"LET'S BREAK UP," Charlie said without flinching and showing any hint of hesitation in his mint green eyes.
"T-That's not funny," Ginger almost choked on her words. She knew that Charlie was serious about breaking up with her ever since he started acting cold and distant. The Charlie that she dated for two years and the Charlie that she loves is now gone. Her heart knew that, but her mind just couldn't accept it.
"I am not joking," Charlie said coldly. He lifted his hand and started removing the engagement ring he wore on his ring finger. "I would like to cancel our engagement. It was a mistake."
His words gave a pang of pain in Ginger's heart. Ginger was fighting the tears swelling in her crystal blue eyes like how she was fighting her brain cancer that she didn't know she was carrying for two years already.
"D-Did I do something wrong?" Even though she was struggling to move, she forced herself to stand up from the patient bed she'd been lying on for six months right after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Due to her condition, she had gotten so thin and so weak that any man could lift her with one hand. When she managed to stand up, she slowly walked closer and reached out for Charlie's hand, but just as she was about to hold his hand, Charlie stepped back, causing Ginger to fall down her knees.
"I cannot marry someone so weak," he said coldly as she looked down on Ginger. "I don't want to live with someone I still have to take care of like a baby. What am I, your parents? A wife should obey and serve their husband."
Ginger looked up and when their eyes met, she threw him a sharp glare. "Go to hell, bastard! It's the perfect place for people like you," she wanted to ask him if he ever genuinely loved him but chose not to because even though she didn't ask, she already figured out the answer based on his treatment. "I'm glad we didn't get married because you'll never be the guy who can stand next to her partner in sickness and health. You're not a loss. Ever."
"Say whatever you want," he said and then turned his back against her. "You're dying, anyway. You only have four months to live." Charlie started walking away and when he held the doorknob to open the door and leave, Ginger started to speak again which made him stop.
"The moments we've shared.." she started as tears started to flow down her cheeks. "D-Do they mean nothing to you?" He didn't say anything. Ginger started sobbing. And then he opened the door and closed it. Charlie didn't leave the door open anymore.
From the other side of the door, she could hear Charlie's footsteps fading away. And as she continued to cry her broken heart out, it started to rain hard. It's almost as if the weather is trying to share the pain that Ginger is enduring right now.
As Ginger cried, she saw blood dripping on the floor from her nose which gave her a headache. Then slowly, she felt dizzy and found herself falling into unconsciousness.
Just then, her assigned nurse came to her room to check up on Ginger but to her surprise, the nurse saw Ginger unconscious on the floor. Alarmed, the nurse buzzed the emergency button and called other medical professionals.
"Code Blue in Room 101! Code Blue in Room 101! I repeat, Code Blue in Room 101!"
While waiting for other professionals, the nurse checked Ginger's breathing and noticed that she was barely breathing. So she performed CPR immediately and checked her wrist and neck for any pulse. It didn't take too long for the emergency team to arrive. The nurse explained everything to the emergency team before carrying her to the ICU.
ᯓ★
THE MOMENT she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a very white and clean ceiling of the hospital. Her mind was buzzing and her memories felt fuzzy. She looked around, hoping she could see anyone she could ask questions about what happened to her.
'Ugh, this sucks,' she thought to herself. 'What happened to me again? How did I end up here?'
She tried to recall everything but the more she tried, the more her mind hurt so she didn't force herself to think and just let things be. She knew that she was going to remember what happened later on, anyway. She looked outside the hospital window from the 25th floor. She loved being on the top where she could see everyone — the view, watch people move around, see how the world was doing down there. She wanted to see everything, which is why she loved standing at something tall.
'These are the things that I'm never going to see again when I die,' she thought. When you knew when you were going to die, it would feel terrifying and helpless, especially when the person you thought would stick with you 'til death betrayed you by leaving at the exact moment when you needed someone by your side. Ginger took a deep breath when she felt like crying and told herself, "I don't want to spend the rest of my remaining life crying like this. I have to make the most of it."
Suddenly, she heard a knock from the other side of her door and pushed it open. "Ms. Ginger Caddel. How are you feeling?" It was the same nurse who found her lying on the floor.
She forced a smile and answered, "Better than earlier. Thanks," Ginger responded nicely.
"That's a relief," the nurse said. "By the way, someone wanted to talk to you on the phone," the nurse started walking towards Ginger and gave her the phone.
Ginger mouthed, 'Thank you' before pressing the phone to her ears. "Hello? Who's this?"
"Hi! Am I talking to Ms. Ginger Caddel?" the man from the other line asked.
"Yes, this is her speaking," Ginger responded. Due to her current condition, her voice has gotten hoarse but she still managed to sound loud and clear. "How can I help you?"
"Hi, Ms. Caddel! This is Marcus Beckham, the CEO of Slottery Hotel Casino. I heard from your twin brother, Carter, that you were going through tough times right now, and am sorry to hear that."
"Hello Mr. Beckham, my brother? How are the two of you related?"
"Didn't he tell you? I bought your bar house because that business went bankrupt and Carter had a debt from your bank worth $30,000,000," he explained. "I saw that your business has a potential but it seems like Carter was too irresponsible to manage that so I decided to buy it and he agreed right away."
"HE DID — WHAT?!"