Late Love, Rejecting His Plea for Reconciliation

Demetrius Anderson was battling the final stages of cancer. To help him focus on his treatment, I started running a small food stall after work every evening.

After saving enough for his first round of treatment, I was eager to surprise him. Instead, I found him dining with a stunning woman at a fancy restaurant.

His close friend laughed, "How much longer can you keep up this act? Don't you think she'll leave you once she catches on?"

With a smug grin, Demetrius shrugged. "She's so naive, it's almost funny. I never expected her to fall for it so easily."

"But there's something to be said for being dumb. She handles the elders well and best of all, she doesn't cramp my style."

Dumb? So everything I cherished was just foolishness in someone else's eyes.

Once it clicked, I quit my job on the spot and devoted myself to teaching in a remote village.

But he wouldn't let go, clutching my hand and asking, "Why? Why are you walking away like this?"

——

Lately, Demetrius frequently lamented my late nights, saying, "How much can you make with that little food stall? Your health is what matters most."

I just laughed at his concern and replied, "Even the smallest mosquitoes have something to offer. You're the one who's sick; you need to focus on your medicine and rest. I'm tough; I can handle it!"

Whenever I said this, he would fall silent for what felt like an eternity, his eyes clouded with deep sadness. "You're not tough, you're just putting on a brave face."

"Can't you take a little better care of yourself? You're just a girl."

"Let me just—"

I panicked at the thought of him finishing that sentence and quickly covered his mouth.

Nestling into his embrace, I soaked up the warmth of his body, greedily savoring every moment.

I convinced myself that if I just pushed myself a little harder and saved every cent, I could draw him back from the shadows of death.

Upon returning from the hospital, I got my food truck rolling, serving up delicious dinners as usual.

Luck was on my side today; I sold out in just three hours.

The only dish left was set aside for a regular customer's late-night craving. Since he worked at a restaurant close by, I decided to drop it off as I made my way there.

Once I dropped off the order, I planned to make a quick stop at the supermarket to hunt for discounted vegetables to whip up a hearty cereal for Demetrius.

Just as I was about to leave, I caught sight of a familiar figure.

Demetrius, who should have been resting in the hospital, was delicately draping a necklace around a girl's neck.

Spread across their table was a dazzling selection of exquisite dishes that felt like a distant fantasy to me.

Blushing, the girl remarked, "This necklace is worth a fortune. Thank you, Demetrius."

She eagerly shared her excitement with her girlfriends, blissfully oblivious to the curious gazes around her.

Demetrius' close friend chuckled and playfully teased him, "How long do you plan to keep this charade going? Aren't you worried your girl will walk away the moment she discovers the truth?"

Demetrius grinned with a hint of arrogance, "I'm just stringing her along, who knew she'd take me so seriously?"

He smirked, saying, "But being a bit dim has its advantages. I can tie the knot with her to satisfy the elders and she won't mind if I seek my pleasures elsewhere."

Dumb? I let out a bitter laugh. I had always been the kind of person who stumbled through life, never quite hitting the mark.

After my parents passed away, my relatives took me in, but only to fill their empty spaces. I drifted from family to family, lingering a few days here and a few days there, never truly belonging anywhere.

Once they laid their hands on the compensation money, my life became irrelevant to them; I could have faded away and they wouldn't have batted an eye. I nearly starved, but the village chief took pity on me, stepped in and secured government assistance for me. It wasn't a fortune, but it was just enough to keep me afloat.

For the first ten years of my life, I drifted aimlessly, like a small weed growing unnoticed in the shadows.

Yet, against all odds, I managed to secure a spot at university, convinced that this would be the turning point of my life. But fate had other plans.

Just before my final exams in the third year, I found myself with a broken leg. With exams looming on the horizon, my world turned upside down.

I struggled to move with my broken leg, but the distance seemed too far. In my frantic rush, I stumbled and fell again.

Despair wrapped around me like a heavy blanket.

After all, the scholarship from these exams was my lifeline for the next semester.

As people hurried past, I felt like a discarded pest in a trash can, invisible and unwanted.

Just when I thought all hope was lost, one person stopped and crouched down in front of me.

"Get on. The exam is about to start," he said, his voice warm and reassuring.

It cut through the chill of my despair like a beacon of light, reminding me that not all was lost.

He said we were alike, both fighting to survive at the bottom of society.

Our lives slowly became intertwined and we grew inseparable.

He joined me at my part-time job and stood by me through life's challenges.

Classmates called us oddballs, but despite our material struggles, our spirits soared high.

After graduation, we moved in together and rented a cozy apartment.

We worked hard, always supporting each other when we got home.

I dreamed of saving up to build a small house, hoping we'd be ready for kids when the time came.

But life had other plans. Demetrius was suddenly diagnosed with cancer and my world shattered.

I poured all my savings into his treatment, but it wasn't nearly enough.

I cried in silence, breaking down more times than I could count, even thinking about ending it all.

But deep down, I feared that if it left first, he would be the one to suffer.