RICHARD’S POVDinner was quiet tonight. Too quiet. Amelia had barely touched her food, just pushing it around on her plate with this distant look in her eyes. I asked her if she was alright, and she’d just given me a tired smile and said she was fine. But something didn’t sit right. Still, I let it go, figuring she’d open up when she was ready.Upstairs, I lay on the bed waiting while she went into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, and I stretched out, hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. The day had been long, and I was looking forward to nothing more than a quiet evening with her, maybe watch some dumb movie and unwind.But then I heard it—a loud voice cutting through the silence, sharp and strained. It was Amelia. A cry, filled with pain.I sat up so fast, my heart instantly in my throat. “Amelia?” I called, already on my feet and moving towards the door. There was no answer, only a muffled groan that sent my pulse skyrocketing.“Amelia, are you okay?” I ask
RICHARD’S POV—THREE WEEKS LATER Arriving home with the bouquet in one hand and Amelia’s favorite snacks in the other, I hoped today would lift her spirits, even a little. She hadn’t been herself since...well, since the loss. Three weeks, and yet it felt like everything had been hollowed out.As soon as I opened the door, the tense vibe hit me like a wall. Amelia was sitting there on the couch, pale but trying to keep calm, while her grandmother loomed over her with that steely look. The minute she spotted me, her eyes narrowed like she’d been waiting for this.“Richard,” she spat, voice low and biting, “this is all on you. You should have done better. Protected her, watched out for her—”“Enough,” I cut in, barely keeping my voice steady. I didn’t want a scene, not in front of Amelia. But I couldn’t just let this go. “If you’re going to blame someone, find a mirror.”Her face twisted, anger flaring up, and for a second I thought she’d come closer. “How dare you,” she snapped. “How da
RICHARD’S POVI sat there, tapping my foot against the cold tile, waiting for the doctor to come in. Amelia was beside me, looking exhausted from my dragging her here yet again. But we were here, and I’d finally get some peace of mind.The door opened, and Dr. Geller strolled in, looking... oddly cheerful. He scanned his clipboard before smiling at both of us. “Well,” he said, “I’ve got some news that I think you’re going to like.”Amelia glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. “He didn’t find anything, right? See, I told you, Richard…”“No, no,” Dr. Geller cut in, chuckling. “Nothing bad. Quite the opposite, actually.”I held my breath, narrowing my eyes at him. “Spit it out, Doc. I don’t do suspense.”He grinned, finally setting down the clipboard. “Amelia, congratulations. You’re pregnant. Again.”For a split second, I thought he was joking. But then it hit me like a tidal wave, and I shot to my feet. “Are you serious?!” I practically yelled, and probably looked like a lunatic, but I di
RICHARD’S POV—THREE YEARS LATER I ran around the living room, chasing our twins in some endless game of tag. They were shrieking with laughter, little feet pounding on the floor, and honestly, it was the best sound in the world. But just as I made a playful grab for them, Amelia walked in with a tray of biscuits and gave me one of her classic mom-glares.“Really, Richard?” she said, exasperated but trying not to smile. “If you keep chasing them like that, they’re going to fall. And then who’s getting up at night with them when they’re crying? Not me, that’s for sure.”I stopped in my tracks and threw my hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright! You win. Kids, you heard your mother. Grab a biscuit and calm down, alright? Before we all get grounded.”The twins scrambled toward the tray, wide-eyed and hungry like they hadn’t just had breakfast an hour ago. Amelia rolled her eyes at me, handing the kids each a biscuit before turning her gaze on me.“No biscuit for you, mister,” she tease
RICHARD"Why? Dammit! Why?" I suddenly cried aloud, in a sudden burst of frustration as slammed my fists repeatedly on the steering wheel.A horn blared, and I turned to see a driver on the other lane give me a curious look. I stared at the road ahead, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as I drove home. My mind was in a whirl. I glanced at the passenger seat on which were two sheets of paper. The first sheet of was the result of the X-ray I had just done at the hospital. It showed the cancer was spreading really fast. I needed chemotherapy as a matter of urgency. But the cost...I shook my head. At the bottom of the second sheet of paper, the cost of the chemotherapy was written in bold font. It was a sum I could never afford, certainly not with the job I had. My wife refused to support me in footing the bill in any way. I was at a dead end, and would be a dead man if I could figure a way out.Finally, I got home. I walked into the cool, air conditioned comfort of the house
RICHARDThe first thing I was conscious of was the intense white light that still shone even behind my closed eyelids. Then there was silence, total silence, the kind that seemed heavy and oppressive.I gradually opened my eyes and immediately shielded it from the glare of the blinding fluorescent light above. Disoriented, I quickly sat up. The room spun a little and I closed my eyes briefly to fight off the dizzy spell. My heart beat fast as I took in my surroundings.I was in a room that looked like a hospital room, except that this room had grey, gleaming steel walls, even a formidable looking still door.The room was illuminated by blinding lights placed above the bed on which I had lain. There were no curtains, no windows. I swallowed and fought off an attack of claustrophobia.Where the hell was I? Had I died and gone to... wherever people went when they left the world. I clearly remembered feeling weird outside the gates of Amelia's house just before I passed out. As I swung my
RICHARDI left the hospital, hardly knowing whether I was on my head or heels. The astonished doctor, after telling me that he had run the test three times to be sure of the result, had kept on asking me what I had done, to make the cancer simply disappear, and how I had known to come for a confirmatory test. I simply told him that I had just had a hunch.An elderly woman walking into the hospital looked at me oddly and gave me a wide berth as she hobbled into the building. I then realized that I was grinning from ear to ear. I didn't care though. I could not recall ever being this happy. The sky seemed clearer, the colors brighter. I was so elated that I felt like singing.Chuckling, I went down the stairs. My smile faded a little as I thought of the money in my account. I decided to carry out the system's task to see if it was all true. Buying a house from Royal Homes, the real estate company that sold the best and most exclusive condos, was a surefire way to spend a million dollars
RICHARDJames turned and stared at the salesmen, and asked, "Did you hear what this twerp just said?""Yes, sir," Jake and his colleague said in unison.James shook his head sadly."Amelia must have hit you too hard on the head. Sad that you don't have a thick skull. That is the only reason I can think of for your delusions or..." He turned to Jake again. "Do you know if cancer damages the brain when it gets to a certain stage?""No, sir. Not that I know of."I smirked, briefly considered telling him that I was completely cancer free. I imagined triumphantly waving the doctor's report stuffed in my back pocket in his face like a flag. The look on his face would be priceless.But I had to attend to the first things first. I glanced at the large clock on the wall, noted the time. In my mind's eye, I saw the timer at the hospital I had woken up in. It had been roughly three hours since my life had taken a completely different turn. I still had about twenty more hours to complete the syste