Love in the Time of Cancer

The day Emma Williams took her company public, was also the eighth year we'd been together.

Those who called me a pathetic loser, suddenly changed their tune.

But just a day later, Emma heard that her ex-boyfriend, Chase Montgomery, was back in town.

She dropped her wine glass at the banquet.

Crash.

Right then, I knew the man she'd always dreamed of marrying, would never be me.

Lucky for her, I wanted to set her free too!

We didn't owe each other.

At least, that was the plan until the day I died.

When I died, Emma was utterly shattered, sobbing, begging just for me to open my eyes and look at her the one last time.

When I walked into the banquet, holding the diagnosis, Emma spotted me instantly.

She raised her glass and murmured an apology to the person beside her, then hurried towards me.

"Liam! You're late."

My fingers tightened instinctively on the file folder in my hand.

Inside it was the terminal diagnosis I'd just received.

I got late-stage brain cancer.

Tonight was the gala celebrating Emma's IPO.

I knew how long she'd waited for this moment. So I just clenched my fist and shook my head slightly.

"I was busy, sorry."

"Well, Emma, if you're so attached to your boyfriend, why not just set a wedding date already?"

"We're all waiting for the big day!"

Teasing laughter rippled from nearby, others chiming in.

"Mr. Harrison, you wouldn't believe it! Our CEO has been keeping an eye on the banquet hall entrance this whole time."

"She's afraid of missing your arrival."

More voices joined the chorus, nudging Emma playfully.

Emma dipped her head with her gentle gaze on me.

"Oh, stop it, all of you. But fine. I'm definitely sticking with him in this life."

Just sticking with me. She'd never said she'd marry me.

Emma and I had been together for eight years.

Eight years ago, the Williams family went bankrupt.

Her father killed himself. Her mother got critically ill.

And Chase Montgomery, her childhood sweetheart chose to escape to abroad.

I was the one who stayed.

I picked Emma up, helped her find her feet again, supported her every grueling step.

Finally, she clawed her way back up and become Willow Creek's newest business powerhouse.

Over those eight years, everyone's tune changed.

From being absolutely certain Emma would never love me, to marveling at the depth of our bond.

No one knew the truth. In eight years

Emma never once said she loved me or mentioned marriage.

It was like she didn't actually like me. She'd just learned how to pretend she did.

She fooled her mother. She fooled everyone in Willow Creek.

Hell, she almost fooled me.

But thinking of the diagnosis in my bag, I felt bitter.

Now that my time's running out what would Emma do if she knew?

I looked at her deeply, just as someone nearby casually remarked,

"Speaking of which, I heard Chase Montgomery is back in town."

"The Montgomery Group's cash flow is a disaster. He's probably back looking for a marriage alliance"

Before the sentence was finished, crack.

The sound of shattering glass made everyone turn.

Emma's wine glass lay in pieces on the floor.

Sharp shards flew, one sliced her leg. Crimson blood flew down.

She froze for a few seconds before snapping back to reality under everyone's stares.

I scooped her up, carried her to a private lounge, and found a first-aid kit to bandage the cut.

Maybe my expression was too grim. Emma looked a little scared.

"Liam, it was just an accident. I dropped it. Don't don't read into it."

Don't read into it?

Why the hell shouldn't I?

Looking at her tense face, I couldn't tell if her wound hurt more, or the ache in my heart did.

"Emma. You still haven't forgotten him, have you?"

No need to say who "him" was. We both knew.

Emma grabbed my hand, saying peacefully. "Liam, I swear, it was just an accident."

"My heart it only has you in it now."

I looked into Emma's eyes.

I'd looked into them countless times.

Gentle, calm, cool...

They had this pull, making you want to believe every word.

I knew I should be searching for any flicker of guilt.

But what was the point? Even if I saw it, wouldn't I just end up twisting myself into knots trying to deny it?

I pushed her hand away, looking down. "Yeah. I believe you."

"You're the star tonight. Your leg is fine now, and you should go back out there. They need you. I am tired. Let me rest for a while."

Emma studied me for a moment, then finally hurried out of the lounge.

The second the door clicked shut, I slumped onto the sofa, dead inside.

My gaze drifted to the diagnosis beside me.

When I'd gone for the first-aid kit, I'd casually left it on her left side.

If Emma had paid even the slightest attention, she would have seen it.

She would have known that I had brain cancer and I was dying.

But Emma never even realized it herself. When she lied, she always looked to her right.

So that diagnosis, sitting innocently on her left? It was doomed to be invisible.

Fate was playing one hell of a cruel joke on me.

On the day I felt the most helpless, it forced me to see this brutal truth.

That little incident didn't derail the party.

After the last guest left, Emma and I went home together.

Once home, everything was like countless nights before.

I made detox soup for her, showered, tidied up and went to sleep.

But tonight, Emma was restless.

She usually slept like a log, but tonight she kept tossing and turning.

I kept my eyes shut, pretending not to notice.

Then, the weight beside me shifted. I heard soft footsteps on the carpet.

Emma headed towards the balcony. The faint glow of her phone screen was starkly visible through the glass.

It's dark outside, cold wind rattling the windows, whistling through cracks.

Emma stood there in thin pajamas, seemingly oblivious to the chill, staring intently at her phone.

Seems like she was talking to someone.

Emma didn't sleep all night. Either did I.

I lay in bed, watching her silhouette through the glass all night long.

Yet, when dawn broke, we both pretended nothing had happened.

Breakfast. Goodbyes. Off to work

But after Emma left, staring at the empty house, I felt utterly lost.

When Emma's company was starting, she was short-staffed.

So I turned down offers from big corporations to help her.

Later, the company found its footing in Willow Creek.

I chose to work freelance from home, so I could take care of her life.

I never thought anything of it before.

Putting her first felt like the most natural, right thing in the world.

Now? That happiness felt like a sick joke that micked me.

I drifted through the tidy house, cleaning things that weren't dirty, until I spotted the blue folder on the cabinet.

Emma was meticulous. She never left things lying around.

I walked over and opened it. Inside were the proposals and documents she needed for a crucial contract meeting today.

This deal was vital for the company.

With no time to overthink, I grabbed my car keys, took the folder, and headed straight for Williams Enterprises.

Rushing, I didn't notice the strange looks from people in the office.

Until I hurried onto Emma's floor, and her secretary, Lisa, gasped.

"Mr. Harrison! What brings you here?"

"Emma forgot her proposal. I brought it over."

I held up the blue folder, glancing around. "Where is she?"

"Emma! Are you still hating me?"

A familiar male voice came from the office down the hall.

All eyes snapped towards the sound.

Lisa instinctively stepped in front of me and said awkwardly, "Mr. Harrison, perhaps now isn't the best time"

"Why not?" I looked at Lisa seriously.

"Professionally, I hold shares in this company. I should care about how it works."

"Personally, I'm Emma's boyfriend. Why should I hide?"

Lisa hesitated, but I stepped past her, heading straight for the office door.

"Emma, I had no choice back then."

"My parents banned me to see you. They were practically forcing me to marry someone else."

Chase Montgomery stood in front of Emma, dressed in a casual suit.

They looked like a couple in a lovely quarrel.

"I was trapped. Leaving the country was the only way out."

Emma pressed her lips together, looking wounded. She didn't say anything.

But Lisa's hurried call from the doorway made Emma notice me standing there.

A flash of panic crossed Emma's eyes.

She pushed Chase away and rushed to my side.

"Liam! What are you doing here?"

"This is Chase. He's here to discuss a potential partnership with the company."

I held up the folder. "Your proposal. You left it at home."

I emphasized "home."

Chase's eyes flickered with venom, but he played along.

"Exactly."

"Williams Enterprises has excellent prospects. The Montgomery Group is interested in exploring collaboration."

Chase shot me a smug look, clearly betting I wouldn't be mad.

He was right. I wouldn't. I turned to Emma.

"In business matters, the bottom line always comes first.."

"Without a flawless proposal, even you, Emma, can't unilaterally decide on a partnership."

Emma's eyes widened. She instinctively grabbed my hand. "Liam"

Her hand was warm, gripping mine.

But I felt nothing, just stared at Chase.

"Mr. Montgomery, if you want to discuss business, bring a proposal next time."

Chase, born with a silver spoon, had never been dismissed like this.

He whined Emma's name. But she didn't say anything.

He shot me a furious glare and stormed off.

I saw Emma's gaze unconsciously follow his retreating back.

My heart sank.

"Liam, why did you say that?"

"Say what?" I met her eyes, a bitter smile twisting my lips.

"What did you want me to say? Encourage to help him?"

"Emma, if you regret being with me or you want to break up, just say it. You know I'm not the clingy type."

Emma flinched. Her eyes darted away, then met mine with forced resolve.

"That's not what I meant."

"Liam, I've never regretted being with you. Not once."

I didn't let her think and pressed her, "Then when are you going to agree to marry me?"

"Liam, I'm I'm not ready for marriage yet. Just give me a little more time, okay?"

Emma looked down, half-apologetic, half-evading.

"But I promise, you're the only one I love. Chase is in ancient history."

I watched her eyes drift unconsciously to the right. Finally, I closed mine briefly. "Okay."

You said it, Emma.

People who break hearts deserve to be stabbed a thousand times.

After that day, things between Emma and me seemed to settle back into their usual calm.

She slept in my arms every night, like a contented cat.

And I played the perfect partner, fulfilling her every need.

The Montgomery Group, once a powerhouse in Willow Creek, was in deepening crisis, making it the town's hot gossip topic.

Emma listened to the reports calmly.

People at the office said Chase came by a few more times.

Emma avoided him for several times.

Eventually, whatever she did or said made him storm out, and he swore never to return.

I knew Emma deliberately let me hear these things.

She wanted to prove she'd truly let Chase go, and she wouldn't betray me.

But Emma didn't understand. What I wanted wasn't this carefully constructed performance.