The rain hammered down on the city streets, relentless and unforgiving. Wendy Knight, drenched to the skin, stumbled back to the villa. The iron gate gleamed coldly in the storm as she staggered to push it open, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
In the entryway mirror, a ghostly face stared back at her. Her hair clung to her pale, hollow cheeks, and her eyes were rimmed with a weary redness. Three days ago, a heated argument with her husband, Ethan Collins, had ended with him slamming the door and leaving her in a vacuum of silence. Since then, the physical toll of her secret burden had become visible.
As she stepped into the living room, the wave of warmth brought no comfort. The diagnosis report was crumpled in her palm, the words "late-stage liver cancer" stinging her eyes like a physical blow.
Ethan's mother, Juniper Collins, was lounging on the sofa, watching TV. Seeing Wendy’s bedraggled state, Juniper’s face twisted with immediate disdain.
"Look at you! You look like a mess!" Juniper's sharp voice echoed through the mansion. "Why are you back so late? Where have you been?"
Wendy pressed her lips together. "I went to the hospital..."
"Pretending to be sick again?" Juniper interrupted with a sharp laugh. "You’ve lived off my son for three years, and you can’t even handle the basic duties of a wife. Now you’re playing the martyr every other day. Are you trying to guilt-trip us?"
Wendy’s movements faltered. After nearly three years of marriage, she had given up her promising medical career to manage this several-thousand-square-foot home and care for a family that viewed her as a servant. Ethan’s indifference had grown into a wall of ice; he barely looked at her, let alone offered a kind word.
"Stop right there!" Juniper kicked a footstool aside. "Go make the bird's nest soup. Lydia is coming over tonight, and I want everything perfect."
"Mom, I’m not feeling well today. I need to rest," Wendy said, her voice trembling.
"Not feeling well? You’re just being lazy!" Juniper spat out. "You don't get to make decisions in this house. Get to the kitchen!"
Wendy bit her lip, the metallic taste of blood grounding her. She changed her wet clothes and staggered toward the kitchen. The faint smell of cooking oil made her stomach churn. As she washed the vegetables, a sharp, stabbing pain flashed through her abdomen, forcing her to lean heavily against the counter. Cold sweat soaked her back.
In the living room, Juniper’s relentless complaints continued, comparing Wendy to a stray dog. Wendy looked down at the diamond ring on her finger, engraved with "E&W"—Ethan’s promise of forever. It cost less than ten thousand dollars back when they started, yet it was once her most prized possession. Now, the headlines were filled with the millions Ethan spent on a diamond necklace for another woman.
When did the love fade? she wondered.
She was once the star student at Horizon Medical College, the pride of the Knight medical lineage. Now, she was a woman who hadn't even noticed her own body failing because she was too busy picking out Ethan’s gala outfits and catering to Juniper’s whims.
Tears streamed down Wendy’s face as she stared at the stormy sky. Spring had arrived, but for her, it felt colder than the depths of winter. She took the medical report from the trash, looking at the images of her own twisted organs one last time before tearing them into tiny, unrecognizable pieces.
She carried the dishes out to the table, her strength nearly gone. Just as she reached for a chair, Juniper’s voice cut through the air again. "How dare you sit? Can't you see the floor is a mess from your wet shoes? Go mop it first!"