Chapter 5

"You son of a bitch. I'm beating the crap out of you!" I threw punch after punch, each one landing with all the force I could muster. My wife, standing beside me, quickly grabbed my hands when she realized what was happening. "Joshua, have you lost your mind?" I didn't even glance at her, my fists still pummeling Edison, who was pinned beneath me. It felt like I was punching the wretched Edson of the past. By the time Sophia called for the housekeepers to pull me off, Edison was barely recognizable. He glared up at me with bloodshot eyes, his face stripped of the nauseating sanctimonious facade he always wore. "You're insane, Joshua!" "I am insane. And it's because of all of you!" I tried to lunge forward, desperate to land another punch, but the housekeepers held me tight, preventing me from moving even an inch closer. Seeing me like this, Sophia stormed over to shield Edison with her body. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you like this? Do you think pulling a stunt like this will make me leave him? Get it through your head. I'm never leaving him!" My hands curled into fists. For the first time in years, I snapped back at her. "Sophia, do you think I would still love you all these years if I wasn't already out of my damn mind? I've had enough. I'm getting a divorce." As soon as the words left my mouth, hot tears rolled down my face. When I turned to walk away, I caught a glimpse of Sophia's stunned expression. However, I didn't care anymore. This wasn't the first time they had lured me home, only to humiliate me. In the three years we had been married, this scene had played out countless times. This time, I wasn't going to endure it. Sophia, after we were divorced, you would be free. Perhaps it was because I had hit Edison too hard earlier. Too much exertion on my part—coupled with the surge of emotions—that sharp pain began to flare up in my stomach again. I bit back a groan and staggered my way to the car. Halfway down the road, the pain became unbearable. I pulled over, slumping against the steering wheel as cold sweat drenched my shirt. For a fleeting moment, I thought dying here wouldn't be so bad. When I woke up again, it was already afternoon. Just as I was ready to drive home, my phone buzzed. This time, I held myself back and waited for a while on purpose before answering the call. I was disappointed to learn that it was not my wife who called. Perhaps I should have been grateful that it wasn't her. If it was her, I would doubt my decision again. Alas, it was Jayden, my best friend. "Hey, what's up?" My voice was coarse and sounded exhausted. My best friend, who was a doctor, picked up on that and asked immediately, "Is your pain flaring up again?" "Yeah," I admitted weakly, leaning back against the seat while trying to catch my breath. I could feel my condition worsening. Especially after an intense workout or when I got overly emotional, the pain would flare up. Jayden asked with concern, "Didn't you take the meds I gave you?" "I forgot to bring them today," I said. As soon as I said that, Jayden's unhappy tone shot through the line. "You're sick. You need to take those on time. You're only making things worse for yourself!" "I get it." My voice lacked conviction. I asked him why he had called me out of the blue. "Joshua, tomorrow there's a medical exchange at the hospital. One of the specialists attending is an expert in cancer treatment. She's an old classmate of mine. Come in for a full check-up. Let her take a look at you," Jayden said. "It's not necessary. I know my own body." My body was coming to an end. There was no need to waste so much time and effort anymore. "Joshua, if you cooperate with the treatment, there's still hope for recovery!" Jayden said. The words clung to the edges of my thoughts. My clenched fists tightened. After a brief pause, I asked with a coarse voice, "What time?" "Nine in the morning. I'll be waiting at my office," Jayden said. "Alright." I agreed to head to the hospital and cooperate with the treatment the next day. Perhaps I didn't really want to die. The next day, I arrived at Jayden's office right on time. He was already swarmed with work. "Didn't expect you to care so much about me considering how busy you are," I said. He glanced up and rolled his eyes. He didn't stop the tasks at hand. "Spare me the cheesy lines. Just sit down and behave yourself. The specialist will be here soon. Show your enthusiasm so you can live longer." "Got it." It was rare for me not to fight back, but I sat down while waiting for the specialist patiently. However, I did not expect to see her at all. "Jayden, I'm parched!" Following that familiar voice was a pair of long legs that strode into the office. Just as I pondered about the familiar voice, the beautiful woman stood in front of me and asked curtly, "Why are you here?" "Juliette?" I froze when I saw the woman standing in front of me in a doctor's coat. I was confused. Why was she here? Was she the specialist that I was supposed to meet today? Before I could respond, Juliette looked at me with a disgusted expression. "Joshua? You look terrible." Jayden was caught off guard and stood up in shock. He pointed at me before pointing at Juliette. "You two know each other?" Before I could reply, Juliette said, "Oh, we go way back. I'll never forget this blind fool—not in this lifetime." "Huh?" Jayden's expression shifted into full gossip mode. He was gesturing to me with his expression as if inquiring about what had happened between me and Juliette. What happened between us was a little complicated and wasn't something that could be explained easily in a few sentences. Juliette looked at me with disdain in her eyes. "Joshua, you chose to marry Sophia back then. Now karma's come knocking." I lowered my gaze in silence. Ever since Sophia and I got married, rumors about her kept circulating. It was normal for Juliette to know what was going on. However, what Juliette didn't know was that I left her for her own good. The air in the room grew heavy. Jayden stood up to clear the tension. "Hey, everybody was crazy at some point. No need to dig up the past." Juliette pressed her lips and asked impatiently, "Joshua, where's the patient you wanted me to take a look at?" "This is him," Jayden said while pointing at me. Juliette frowned and paused, disbelief washing over her expression as she asked, "You have cancer?"