His Dying Angel, My Fatal Nightmare

While agonizing cramps kept me curled up in bed, drenched in cold sweat and unable to move, Shawn was busy taking care of his childhood sweetheart because she was on her period. When I ran into him at the hospital by chance, he showed not a shred of concern. Instead, he sneered, accusing me of faking an illness just to stalk him. It wasn't until he saw the black morgue tag around my wrist that his entire world collapsed. I said to him, "Never in this life, and never in the next." The night was pitch black. Another violent wave of abdominal spasms hit me, leaving me drenched in cold sweat. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I gasped for Siri to dial Shawn. After what felt like an eternity, his impatient voice came through the speaker. "What is it now?" "Shawn... where... where are you? I'm in... so much pain..." Hearing my voice tremble, his tone softened just a fraction. "Lana, Luna isn't feeling well these past few days. The doctor said she needs around-the-clock company." "Shawn, please, I—" "If you're having cramps, just drink some hot tea and go to sleep." My voice caught in my throat. My cycle wasn't even due for another two weeks. Over the line, I heard Luna's delicate whisper in the background. "Shawn, Lana sounds really sick. Shouldn't you go back and check on her?" "Don't worry about her, Luna. What could possibly happen to her?" "Luna, look at you instead. Why are you sweating so much?" "Shawn... my stomach hurts..." So it wasn't me he thought was bleeding. It was her. I hung up, dialed 911 with trembling fingers, and collapsed. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a cold hospital room. A doctor stood over me, his brow furrowed as he scanned my charts. "Doctor..." "You're awake. How do you feel?" "Better... What's wrong with me?" "We aren't certain yet. We need to run more tests. In the meantime, call your family." I came from a struggling, impoverished small town in the middle of nowhere. My parents had exhausted their life savings just to send me to college. Without knowing what was really wrong, I couldn't bear to terrify them. Looking down at my call log, a wave of bitter patheticness washed over me. The only emergency contact I had in this city was Shawn. I dialed his number. He didn't pick up. A few minutes later, a cold text popped up on the screen. *I'm busy.* Desperate, I called him again. He declined it immediately. When I tried a third time, the call wouldn't go through. He had blocked me. I couldn't tell if the sharper agony was in my gut or my heart, but it spread like poison until it consumed me whole. A nurse woke me up for further tests. She glanced around the empty room, sighed with pity, and helped me out of bed. As we stepped into the corridor, a familiar scent drifted past. There was Shawn, gently supporting Luna with one arm while holding lab results in the other, murmuring sweet reassurances into her ear. I used to believe that gentle side of him belonged to me alone. Now I saw the truth. The way he doted on Luna eclipsed anything he had ever given me. I tried to look away, but Luna's eyes caught mine.She tugged on Shawn's sleeve. Shawn turned around. When he saw me standing there, surprise flashed across his face, instantly replaced by dark irritation. I stood rooted to the spot, staring at him. He let out a cold scoff, turned his back on me, and escorted Luna away. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. To think, for half a second, I had actually hoped he would care. By the time the exams were done, my strength was completely spent. Dragging my feet along the wall back to my room, the first thing I saw was Shawn's silhouette waiting inside. "Why are you here?" he demanded. If he had looked at me for even a single second, he would have noticed how deathly pale I was, barely able to keep myself upright against the wall. "Why do you think?" I whispered. Impatience dripped from his face. "If you're faking an illness just to keep tabs on me and Luna, give it a rest. It's pathetic." I let out a chilling laugh. Shawn froze. In all the years we had been together, I had always greeted him with a warm smile, yielding to his every whim. The hesitation lasted only a second before his face hardened again. He stepped closer, towering over me. "Since you're already here, don't let the trip go to waste. Go get tested for a donor match." I stared up at him, suddenly finding the man before me utterly unrecognizable. Shawn and I had gone to the same university. The difference was, he had been the golden-boy star athlete on campus, while I was just an insecure girl from a rundown town. I had never imagined our paths would cross. Then, after a charity event at an orphanage, he gave me a sketch drawn by one of the kids in exchange for my number. Back then, Shawn was like the sun, warming up my cold, quiet world until I blossomed. It wasn't until Luna returned that I realized the whole thing was an illusion he had woven. Our names sounded alike—Lana and Luna. We shared similar facial features. Even the little habits he had patiently taught me were meant to mirror hers. I was never his love. I was merely a convenient replacement. "I gave you everything," Shawn said, his voice flat. "Now it's time to pay it back. Lana, Luna is like a sister to me. Stop being so paranoid." "A sister? Shawn, do you even believe your own lies? Don't insult the word." Enraged, Shawn grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door.Out of nowhere, an adrenaline surge hit me. I gripped the doorframe with all my might. "Let go of me, Shawn! If you touch me again, I'm screaming for security and calling the police!" Shawn glared at me through gritted teeth. "Oh, so you've grown a spine now, Lana?" I wrenched myself free from his grip and tried to slam the door, but his palm shoved it wide open. "Have you forgotten who paid to fix the only access road into your hometown?" he sneered. My breath hitched. I never imagined he would use that against me. Three months ago, Shawn had visited my parents' town with me. The crumbling, rutted dirt roads had made him terribly carsick. Back then, he had held my hand, saying his heart ached for my parents and the kids who grew up isolated in that neglected place. He promised on the spot that his family's trust would fund the road repairs. I hesitated. Looking at him now, I couldn't see the man I once loved, and I didn't dare gamble on his conscience. I thought of my parents, and the neighbors who had worked so hard to give me a future. My fingers slipped from the door. Shawn pushed his way in. I stood frozen as he pulled me into his arms. "Lana, I promise you," he whispered gently into my hair. "As soon as you do the donor screening, we'll get married. Your parents will be thrilled." Like a lifeless doll, I let him drag me to the lab for a blood draw. The doctor took one look at my paper-white face and suggested waiting a couple of days, but Shawn shut him down immediately. I extended my arm and forced a dull smile. "It's fine, Doctor. Just draw the blood." I stumbled on my way out. Shawn reached out to steady me, but I flinched away. "Lana, why do you look so awful?" Luna, who had been lingering outside the door, stepped forward with fake concern written all over her face. I gave her a blank glance and walked past without a word. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She turned to Shawn, looking heartbroken. "Shawn, it's all my fault. I'm a burden to you. I'm tearing you and Lana apart..." Seeing her cry, Shawn's expression softened into tender worry as he comforted her. When he looked back up at me, his eyes blazed with fury. "Lana, when did you become so heartless?" he barked. "Luna is fighting for her life! Can't you show an ounce of empathy? Stop right there—" "Lana, please don't be mad at Shawn! It's all me, it's all my fault..." Luna rushed toward me, grabbing my wrist. Her sharp nails dug viciously into my palm. Wincing in pain, I yanked my hand back. I knew for a fact I barely used any strength—I didn't have any left in me. Yet Luna fell backward onto the floor, skinning her knee and palm. Shawn scooped her up, shielding her behind him as if I were a rabid animal. "Lana! I agreed to fix your hometown's road, and I even agreed to—and you're still not satisfied?!" I looked at the two of them locked in an embrace. He didn't even dare say the word "marry" in front of her, terrified of upsetting her fragile feelings. If he loved her this much, why did he ever bother making promises to me?Back in my hospital room, the attending doctor looked up anxiously, his brow furrowing deeper. "Are you still alone?" I nodded faintly. "You need to call your family immediately." An inexplicable wave of irritation flared in my chest. "Doctor, I am an adult. I have the legal right to know what's happening to my own body." He hesitated, then handed over a thick stack of lab results. I skimmed through the medical jargon until my eyes landed on the final biopsy report. *Pathological Diagnosis: Highly consistent with advanced colorectal carcinoma.* My vision blurred. The letters twisted into grotesque shapes. A soft sigh came from the doctor, followed by dead silence. I crumpled the diagnostic report into a tight ball and threw it onto the floor. "Lana, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?" A sudden, violent cramp ripped through my abdomen. I collapsed onto the bed, curling into a ball. "Lana? Why are you sweating like that?" "Painkillers... please... get me the painkillers..." I choked out. Shawn rushed over, trembling slightly as he helped me swallow the pills with water. His trembling fingers reminded me of a winter a year ago, when we both caught the flu. Shawn had been sicker than me, yet he insisted on staying up all night to nurse me. His hands had shaken just like this when he spoon-fed me medicine and placed cool towels on my forehead. As the medication kicked in, I slowly managed to sit up. Shawn stood by the bed, his eyes fixed on me. "Lana... what's wrong with you?" "I have cancer." Shawn's mouth parted slightly. I pointed to the crumpled paper at his feet. "Don't believe me? Read it yourself." Shawn looked down, his body stiffening as he bent down to pick it up. Just as his fingertips grazed the paper, his phone shrilled. He flinched. Luna's hysterical weeping exploded through the speaker. Shawn looked up at me. His lips parted, but not a single sound came out. I shrugged, turned around, and lay facing the wall. In the end, he left. The moment the door clicked shut, I turned back. The crumpled paper was gone. I didn't have the energy to care whether Shawn had taken it or kicked it under the bed. All I could think about was whether I should break my parents' hearts with the truth. As darkness pulled me under, something hard came flying at my head.