Chapter 9

Al held the steering wheel calmly, while Cassie sat next to him, staring out the window blankly. 

"How are you feeling now, Miss Cassie?" asked Al, trying to break the silence.

Cassie smiled slightly, then nodded slowly. "Fine, just a little dizzy, but I'm fine," she replied, although in her heart she knew that the dizziness was more than just normal tiredness.

"If you're not feeling well, we can postpone the wedding today," Al suggested, a little worried about Cassie's condition.

"No," Cassie shook her head firmly. "I'm fine, Al. Besides, we're here." She pointed towards the registry building that was coming into view in front of them.

Al was silent for a moment, looking at Cassie who looked so excited, probably because Cassie wanted to prove to her ex-fiancé that she already had a partner. "Alright, if that's what you want."

Al and Cassie arrived at the registry building and walked in together. The room was small and simple, decorated with only a few flowers and chairs. The registrar who was going to marry them was waiting in front of the desk, with a warm smile.

"Are you ready?" the clerk asked in a friendly tone.

Al nodded, extending a hand to the slightly trembling Cassie. "We're ready."

Cassie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. The moment she felt Al's hand, her nerves eased a little. They exchanged their wedding vows quietly, although inwardly Cassie kept thinking about the dizziness that was bothering her. When the vows were over and the rings had been exchanged, Al ventured to gently kiss Cassie's forehead.

"It's official, you two are now husband and wife," said the registrar with a big smile. 

Cassie smiled and grasped Al's hand tighter, but her dizziness was getting worse.

After exiting the building, Al pulled Cassie into a hug. "Finally, we're officially married," he whispered.

Cassie only smiled slightly, but suddenly her body felt very weak. Her vision began to fade, and before she could say anything, the world around her began to fade away.

"Al..." she mumbled weakly, before her body suddenly collapsed.

Al, who was startled, immediately caught Cassie before she fell to the ground. "Cassie! Cassie, what's wrong with you?!" he shouted frantically. Without a second thought, Al immediately carried her to the car and sped off to the nearest hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Al ran inside with Cassie in his arms. "Help! My wife fainted!" he shouted at the nurse at the front desk.

The nurses rushed over, taking Cassie to the emergency room. Al could only stand outside, his heart filled with anxiety. Time seemed to slow down as he waited, his mind whirling with all the possibilities.

Moments later, a doctor came out of the emergency room. Al immediately approached him.

"How is my wife, Doc?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

The doctor looked serious, looking at Al with empathy. "We've done some preliminary tests, and the results are quite alarming. Your wife is showing symptoms of leukemia, a type of blood cancer."

Al felt his world collapse. "Leukemia? How is that possible? She's been healthy all this time, although she often complains of dizziness."

"Leukemia can develop slowly without significant symptoms at first. However, in your wife's case, the disease is already quite severe. I recommend that you get a follow-up examination and start treatment as soon as possible."

Al was silent for a moment, trying to digest the information he had just heard. "What can we do, Doc?"

"We need to do some further tests to determine the type of leukemia and its stage. After that, we can start planning the treatment, perhaps with chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant, depending on the results," the doctor explained.

Al nodded, although his mind was still in turmoil. "I'll do whatever it takes, as long as Cassie can recover."

The doctor patted Al's shoulder empathetically. "We will do our best to help your wife. Now, you can go see your wife. She has regained consciousness and is in the ward."

Al immediately went to Cassie's hospital room. Upon entering, he saw Cassie lying weakly on the bed, her face pale but her eyes still sparkling.

Al approached, sat beside the bed and took Cassie's hand. "Miss Cassie, the doctor said you need to undergo treatment. They suspect that you have leukemia."

Cassie looked at Al with teary eyes. "I've long felt that there was something wrong with my body, but I always denied it."

"Cassie, you have to be strong. We'll get through this together. I won't leave you alone," Al said with a trembling voice.

Cassie smiled weakly. "I know. Thank you, Al. I'll do my best. And if anything happens to me, I'll leave all my wealthy assets to you. I trust you, Al."

"Miss Cassie, we're just getting to know each other. Why do you trust me so much?"