I asked softly, perhaps too afraid of being rejected. I really missed him.
"Lydia is being admitted to the hospital today. I'll stay with her tonight." His voice came through the phone, distant and preoccupied.
There was a moment of silence.
"I went to the hospital today. The doctor said..."
At that moment, I could faintly hear someone calling for him in the background. "I have to go. Text me if you need anything," he said before hanging up.
"Text you? Would you even read it? Would you respond?" I gave a self-mocking smile.
I held the diagnosis report, reading it over and over. I knew each word, but when they came together, they seemed incomprehensible. How could I be dying? How could this be happening to me...
Subconsciously, I hid the report and then suddenly realized it was pointless. Leon hadn't been home for a long time. Eventually, I just left it in the bedside table drawer.
I swallowed the handful of pills the doctor had prescribed, gulping hard to get them down. I turned off the main light and switched on the bedside lamp, ready to sleep.
3
"Violet, I have a secret to tell you. Leon confessed to me today," Lydia said with a blush, her cheeks tinted with a rosy hue.
Her features were delicate, her eyebrows curved, her large eyes framed by a tiny, captivating mole near the corner. When she smiled, two dimples appeared, filled with sweetness.
Dressed in a long white dress and her hair braided, she was really beautiful. No one could resist such a refined doll. No one could resist 17-year-old Lydia—optimistic, kind, and perfect.
I paused for a moment. "Do you love him? Have you two become a couple?" My tone was unnatural.
"I... I think I do love him, but I haven't accepted him yet." Her voice rose slightly, carrying the pride of a girl who knew she was adored.
"Lydia, we're all good friends. If you two break up later, can you still be friends?" I bit my lip, feeling ashamed of my words. I had to admit I didn't want them to be together. Jealousy is a cardinal sin.
"You have a point. I'll think about it some more. Anyway, I'm off to buy your favorite hibiscus flowers."
...
"Violet, Leon and I are in love! I've only told you. Don't tell anyone, okay? And as for the question you asked last time, Leon says he would never break up with me." Lydia's face was beaming with happiness.
Even in my dreams, I felt the bitter waves rising. I tried to force a smile, but it was difficult.