"What?"
Lucy could barely say a word. With her heart in her throat, she couldn't believe what the doctor was telling her.
She would never get pregnant.
Wasn't this just another sign she was never meant to be Landon's wife?
Did Emma come here and pay the doctor to lie to her?
Then, why, out of all time, did she have to hear this heartbreaking news when she was already contemplating her usefulness for Landon?
"We will discuss this further when you decide to go for surgery." The doctor walked to the door. "For now, we will request an ultrasound again to see where the cancer has spread."
Lucy followed the arrangement of the doctor. She went through different check-ups and even an ultrasound.
After wiping the gel from her stomach, Lucy finally had to accept her reality. She really has an ovarian cancer. If she doesn't have it treated early, the cancer will spread rapidly to her other organs, rendering any treatment useless.
She didn't want to die. She's still too young to have achieved anything in her life.
And she still didn't want to give up Landon or their marriage.
She took a deep breath, summoning her courage, as she finally dialed Landon's number.
The doctor suggested that she call her family members, but Lucy was left alone when her mother died last year. Now, the only person she considered family was Landon, her husband.
Suddenly, Lucy had a selfish thought. Would Landon treat her gently and care for her when he finds out she's sick? Would he finally realize he needed her?
The call rang a few times before it connected.
"What is it, Lucy?" His dreamy voice came from the other side of the line.
Lucy hesitated. But she wanted to know whether Landon cared about her.
"Can you come to me right now? I need to show you something."
"Is this important?"
She bit her lips, trying to hold back her tears.
"Who is it, Landon?"
Lucy couldn't help but grip the phone tightly. There was no mistaking Yvonne's voice. It sounded so close. Like Yvonne was just right beside him. Did they resume what they were doing earlier after she left?
Shaking her head, Lucy sharply took a breath. She shouldn't allow herself to be distracted. She needed to tell Landon.
Then, suddenly, her voice died down inside her throat.
No, I can't.
What if Landon decides to ditch her after knowing she has cancer and can't get pregnant? Lucy rubbed her thumb over her ring. It was the wedding band Landon gave her on their wedding day. It was proof they were married to each other.
If Landon finds out, he will definitely divorce her. And Lucy can't have that!
But what if, just what if Landon decided to stay with her? She shouldn't doubt her husband and trust him. For the last two years, he has been nothing but caring and loving. They were friends before they started acting like lovers. Surely one Yvonne won't change anything.
These words should have made her determined and tell Landon the truth.
So, why was her voice not coming out?
Tell him. Tell him, Lucy!
"What is it, Lucy?" Landon's voice sounded impatient. "If you're going to apologize for picking a fight with me, do it later. I can't stay on the phone with you for long because Yvonne has to meet the doctor for her results."
As if on cue, Yvonne cried out. "Landon, my legs hurt!"
"I'll have the doctor come here." He sounded hurried, almost full of concern. Something Landon hadn't shown since Lucy called him.
"Wait!" Lucy hurriedly called out, stopping him from hanging up.
"Be quick with it, Lucy."
He wants her to hurry, but he has time to worry about another woman. Lucy coldly laughed.
Yet her voice was filled with sorrow as she took up her courage to ask him a question.
"Would you grieve if I died?"
Landon did not expect this question at all. He expected her to throw another fit. Not this.
He flexed his jaw, irritated by what she just asked. "Are you seriously asking this question? Lucy, I'm tired. I can't deal with you right now. If you're not feeling well, get some sleep or have the maids take care of you. I didn't hire them to become decorations."
"But I want you, not the maids."
Lucy was unsure if he heard her last line, but looking at their disconnected call, it would've been better if he hadn't.
Again, they ended up fighting.
It was never like this before. Landon would never brush her off as if she was a stranger, begging for alms from him.
Lucy left the hospital after paying the bills. She wanted to stay out. But the rain pushed her to go back home. Is it still a home when she's not welcome, though?
When she arrived, it was already 9 p.m. The maids have already turned some lights off as most of the Westwood family members were not home. But as she entered the living room, she stopped in her tracks as she saw her mother-in-law sitting there.
"Where have you been?" her mother-in-law shot her a cold look.
Lucy didn't respond immediately. She was too drained to say another word.
That didn't matter to her mother-in-law.
Standing up from the couch, Patricia approached Lucy with determination. And before Lucy could be warned of what was coming her way, a slap landed on her right cheek.
Too stunned, Lucy stared at the other. "Why?"
"Why?" Her mother-in-law drew back and scoffed. "Because you are shameless and vulgar, and it was a mistake for my son to marry you!"
"Mom…"
"Don't call me that!" she cut Lucy off. "The only people who can call me 'Mom' are my children and the woman who suits my son the most. And you're not her, Lucy. You will never be!"
"But I'm married to your son." Lucy stared at her with sadness.
"Oh, we can fix that." Lucy flinched at her words. "You only need to divorce my son."
Lucy stepped back, but her mother-in-law grabbed her by the arm, pulling her close to her face. "I'll give you money, just leave my son alone. Without you, he'll be happier with Yvonne."
"I don't want to."
Lucy shook her head. "I don't want to leave him.
Then, she ran.
Feeling her strength sucked out of her body, Lucy slumped to the floor with her back against the door.
It was dumb to run from someone who owned the place you lived in. But Lucy had nowhere else to hide other than the marital bedroom she shared with Landon.
It was the only place she could call her own in this cage-like house.
She stayed in that position and in that spot for half an hour before approaching the bed.
With everything going on, Lucy just wanted to sleep. Let her get lost in her dreams. Maybe when she woke up, Landon would still hold her in his arms as he whispered many sweet things.
Her steps faltered when she reached the bedside table.
Lowering her gaze, Lucy remembered Landon taking out a paper from inside one of its drawers. She caught him looking at it a few times in the middle of the night when he thought she was asleep.
She didn't ask him what it was. It could be anything from work.
However, she couldn't push away the unease inside her chest.
Before she could stop herself, Lucy reached a hand over the drawer.
It was locked.
Relief washed over her like a veil, but it soon turned into a waterfall of turmoil.
Lucy should've ignored it. Like she always had.
Yet her feet carried her towards Landon's desk, where he usually places his keys.
With the keys in hand, Lucy returned to the bedside table and plugged it in.
The soft click startled her.
The harmless-looking bedside table now looked like a time bomb, with only a few seconds before it exploded.
Pulling the drawer, Lucy took out the A4 paper inside. She prayed it was nothing worth worrying about. She was being paranoid. It could be one of Landon's important business projects that he needed to keep by his side all the time.
But the words "Divorce Agreement" in bold letters shut the world around her.