Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Chris left Stephanie’s house and rushed straight to the hospital.
Olivia’s foot injury hadn’t seemed serious earlier, and after getting some treatment, she was supposed to be sent home. But then, out of nowhere, she suddenly started feeling worse and passed out.
By the time Chris got to the emergency room, Catlin was crying uncontrollably.
Through her sobs, she managed to say, “Chris, you’re here, Olivia… she…”
Catlin couldn’t finish her sentence and just cried harder.
Panicked, Chris grabbed her shoulders. “What’s going on?”
Catlin was too shaken to respond.
Tyler stepped in, his voice calm but strained. “She’s in the ER right now. They just finished some urgent tests.”
Through her tears, Catlin added, “Besides uterine cancer, she has heart disease and liver problems. What are we supposed to do? Why is everything so unfair to her?”
Her voice shook with grief, and Chris could see the desperation in her eyes.
When Chris heard about Olivia’s health problems, his face darkened, his heart sinking.
Tears streamed down Catlin’s face as she continued, “It’s all those struggles she went through living abroad the past two years… That’s why she’s so sick now.”
Chris didn’t say anything. He just stared at her, the weight of her words crushing him. The human body is fragile. One thing goes wrong, and it can throw everything out of balance.
But for Olivia, it felt like everything was falling apart at once. It was hard to deny–only a miracle could fix this.
By the time Chris arrived, the hospital’s director had shown up with a team of specialists.
Seeing the director, Chris’s face went grim. He took a deep breath and, with a sharp edge in his voice, demanded, “No matter what it takes, you have to save her.”
His eyes narrowed as he turned to the director, adding, “If not, I swear I’ll shut this place down.”
The director flinched visibly, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
Behind the group of experts, Allison couldn’t help muttering under her breath, “Nice move, genius. Threatening doctors? Why not just smash her ventilator while you’re at it?”
Meanwhile, back at Stephanie’s house, she was half–asleep, her phone buzzing nonstop with calls. She kept hanging up each
one.
Finally, frustrated, she picked up the phone.
“Someone better be dead,” she muttered groggily.
She’d just broken up with the guy earlier that day, and now her phone wouldn’t stop ringing.
If this kept up, she was seriously going to lose it.
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Chapter 18
“Stefi, it’s me.” Allison’s voice came through the phone.
Stephanie rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was already one in the morning.
She slapped her face lightly to wake herself up before answering, “Aren’t you off work yet?”
Allison usually worked long hours, so it was rare to hear from her this late. The timing felt a little off.
Allison replied, “What’s going on with you and Chris? You two were supposed to get married in a week, and now he’s running around like crazy for Olivia?”
Stephanie hesitated for a second. “Didn’t you see the news today?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “What news?”
Clearly, Allison hadn’t seen it. She’d been too busy to check her phone all day.
Stephanie sighed, then dropped the bomb. “I called off the wedding. I dumped him.”
Allison gasped. “That’s intense! You really moved on that fast?”
Stephanie blinked, caught off guard by the question.
She thought back over the past few years. Maybe she had tried too hard to play the perfect girlfriend.
Now, even her best friend thought she’d been in love with Chris all along.
But whatever. It didn’t matter now.
“Olivia really went into the hospital?” Stephanie asked, trying to change the subject.
Allison answered, her tone serious. “Yeah, and she’s got a lot of health issues.”
It sounded like several departments had been called in at this late hour. Whatever was happening, this was definitely a big
deal.
Stephanie: “So what are the issues?”
Allison quickly flipped through some papers before answering, “Uterine cancer, heart disease, and I think there might be liver cancer too, but they haven’t confirmed that yet.”
Stephanie’s eyes widened, her mind racing. She’d thought Olivia’s issues were just minor things, so hearing all this was a total shock.
Stephanie breathed deeply. “Wait, so many diseases?” She still couldn’t wrap her head around it.
Allison nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, right? Isn’t it kinda what she deserves though?”
Stephanie sighed, “Definitely.”
She nodded, almost convinced that there was some kind of cosmic balance.
Olivia had been awful–dishonest, manipulative, always causing drama.
This had to be karma coming for her.
Still, she was curious. “But all these illnesses… they’re so random. How does she even get uterine cancer?”
Stephanie had always thought uterine cancer was something older women got, or those who’d had kids or, those who had
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Chapter 18
lived… indulgent lives. But Olivia was still young.
How did this happen to her? Stephanic wondered.
Allison paused for a second, her expression turning more guarded. “That… I can’t really say.”
Stephanie caught the hesitation in her voice and realized it wasn’t that Allison didn’t want to share–it was just… tricky.
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Allison added, “I’m a professional, okay? I’m not here to gossip. But I’ll tell you this after tomorrow, I’m heading overseas for a bit. I won’t be involved in her treatment.”
Stephanie rubbed her sleepy eyes. “Thanks for that, really.”
Allison was an amazing gynecologist, and with her expertise, Olivia would definitely be in good hands. But there were plenty of other skilled doctors out there, she didn’t have to be there for Olivia.
And honestly, Allison hated Olivia.
Olivia had nearly cost Stephanie her life, and that alone made it impossible for any of them to feel sympathy for her.
