I’m Dying, But He’s Already Moved On

I watched it run around, carefree, and suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.

After I leave, Julian will be able to take care of himself, but what about Luna?

What will happen to Luna once there's a new woman in the house?

For all these years, I've treated Luna like my own child. If I die, that's one thing, but what will happen to Luna?

After walking Luna, I returned home, took off my clothes, and felt a bit hungry.

I walked to the kitchen and saw the pots and pans from breakfast, left untouched by Julian.

I didn’t feel like cleaning, so I boiled some noodles, placed them on the table, and ate them slowly, bit by bit.

After just a few bites, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I put down the chopsticks and drank a few sips of warm water.

The pain eased a little after the water.

I went back to the bedroom and lay down on the bed.

My phone rang, and I picked it up. It was the doctor from yesterday.

“Have you thought it over? Weren’t you supposed to bring a family member today?”

“He’s too busy, he won’t be able to make it today.”

I was about to hang up.

“Then come over on your own for now. I’ll prescribe some medicine to ease the pain.”

“No need.”

“Just take something for the pain first. Even with conservative treatment, medication is necessary. Please come over.”

She hung up before I could say more.

I thought about it for a moment, then reluctantly got out of bed, put on my shoes, and took the bus to the hospital.

Julian bought me a car, but I’ve never driven it.

Being on the road alone felt daunting, and he didn’t have the time to teach me.

The hospital was soon in sight. I got off the bus, registered, and returned to the same clinic as yesterday.

“You’re here?” she asked.

I nodded and sat in the chair across from her.

“I suggest you get admitted as soon as possible. It’ll help ease the pain. Where’s your family member? Didn’t they come?”

“He’s too busy. Too busy to come. I don’t need to be admitted. Just give me some painkillers so I can sleep.”

“With such a serious condition, what could be more important than this? You should take better care of your body…”

She looked at my pale face, hesitating, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she ultimately said nothing more.

She typed something on her computer and handed me a prescription.

“Call me if anything comes up.”

I took the prescription, thanked her, and left.

By the time I got home with the medication, it was already the afternoon.

I knew I should eat something, but I had no appetite. After following the instructions to take the medicine, I quickly fell into a heavy sleep.

When I woke up, I checked my phone. It was already 2 a.m. I hadn’t slept that long in ages.

Julian still wasn’t home.

I was a little hungry. There were some muffins in the fridge, Julian’s favorite, frozen for who knows how long.

I felt a bit dazed. How long had it been since Julian came home for a meal? It had been a long, long time.

Once the muffins were done, I ate a few but couldn’t eat any more. I looked at Luna’s food bowl, and it was empty.

It seemed like she knew something was wrong. She’d been unusually calm these past few days, lying there without moving.

I went to refill her food bowl and fed her the leftover muffins.

Then I looked up and saw her soaked pee pad, so I changed it.

After finishing all that, I checked my phone again. It was already 3 a.m.

I sat down on the couch with my phone.

No messages, no calls from Julian.

I hesitated for a moment before calling him.

The phone was quickly answered, but no one spoke. All I could hear was the faint sound of snoring. Even through the static, I recognized that sound.

It was Julian.