Chapter 1

After I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, my boyfriend, Ethan, quit his job just to stay by my side through chemo.

Whenever the pain kept me up at night, he stayed awake reading me bedtime stories until I drifted off.

Whenever I had no appetite, he learned how to cook from scratch, just hoping I'd take a single bite.

When I looked in the mirror and cried over my bald head, he shaved his own head completely clean just to make me smile.

It was Ethan's love that kept me going through two agonizing years of brutal treatments.

Then, out of nowhere, Ethan dropped a bomb on me.

"Chloe, I've fallen for Jessica."

Jessica was the home caregiver Ethan had hired to look after me.

A sudden chill shot through my body. I gripped the sheets, trying to keep my voice steady. "Ethan... it's not April Fools'."

"I'm not joking. I have real feelings for her. But you saved my life back then—I could never abandon you, and I won't do anything behind your back."

"So, to make it up to Jessica, I promised to take her on a ten-day road trip starting tomorrow. I've already arranged for another caregiver to stay with you while I'm gone."

I stared at him in dead silence for a long time before forcing a smile that felt more painful than crying.

In the end, I whispered, "Okay."

Ethan gently tucked the blanket around me. "I'm heading back to pack my bags. I won't come by tonight. Just wait for me to get back, okay? Once I'm back, my heart will be entirely yours again."

I didn't answer him.

And I didn't tell him that recently, I had started seeing a countdown hovering over my head.

I had seven days left to live.

I wouldn't be here when he returned.

Before Ethan left, he had arranged everything.

Not long after I woke up, the replacement caregiver, Hailey, arrived.

While she set out my lunch, I opened Instagram.

The newest post on my feed was from Jessica.

Seeing the plane tickets in the first picture, my hand froze.

Ethan had always prided himself on never lying.

So I hadn't doubted him when he said they were leaving today.

Turns out, they had flown out in the middle of the night.

Ethan had lied to me just to steal a few extra hours with her.

The realization hit me like a physical punch, squeezing all the air out of my chest.

I numbly swiped through the rest of the photos. When I reached the last slide, I went rigid.

Ethan hated photos.

In our five years together, we didn't have a single picture of the two of us.

I couldn't count how many times I had begged him for one.

Every single time, he had turned me down.

Yet in this photo, Ethan stood beside Jessica with a fluffy white dog between them.

He was grinning from ear to ear.

It was a bright, genuine smile I hadn't seen on his face all year.

In that quiet moment, the truth hit me.

The few smiles Ethan had given me over the past year were strained. Forced just to keep my spirits up.

I finally understood why he had fallen for her.

Being stuck next to someone who was essentially a walking corpse for so long... anyone would be drawn to someone as vibrant and full of life as Jessica.

My vision blurred with tears.

"Chloe? Chloe Foster!"

A familiar voice snapped me back to reality.

I blinked through the blur and looked up at my floor nurse.

"What's wrong?" I rasped.

"I can't get hold of your boyfriend. If you manage to reach him, tell him to bring Jessica in for her follow-up."

My ears buzzed. "Follow-up for what?"

"Three months ago, Jessica had surgery to remove a uterine fibroid. She has no family in town, so Ethan was the one who stayed with her at the hospital. He's listed as her emergency contact."

"Her check-up was scheduled for this week, but neither of them is picking up. We had no choice but to ask you."

Ever since I started chemo, Ethan had spent nearly every day by my side.

The only day he had disappeared over the past three months was on my birthday.

Right after Ethan gave Jessica the day off, he had gotten an urgent phone call.

Hanging up, his face had been pale with panic. "My family just called—my mom fell down the stairs. I need to go see her."

I had scrambled to sit up. "Is she okay? Let me come with you!"

A flash of guilt had crossed his eyes as he pressed me back onto the mattress.

"No, you're not well enough. I'll go alone. I'm just so sorry about your birthday..."

"My birthday doesn't matter, just go!"

Back then, I hadn't noticed anything off.

I had naively thought he was just being protective of my health.

Now I knew the truth. He had run off to be with Jessica.

Ethan had fallen for her three months ago.

The nurse had always been kind to me, and I didn't want to make things difficult for her.

I managed a faint, bitter smile. "Okay. I'll let him know."

After the nurse stepped out, Hailey offered an awkward smile and held up her phone.

"Your boyfriend is such an amazing guy. He loves you so much."

"Look, he texted me everything—what you eat, when you take your meds, what you're allergic to. He even planned a completely different, nutrient-rich menu for every day of the week. You can tell he really cares."

I glanced at the screen, staring at the endless wall of detailed text messages.

I parted my lips, but nothing came out.

How could I possibly tell her that the man she thought was deeply in love with me had already moved on?

That right this second, he was on a getaway with another woman?