Chapter 1

Kiara's POV

Sitting in the hospital room, clutching a handkerchief against my nose to stop the relentless flow of blood, I watched as the doctor approached with a solemn expression etched across his face.

"I'm sorry, Kiara," he began, his voice heavy with regret. "We regret to inform you that we can no longer administer these drugs to you."

My eyes widened in fear as I bit my lips. I knew what he was going to say next, but hearing it confirmed still felt like a punch to the gut.

"Your outstanding bills, especially for your chemotherapy, have become too much to bear," he continued, his tone sympathetic yet firm.

"I'm dying. Please can't you..."

"I am sorry, Kiara," the doctor began, his voice heavy with regret, "but the hospital management board cannot keep on administering free drugs to you. It's best if you clear up your bills."

Desperation surged through me like a tidal wave as I reached out, grasping for his hand, pleading with all the strength I had left. "Please, I beg of you," I choked out, my voice trembling with emotion. "I can't survive without the treatment. Please, help me."

But instead of offering comfort or reassurance, the doctor withdrew his hands from mine, leaving me grasping at empty air. His once-clean hands were now stained with my blood.

The doctor let out a groan as he observed his blood-stained hands.

"I apologize," he murmured, his voice barely audible amidst the echoes of my own cries. And with that, he walked, leaving me stranded in the suffocating silence of my sadness.

I collapsed to the ground, tears flowing down my cheeks, blending with the blood still trickling from my nose, as I wailed into the void, my pleas reverberating unanswered.

Cancer.

It had come like a thief in the night and stole everything that I knew about my life.

How had I transitioned from a lively young woman with aspirations and become a mere husk of my former self, devastated by sickness and forsaken by those I once cherished?

The days spent in sterile hospital chambers, the ceaseless cycles of treatment, the myriad sleepless nights consumed by dread and uncertainty.

My phone began to ring, shaking me from my tears.

It pierced through the dense silence of the room. I glanced at the caller ID and felt a sinking sensation in the core of my being. It was my mother-in-law.

With a heavy sigh, I reluctantly accepted the call, preparing myself for the criticism and accusation that I knew was coming.

"You useless child," she shouted, her words sharp and cutting. "You can't produce a baby, you can't even clean the dishes properly."

"I tried but I was too weak this morning," I whispered.

"Cancer is not a big deal," she scoffed dismissively. "You've already stopped working, I allowed that but I won't allow you to cut off on your duties. Come home now unless..." Her voice trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air like a dark cloud.

But I didn't care. What more can I lose?

And then, without another word, she hung up, leaving me alone once again with the crushing weight of her expectations and the bitter sting of her words. Outside, the snow fell harder now, it would take some time for me to get home but I didn't have a choice.

If I don't do the dishes I may not have a home to stay. My husband, Gabriel, all he did was be a mummy's pet.

On my phone there was a message from my best friend, Jessica wishing me good health. I smiled, she really was the best.

I stood up with trembling legs cleaning my nose that had stopped bleeding as I entered the car.

I drove, the wind howled against the car, and visibility became almost nonexistent. But somehow, I managed to get through.

Finally I arrived at the driveway, I was seeing stars and if not careful the wind could blow me away.

I stepped out of the car, the bitter cold cut through my clothes like knives, and I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach.

Ignoring the biting wind, I walked through the snow towards the house. Relief washed over me as I reached the front door, but as I turned the handle and stepped inside.

"I'm home," I called out, my voice wavering slightly.

But there was no response, just an eerie silence that hung heavy in the air.

I hesitated, a chill running down my spine. Something was wrong. I could feel it in the air, the way the silence seemed to press in on me. I pushed the door open slowly, my heart pounding in my chest.

The sound of Gabriel's voice made me freeze.

"…just have to be patient. Her insurance money will take care of everything," he was saying, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather.

"And you're sure she doesn't know?" a female voice asked, a hint of something sinister in her tone.

"She's too weak to even suspect. Can't wait for her to die, honestly. It'll make things so much easier."

My breath caught in my throat. The world seemed to tilt, the walls closing in as their words sank in.

The female voice continued, her voice laced with worry. "Are you still… changing her drugs? Making sure it looks like the cancer is getting worse?"

I didn't hear Gabriel's response. The blood rushed to my ears, drowning out everything else. My hand gripped the doorframe, the wood biting into my palm as I tried to steady myself.

Betrayal.

"I can't believe you haven't blocked her yet after I told you to, she is going to die soon," the female voice said.

"Oh come on, she lives with me, had lived with me for two years. Do you expect me to just…not give her my number? Stop being delusional."

I heard the female scoff, disdain in her voice as she hit her feet against the ground."You hate her for being weak," she spat out, her voice dripping with contempt. "I hate her for even breathing. That girl is like a snake. Acting all innocent and soft, but she is... gosh, I even hate her name. I hope you haven't slept with her though."

There was a moment of tense silence, broken only by the sound of my own ragged breaths echoing in the narrow staircase. Then, finally, Gabriel's voice, hesitant and strained. "I haven't," he admitted, his words like a knife twisting in my gut.

With a shaky hand, I pushed open the door a bit, my heart pounding in my chest so loudly I could hear it echoing in my ears. And there, in the dim light of the room, I saw her face. Jessica.

I gasped, the air catching in my throat as if I'd been punched in the gut. It felt like the ground had dropped out from beneath me, leaving me suspended in a dizzying void of disbelief and betrayal.

But before I could even comprehend what I was seeing, Jessica's hand shot out, wrapping her arms around Gabriel's neck . "Why didn't we just kill her and take the insurance money?" she hissed, her words laced with malice and cruelty.

My legs turned to jelly beneath me, threatening to give way as the full weight of her words crashed down upon me like a tidal wave.

I watched through the crack of the door as he cupped her cheeks, pulling her closer to him. Tears covered my vision as he connected his lips with hers in a gentle kiss that stopped her from talking.

They were both in robes, one that he and I had both worn. I watched as my friend pushed him closer to her chest, moaning, I saw the way he smiled into the kiss before biting her bottom lip and pulling away.

"I told you before, everything is going to go as planned without any negative burden on you and your family. I could hardly care what happened to the bitch. She is a pain in the butt."

I couldn't take it anymore.

I pushed open the door, catching the two of them off guard as Gabriel blue eyes met mine. Surprise flashed through his eyes but only for a mini second which was replaced by visible hatred. One that I know I had gotten accustomed to with his family, but never with the man I had shared a bed with for two years. Been docile for. Done everything to be a perfect wife.