Realisation

"You haven't told Shun, have you?" Eric finally ventured as Mei rummaged through the sales bin at the bookstore, he had brought her to after a quick lunch in a nearby cafe. "Don't you think he should know?"

"No", Mei said, pausing momentarily. "What good would it do now? Besides he's getting married and I don't want to be a burden to him any longer".

"A burden?" Eric reacted with disgust. "Do you hear yourself? You were his wife! The man should've dropped everything in his life to be there for you!"

"You know we didn't marry for love Eric", Mei glanced at him sadly. "Ours was a marriage of convenience, so we weren't like that".

"Are you sure?" Eric asked softly. "He seemed very much in love with you this morning. And you him".

"This morning … we were both … just emotional, seeing Grandma Li like that …", Mei tried to explain.

"Mei", Eric said, before taking a deep breath and placing both his hands on hers and turning her away from the bin to face him. "He needs to know that I am not only your friend, but that I was also 'your' doctor. And that you were transferred to me in Paris as a Leukaemia patient who had an extremely small chance of survival. You're so lucky to be here today and that jerk needs to know that", he fumed. "If you feel that you can't tell him then I …"

"No! you can't tell him", Mei protested. "You're my doctor and you're not allowed to without my permission".

"True", Eric agreed. "But Mei there is a high chance of recurrence. You're lighter than the last time I saw you and despite you hiding it well, I can tell that you're already tired today. It's been two years since I gave you the all clear, but like I explained to you before, we document survival rates in five-year buckets".

"Do … do you really think that I'm relapsing?", Mei asked with a sudden quiver in her voice.

"I can't be sure without further testing, but when I saw you this morning that was my first impression", he admitted with concern. "And I'm hoping that I'm wrong. So, when we get back to the hospital, I'd like you to come with me to get some tests done. If you don't want Shun to know, then this would be the best opportunity. Right?"

"Right", Mei nodded slowly.

"Are you certain this is correct?" Shun asked his secretary as he looked down at the information file of doctor Chen which waited ready for him on his desk following his meeting.

"Yes", Kang replied. "He is a world-renowned cancer specialist. He graduated from medicine in America and then moved to France where he worked for a number of years before returning to America two years ago for research. He moved to Shanghai three months ago to join his father's hospital. Chen Eric is the hospital chairman's youngest son with his second wife. And through his mother he is also a cousin of Yang Fan and a childhood friend of your brother".

Shun listened as his mind registered the significance of what was in the file in front of him. Doctor Chen was a cancer specialist. A cancer specialist who knew his ex-wife from shortly after she divorced him and moved to Paris and in his own words, they 'saw each other nearly every day for the next year and a half'.

He put the file down and leaned forward on his desk, placing his face in his hands as his stomach twisted with a realisation that made him feel physically weak.

Mei was sick.

That's why she was crying in his brother's arms when he found them together. That's why she had left him and gone to Paris. And that's why she had divorced him, because he truly was the world's worst husband

"Where's my brother?" Shun looked up and asked.

"He's in the boardroom right now meeting with the managers", Kang replied as Shun instantly stood up from his chair and marched out of the office. He walked down the hallway and opened the stairwell door, too impatient to wait for an elevator. "Is everything okay Sir?" Kang ran after him.

Shun ignored his secretary and sprinted up four flights of steps before leaving the stairwell and walking down the hallway of another floor and swinging open the boardroom doors. The managers all at once looked back at him with shock. "Out!" he commanded.

"Well, this is a surprise", Li Han finally spoke, with his usual contempt after the last manager scurried out and Kang had closed the doors again, leaving the two of them alone. "I thought we were only on speaking terms publicly these days".

Shun didn't have time for this brotherly feud. "Does Mei have cancer?", he asked bluntly. "Is that why she divorced me?"

Han looked at Shun with shock, before pulling himself together again. "Did she finally tell you?" he asked in a more caring and brotherly tone as he stood and moved closer to Shun.

"No. I met a friend of yours at the hospital today, Doctor Chen", Shun said. "He and Mei seemed to be quite well acquainted from Paris".

"And so, you had him investigated", Han grinned knowingly. "Well at least this will be a weight of my chest. What do you want to know?"

"Everything", Shun said firmly. "And I mean everything".

----------------------------------

© 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

A kind reminder to please refrain from cutting, copying, pasting or reproducing the contents, themes and ideas of this story without approval.