Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I wiped away my tears, forced my emotions down, and walked into the room carrying a warm pitcher of water.

Landon leaned weakly against the headboard, coughing violently into the trash can.

I poured a cup and handed it to him.

His eyes lit up the moment he saw me. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, gazing up at me with tearful, pleading eyes.

"Babe, selling plasma must have hurt so much. As soon as I get better, let's get married."

If this were yesterday, I would have melted and started planning our wedding. But now, it only made my stomach churn with disgust.

"Okay. Just focus on getting better quickly."

I swallowed the pain, pretending to know nothing.

Satisfied with my answer, he swallowed his pills and drifted off to sleep.

As soon as his breathing evened out, I took his pill bottle to the lab for testing. The technician told me the bottle was filled with ordinary vitamins, not cancer medication.

The shock hit me so hard that darkness took over, and I collapsed on the floor.

When I woke up, the doctor gently broke the news to me. After a full scan, they found that my lung cancer had relapsed.

Because it was caught early, she strongly urged me to seek specialized treatment abroad.

I told her I would think about it, then walked back to Landon's room.

At the nurse's station, I warmed up a bowl of homemade chicken soup for Landon.

Landon scooped all the tender meat into my bowl with a gentle smile. "Babe, you just gave blood. You need to eat more to build your strength."

He looked at me with such deep concern, as if his heart were truly breaking for me.

Since there were no spare beds in the ward, I still had to sleep on our bench in the park. Before leaving, I handed him an envelope containing my medical report.

"Open this after I leave."

He sat up shakily and pulled me into another desperate hug. "Babe, I don't want you to go."

My heart ached, and I could not stop myself from asking.

"Landon, have you ever done anything behind my back?"

His body stiffened for a fraction of a second. Five seconds later, he planted a soft kiss on my lips and smiled warmly.

"With an amazing girlfriend like you, even God wouldn't forgive me if I ever betrayed you."

Disappointment crushed the last bit of warmth in my chest. Even now, he was still lying to my face.

I ruffled his hair and smiled softly. "I knew you wouldn't lie to me."

The moment I stepped out of the hospital, I dumped the entire bowl of chicken soup into the dumpster outside.

Anything from him made me sick.

Trash belonged in the garbage.

I walked down the stone steps and dialed my mother's number.

"Mom, I want to come to you abroad."

Three years ago, my mother had worried my illness would return and begged me to join her in Europe for specialized care. I had refused her for the sake of love.

Furious, she had not spoken to me once in three years.

I braced myself for rejection, but all I heard was her familiar, worried scolding.

"When are you coming? Do you have your passport ready? Tell me the moment you land, and I'll pick you up at the airport!"

A wave of overwhelming grief crashed over me, and tears blurred my vision.

"I want to wait one more month. Landon and I have our five-year anniversary coming up. I want to give him a big surprise first."

"An unforgettable gift that he'll remember for the rest of his life."

...

Back in the hospital room, Landon dropped his weak facade the second I left. He tossed the medical report straight into the trash without opening it.

Thinking back to my strange question, a small frown creased his forehead.

He hesitated, unlocked his phone, and checked his prank channel stats.

Seeing the photo of me at the plasma clinic, he relaxed.

She was so naive. There was no way she could know the truth.

Still, to be safe, he temporarily set the channel to private.

Lucas called him immediately. "Bro, there's only a month left in the challenge. Why did you turn off the stream?"

Landon stared darkly out the window, his voice turning cold as ice. "I changed my mind. If anyone dares breathe a word about this prank to Piper, I'll personally break their neck."

Lucas was clearly stunned on the other end. "Are you crazy? Have you thought about Camille's feelings?"

Landon hung up in annoyance.

He looked toward the hospital entrance. He still intended to claim that diamond glass slipper, but it was no longer for Camille Foster.

Soon. In just one more month, his sweet girl would be waiting for his proposal.