Chapter 1

I was coughing up blood from lung cancer on the way to the hospital, while my darling and her childhood sweetheart were chatting away merrily in the front seats.

"Darling... I'm coughing up blood..." My chest felt tight, and I could barely speak through the pain.

The childhood sweetheart turned his head, staring at my bloody palm with utter disgust.

"Damn, bro, couldn't you hold it in for a bit? I'm squeamish about blood, it's making me sick!"

My darling didn't even glance at me as she slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt stop at the roadside.

"Liam can't handle this, get out of the car right now!"

1

The pain in my chest made it impossible for me to get up. I desperately pleaded with Serenity.

"Darling, I really can't breathe... Please..."

"We're almost at the hospital. Can't you drop me off first? My chest really hurts so bad."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Serenity's face. Just then, Liam spoke up again, holding his forehead.

"Serenity, I'm feeling so dizzy."

"You know I've been squeamish about blood since I was little. I really can't handle this kind of scene."

"If Nash can't get out of the car, then let me get out instead."

As soon as Liam said this, Serenity's last bit of hesitation vanished completely. She immediately got out of the car and yanked open the back door where I was sitting.

"Nash! Didn't you hear me? I told you to get out!"

"It's just coughing up blood! You're not gonna die! You can take a cab to the hospital, you'll make it in time!"

"Liam gets faint at the sight of blood. If something happens to him, can you take responsibility?"

The intense pain in my chest left me unable to utter another word.

Seeing that I still hadn't moved, Serenity finally lost all patience. She reached out and dragged me out of the car, dumping me on the roadside.

I lay there on the side of the road, clutching my chest tightly, watching in despair as the car sped away.Serenity dumped me on a wide new highway, completely devoid of pedestrians. I dialed 911, but it would take time for an ambulance to arrive.

Perhaps it was the primal instinct to survive that ignited a fierce will to live within me.

Ignoring the excruciating pain, I stood up and walked to the middle of the road, repeatedly waving at passing cars, hoping someone would take me to the hospital.

The drivers either pretended not to see me and swerved around, or worse, some even spat at me.

"Pah! Look at all that blood you're spitting up, it's bad luck!"

"Can't you call an ambulance yourself? Trying to flag down cars on a major highway, you're clearly a scammer!"

I don't know how much time passed.

When I finally saw the ambulance approaching in the distance, sirens blaring, I lost all my remaining strength and blacked out.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital. The overhead light in the room hung above me, its glare painful to my eyes.

The doctor's voice held a note of reproach.

"It's so serious, how come you're here all alone?"

"Where's your family? There are some things we need to discuss with them."

"Your condition is very poor right now. We need to come up with a treatment plan immediately, but we need your family's consent."

The lights were too bright, far too bright. They made my eyes sting with unshed tears that I could barely hold back.I shook my head and forced a smile at the doctor.

"I don't have any family. Please tell me directly, I know my own situation."

"It's okay, I can handle it."

The doctor's expression was momentarily stunned, then shifted to regret.

"Late-stage lung cancer. There's not much time left."

"At most... one month."