I Got Cancer From Sleeping With My Uncle

“You can’t come upstairs if there’s nothing important.”

I smiled bitterly. I thought he had changed his mind, but he still only cared about Yulia not being mistreated.

It broke my heart because everyone was sorting out Yulia’s daily necessities while I had to move my things to the basement. I finished only late at night after busying myself with it the whole day.

I lay in a folded bed and watched the darkness around me. The basement was wet and cold. There was even an intermittent sound of mice hitting the wall.

I recalled when Sean held my hand and led me to my bedroom ten years ago.

“This is the princess room I purposely designed for you, Zella. As long as I’m alive, you’ll always stay here. No one can drive you away.”

I started crying. After my parents passed away, the families who had adopted me kept abandoning me. They shunned me because they assumed that I was a useless girl.

Only Sean brought me home and regarded me as his dearest girl.

I fished out a few sheets of paper from underneath my pillow. The top sheet was my two-week pregnancy report, which said the baby was healthy. I touched the blob of darkness on the picture of prenatal ultrasound.

The second paper was a medical record. I was suffering from stomach cancer and my prognosis was nine months at best.

I smiled sincerely. At least, I could hold on until I gave birth to my baby. My child would be able to enjoy the world for me.

I curled up and held my legs, but I could not fall asleep.

A cup of hot water was splashed on me the next morning. It woke me right up.

“What are you doing?!” I shouted out as my skin started burning.

Yulia looked at me innocently. Before she could speak up, a familiar voice came from the stairs. “Zella, stop yelling!”

Sean strode over and carefully inspected Yulia to see if she was hurt. He refused to look at me. Yulia lowered her head and looked up at him pitifully.

“I didn’t mean it, Sean. I heard from the maid that Zella was still asleep and was afraid that she would starve herself! Plus, it’s freezing. I wanted to get her a cup of hot water, but I didn’t expect the basement to be this dark.”

Sean touched her head. “I know. But you don’t have to serve her. She can do it herself.” Then, he glared at me.

“I’m sorry, Zella.” Yulia looked at me apologetically.

Sean noticed the thin blanket on the bed and knitted his brows. “Stop pretending! Why did you use such a thin blanket in such a cold place?”

I looked down as bitterness overwhelmed me. The maids were snobbish and would not give me anything better. When I asked for a comforter, they told me that Yulia needed it for her dog. I could not have it.

I was too weak to explain it, which made Sean want to say something, but Yulia distracted him.

“Sean, it’s dark here. Look at my hand. Is it burned?” she asked while crying pretentiously. She raised her hand in front of Sean, which he carefully picked up.

“It must’ve gotten burned. I’ll get the family doctor.” Then, he hurriedly left.

As soon as he was gone, Yulia stopped pretending. She sat down on the bed and smiled provocatively at me. She was showing off.

“Oh, my! My hand is just slightly burned. It’s nothing compared to the burn on your face.”

Yulia searched the bed until she found the sheets of paper.