End of the Line

I could clearly see the panic in Zach's eyes.

He wanted to explain, but Jessica stepped in front of him with a frown.

"Your mother was dying of cancer, anyway. Donating her corneas at the end of her life is something to be proud of!"

I didn't care what happened to me, but she was insulting my mother… That was something I couldn't tolerate.

Rage flared up inside me. I marched up to Jessica and slapped her hard across the face. I didn't hold back—she stared at me in shock, a red handprint forming on her cheek.

"Show some respect for my mother," I said coldly.

My stomach started to hurt again from the anger, but I forced myself to ignore the metallic taste in my throat.

Zach, afraid I'd hit Jessica again, suddenly grabbed my wrist. His grip was hard enough to hurt me.

"Annie… Annie, I know you're angry right now. But Jess is an artist. That accident overseas nearly ruined her life. Your mother was a perfect match, and she was already at stage four cancer. Her chances of surviving were very low, and Jess's life was just starting out. She couldn't lose her sight… I didn't want to make this choice, but there was nothing else I could do."

He spoke quickly, eyes full of urgency, hoping I would understand him like I always used to.

But I didn't.

"If you really feel guilty, then give my mother's corneas back to her!"

When I won the lawsuit, I was happy, thinking that I had finally gotten justice for my mom.

But now, everything in front of me proved it was all a lie. It had been Zach's plan from the very beginning.

And now he was saying all this in such a magnanimous tone, acting like he had no choice.

People like him…

I would never forgive him!

Maybe it was the fury or the stress, I could no longer hold it back as I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Zach's pupils shrank. He wiped my mouth with his sleeve, panicking. "What's wrong? What's happening to you?"

At the same time, Jessica's frightened voice rang out.

"Zach, I can't see! It's all dark… So dark! Zach!" She searched around blindly, grabbing Zach's arm, sobbing. "Zach, I can't let anything happen to me! Please, help me!"

The chaos drew the attention of the medical staff. A nurse quickly pried Zach's hand off my wrist, while Zach clung to Jessica instead.

I heard him whisper to her, "Don't be afraid, Jess. I'm here."

In the chaos, Zach said something to me. I couldn't hear him, but I could read his lips.

"When everything's over, I'll come back to you."

Then, he left with Jessica.

The nurse wheeled me into the emergency room. My vision was getting darker, and I could barely make out a silhouette.

It was Wade.

I couldn't see his face behind the mask, but his eyes were brimming with tears. I could tell what he was thinking.

I was dying.

Wade stopped the resuscitation, and the assistants quietly left the room. He bent down and cradled my head, tears falling onto my face.

"Annie, why did we see each other again only for it to end like this? I spent my whole life studying medicine, but I still couldn't save you."

It was blurry, but I seemed to be able to see Wade's youthful face from high school under his doctor's mask. He would always whisper the answers to me when I was stuck in class, and we would both get sent out to stand in the hallway.

The memories from those days were hazy now. All I remembered was that Wade, who was supposed to study computer science, surprised everyone by studying medicine instead.

Seven years later, when we met again, I already had terminal cancer.

Nobody wanted to bump into an old classmate after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, so I pretended not to recognize him the whole time. But now, seeing him cry for me, my heart softened.

I reached out to touch his cheek. "It's okay, Wade. You did everything you could."

Wade grabbed my hand and broke down in tears.

My heavy body suddenly felt weightless, and all the pain I had suffered vanished.

For a second, I thought it was some kind of miracle, and I instinctively tried to pat Wade's shoulder to comfort him.

But when my hand passed right through him, I realized I was only a spirit now.

I was dead.

That realization made me suddenly remember Zach's promise before he left.

"I'll come back to you."

He broke his promise.