Chapter 3After the Ice Melts

Ignoring him, I dropped to my knees, my heart aching as I gathered the pills. These weren't just painkillers anymore; they were my lifeline.

Jack stood there in silence, watching me pick them up, one by one. I was about to pop the last three into my mouth when his hand shot out and stopped me.

"They fell on the floor. You're just going to eat them like that?"

I irritably shook his hand off. Eight years had changed so much about him, but his damn germaphobia had stuck around. "It's none of your business."

I swallowed the pills quickly. Jack's frown deepened. As I turned to leave, he spoke again.

"What kind of medication is that?"

I paused, looking at him, puzzled. He caught my inquisitive gaze and sneered.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just curious. Did all your dirty deeds finally catch up to you?"

A bitter smile formed in my heart. You have no idea. After all, I had broken the heart of an eighteen-year-old boy, stolen his first time, and then left him without a second glance. Terminal stomach cancer seemed like a fitting punishment.

But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I plastered a brazen smile on my face. "Sorry to disappoint you. Just low on vitamin C. Doctor's orders."

After leaving his office, I went to the Westwood Orphanage.

"Dean," I asked the headmistress, "what did the doctor say about Lily's eyes?"

The Dean shook her head sadly. "We're still waiting for a donor. There's nothing more they can do for now."

For some reason, my mind flashed back to bumping into Jack at the hospital. I squeezed the Dean's hand. "Don't worry. Our Lily is such a sweet, wonderful girl. I know she'll be able to see the world again one day."

Before I left, I transferred another sum of money to the orphanage's account.

"Mia," the Dean said, her voice full of concern, "you're not a little girl anymore. You need to save for yourself. Find someone you love, get married, have a family. You've done more than enough for us. Your kindness is all we need."

I grew up here. The Dean was the only mother I'd ever known.

"I'm making good money now, Dean. You don't have to worry about me."

I hadn't told anyone about my illness. She had enough to worry about without adding my burdens to her own.

When I got home, I went online and registered as an organ donor. Jack’s cruel words had a point. I wouldn't be needing my organs anymore.

The next day, I reported to Jack's company on time. Mark showed me to a desk. "You'll be working here, Ms. Collins. Mr. Godley's office is right next door."

I stared at the pristine glass wall that separated the two spaces. It was so clean it was almost invisible. "Could I possibly move? I feel a little pressured sitting here. It might affect my writing."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Collins. These were Mr. Godley's specific instructions."

Right. No room for negotiation.

Thankfully, Jack was a busy man. He hadn't returned to his office by the time lunch rolled around.

But Isabelle did.

She walked up to my desk, carrying a lunch box, her baby bump more pronounced than before. She looked surprised to see me.

"Mr. Godley's new project... I'm the screenwriter," I explained. "I'll be working here until the script is approved."

"It seems you and Jack are truly bound by fate," she said, her eyes crinkling in a friendly smile that made me feel inexplicably guilty.

Footsteps sounded behind me. It was Jack. He strode past me to Isabelle's side, taking the lunch box from her.

"Why did you come all this way? You could have had the driver bring it."

"It's no trouble. I was bored at home anyway."

The two of them disappeared into his office, leaving me feeling like a ghost. I had no right to be upset, but my heart clenched painfully anyway.