Stepping Away From Dead Love

The doctor’s words brought tears to my eyes. I struggled to hold back the ache in my heart.

“I don’t have any family left.”

I used to, but she had now become Matt’s family.

My memories drifted back to that summer—to the car accident Sienna and I got into when we were eighteen.

I pushed Sienna out of the way with all my strength, but a shard of glass pierced my lung.

The doctor issued three critical condition notices in quick succession.

Sienna cried herself hoarse outside the operating room, saying she would not live if I died.

I had been drifting in and out of consciousness, but hearing those words jolted me awake.

24 hours later, I was wheeled out of the operating room. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Sienna.

Sienna, someone who always prided herself on her beauty and neatness, appeared before me in a state of disarray for the first time.

Her eyes were red and swollen. Her makeup was smudged.

Flames seemed to dance in her eyes as she said softly in my ear, “From now on, nothing will ever separate us.”

I, too, once believed that after we survived life and death together, nothing could tear us apart.

Then came Matt, a man who had been in our lives for just one year.

He shattered everything.

After being diagnosed with stomach cancer, my first thought was, ‘What about Sienna?’

She was so dependent on me. What would she do if I were gone?

When I arrived at the first floor of the office building, what I saw was Sienna holding an unconscious Matt. Her face was pale with shock.

Sienna was so panicked that without even glancing at me, she shoved me aside.

I was already in a daze from the stomach cancer diagnosis. I could not dodge in time and was sent tumbling down the stairs.

Sienna passed by me, still holding Matt. In that moment, I realized I had been deluding myself.

In Sienna’s heart, there was already someone more important than me.

My first round of chemotherapy was over.

Even though I was usually pretty good at handling pain, I had to rest in the chair for a long time before I could sit up straight.

As I was getting ready to be discharged, I ran into Sienna in the hallway, who was discussing something with a doctor.

When she saw me, she frowned at first. Then, she walked over to ask, “What are you doing here at the hospital?”

When she saw the gastroenterology medical records in my hand, the coldness in the corners of her eyes faded.

She smiled and reached out to rub my cold, aching abdomen.

“Is your stomach hurting again? I told you not to drink and to stick to a regular resting schedule, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look, here come the aftereffects!”

She said it so casually, as if I simply enjoyed drinking and living a chaotic lifestyle.

However, Sienna had forgotten that back when Lyon Corporation was on the brink of bankruptcy, she was constantly wearing a worried expression.

To land clients, I, someone who never touched a drop of alcohol, forced myself to be a heavyweight drinker.

I spent years traveling between major cities on business trips, often pulling all-nighters without even a bite to eat.

Sienna had long forgotten the sacrifices I had made on my own accord.

Matt emerged from the hospital room. His face was pale. He raised his head and struggled to force a strained smile.

“Is Mr. Sutton having a stomach flare-up? In that case, Ms. Lyon, you go keep him company. I’ll be fine on my own. Don’t let me come between you and Mr. Sutton. He can’t stand me anyway.”

Sienna instinctively pulled him into her arms and soothed him patiently.

She said, “It’s just a stomach flare-up. He’s a man. There’s no way he’s that delicate. Don’t read too much into it.”

After saying that, Sienna turned to me. “Right, Callum?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone left no room for doubt.

I found it absurd and laughable. Without so much as a glance at him, I turned to leave.

However, someone grabbed me. Instinctively, thinking it was Sienna, I shook her off forcefully.

A moment later, Matt let out a cry of pain.

When I turned to look, Matt was already lying on the floor. Sienna started to help him to his feet.

She looked at me with that disappointed yet calm gaze. “Callum, you really disappoint me. When did you become like this?”

As she helped Matt up, she shoved me aside with force. I lost my balance and slammed into the corner of a chair.

A sharp, stabbing pain mixed with a dull ache made me nearly lose my footing. I clutched my abdomen and crouched on the floor.