stopped him. "I just want to talk to you."
I reached out and brushed my fingers against his face. "Don’t be sad."
His eyes turned red. The last time I had seen him cry was when Mrs. Jordan Senior died. I never thought I would be the next reason.
"You know, ever since I got sick, I kept wondering what I had done to deserve this. At first, I didn’t get it. But then I figured it out… Maybe the universe took pity on me. I've been through too much, so they’re letting me leave early like an express pass to a better place. Honestly? It’s kind of a relief."
His voice cracked. "And you’re just gonna leave me here?"
I shook my head, smiling softly. "Don’t blame me…"
That was our last real conversation. After that, I slipped away again.
Every day, I heard voices—Yannick, Louisa, Jordan, Quella… Even James. But never my parents' voices.
Then, the machines blared. There was panic, shouting, and someone sobbing. Someone was crying for me?
Good. I had spent my whole life being selfless. Just this once, I chose me.
That was enough.
Soon, everything faded.
"Time of death, 23:43."
And for the first time since Mrs. Jordan Senior died, Yannick cried.
I wanted to comfort him, but I was already gone.
…
I collapsed at work and ended up in the hospital. The next thing I knew, my best friend came storming into my hospital ward, her eyes wide open with panic. "What the hell happened to you?!"
I gave her a lazy smile. "No big deal. I guess I went a little too hard on the dieting."
"Dieting? For what?"
Quella flicked my forehead. "Who are you trying to impress?"
I rolled my eyes and stayed quiet. Some secrets were meant to stay secrets. Like the fact that I had been hopelessly, secretly in love with Yannick. That day, when I ran into him, the first thing he said was, "You’ve been looking a little rounder lately."
And just like that, I decided to starve myself.
