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Rebecca was about to call 911 when Nicholas suddenly opened his eyes.

“Nic? What happened to you?” she asked, worried. Nicholas could be annoying sometimes, but she cared about him nonetheless. At least he was the only one who believed in her when no one else did.

“My head feels like it’s splitting in two,” Nicholas said, grimacing as he closed his eyes.

Rebecca winced. “Come on, I’ll help you up. We’ll call the doctor,” she said, extending her hand to help Nicholas get up.

“I already have painkillers. No need to call the doctor,” Nicholas replied, still closing his

eyes.

“Are you sure?”

Nicholas nodded. “Come here, lie down next to me. My head hurts too much to stand up.” he muttered, patting the empty floor beside him.

Rebecca scratched the back of her neck hesitantly, but seeing Nicholas’s pleading look, she finally lay down on the warm carpeted floor.

“I’ve decided not to undergo any treatment and to live my life as usual,” Nicholas said. suddenly, causing Rebecca to turn in surprise

“What? Nic, that’s not something you can joke about!”

“I’m dead serious! My doctor said I have about a year left with my current condition, so I’m just going to make the most of the time I have left doing what I want. I don’t want to spend my remaining time forcing my body to endure harsh and painful treatments,” Nicholas explained confidently, with no hint of doubt in his eyes.

Rebecca frowned.

“But how will you deal with the pain? At least chemotherapy could extend your life

reconsider?” expectancy. Shouldn’t you

Nicholas shook his head.

“I’ll just rely on high–dose painkillers, and I think that’s enough for me. I’ve read many storics where chemo success for cases like mine is very insignificant. So instead of

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seeing myself deteriorate because of chemo, I’d rather be the best version of myself before I die,” Nicholas said, staring at the ceiling with a faint smile on his face.

Rebecca opened her mouth and then closed it again, lost for words. She took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling in silence as if there had never been any conflict. between them before.

Suddenly, Nicholas grasped her hand.

“I know this is a lot to ask, but can you stay with me for the rest of my short life? I just want to feel happy once before I say goodbye to this world.”

Rebecca turned to see tears falling from Nicholas’s eyes, soaking the carpet. She took a deep breath. Although Nicholas’s words during their argument earlier had hurt her, she was not a robot immune to emotion when hearing such words from someone who was dying.

“Okay…”

Nicholas turned in surprise, “Okay?”

Rebecca nodded, “Yeah, okay,” she replied. She didn’t know how she would manage this new phase of her life, but it was the wisest decision she could make at that moment.

“Do you believe in the old saying that love comes from familiarity?” Nicholas asked, unwilling to let go of her hand.

The question brought Rebecca back to her three–year marriage with Harvey, which had ended in disaster. If love came from familiarity, why could Harvey never love her despite spending so much time together?

“Becky?”

Rebecca snapped back to reality. “I don’t know, I’ve never proven it,” she replied, grimacing.

“I’ll prove it to you,” Nicholas said, smiling faintly. Rebecca knew she should feel flattered, but instead, she felt a shiver when she heard those words.

That night, they didn’t discuss their previous argument. Rebecca ordered healthy takeout, and they ate in Nicholas’s room while watching a documentary about a football player as if nothing had happened between them.

Chapter 30

“I’m very sleepy, Rebecca murmured after finishing a glass of water.

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“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll wake you if you suddenly fall asleep,” Nicholas said, without taking his eyes off the TV. Rebecca nodded and rested her head on a pillow she had arranged to be slightly elevated. As the film played minute by minute, Rebecca fell asleep next to Nicholas, who kept staring at her face without blinking, as if she were the most beautiful goddess descended from heaven.

“I’ll do anything to keep you by my side, Nicholas whispered, gently touching Rebecca’s head.

The next morning.

Rebecca woke up to the bright light streaming through the window curtains. “Shit!” she exclaimed, sitting up straight. She looked around and realized she was in Nicholas’s room. She pulled back the blanket covering her and sighed in relief when she found she was still fully dressed.

“Where’s Nicholas?” she murmured, puzzled.

She dragged her feet out of the room, and the aroma of waffles hit her nose. “Nic?” she called, half–running to the kitchen.

“Morning, Becky!” Nicholas said cheerfully, pouring waffle batter into the waffle maker. Rebecca frowned. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be resting?” she scolded, surprised not only because Nicholas was making breakfast for them but also because he was already dressed for work.

“I feel energized this morning, so I decided to go to work. There’s a client I need to handle,” he replied cheerfully.

“Are you sure? Nic, did you forget you fainted from the pain last night? Don’t take your illness lightly, okay?” Rebecca scolded, folding her arms across her chest.

Nicholas smiled. He stacked the cooked waffles on a plate and set it on the table in front of Rebecca. “Don’t worry, I’ll be home early and I won’t do anything strenuous. Do you have any plans today?” he asked casually as if he were not a stage three–brain cancer patient.

Rebecca sighed deeply.

“Yeah, a product catalog photoshoot,” she replied, reluctant to argue with Nicholas because it made her uncomfortable to act like a real couple.

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Nicholas nodded. “What time will you finish? I’ll pick you up, and we can go to the hotel. to get your stuff and bring them here,” he said casually, but it made Rebecca feel queasy.

Rebecca slightly regretted her decision, but she knew she couldn’t take back her words. “Um, I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know later,” she said, cutting a large piece of waffle and stuffing it into her mouth.

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“Okay, just please let me know,” Nicholas said, looking intently.

Rebecca nodded hesitantly. While she scrolled through her social media suddenly her phone buzzed, an email from Lucy.

‘Ma’am, I’ll be shopping at Morton Williams 57th Street at 11 today. Can we meet there?”