A Heart Too Numb to Feel
For the ninety-ninth time, my heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs. And for the one-hundredth time, my fiancé, Terrance, rejected my call.
I dragged my failing body into my family lawyer's office.
The cold, polished floor reflected my deathly pale face, and every step felt like a blade twisting in my chest.
"I'm here to annul our engagement."
The lawyer studied my gaunt frame with a sympathetic gaze and asked softly, "Are you certain, Miss Hayes? Doing so would mean forfeiting all rights to the Hayes family inheritance."
Ever since I was a child, my weak heart has left me pale and frail.
After my father, Arthur, brought home my adopted sister, Cassandra, when I was ten, my parents began to treat me like an embarrassing stain on their legacy.
Though Terrance and I were engaged, he never treated me as his fiancée.
He rarely even escorted me to public gatherings.
As a result, in their circle, almost no one knew who I was.
"It doesn't matter," I said, my voice a faint, yet surprisingly steady, whisper. "I'll be dead in three days."