Chapter 344
Matthew didn't respond at first, and a sudden chill ran down my spine. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Matthew… Matthew…”
He finally took a heavy, ragged breath, then slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was distant, unfocused. “Rea… I almost didn’t wake up just now.”
My heart raced. “I’m getting the doctor.”
But before I could move, Matthew, weak but determined, caught my hand. “No need to panic. I’m fine. This isn’t the first time—it’s just sleep paralysis.”
Sleep paralysis? I’d heard of it before, usually in a casual, “freaky dream” context. But given his severe cancer, this felt far from ordinary. My gut told me it was a sign something deeper was wrong.
I wasn’t a doctor, but I wasn’t clueless either. Having Lena, my best friend, as a nurse, I’d picked up more than the basics.
“Matthew, let’s get the doctor to check on you anyway. I won’t feel right unless we do,” I insisted, my voice firm. I wasn’t taking any chances.
A doctor came, ran a few routine checks, and reassured us that everything seemed fine. He explained that Matthew had slipped into a deep sleep phase, hearing me call him but unable to wake up immediately.
“See? Told you it was nothing,” Matthew said with a soft chuckle, clearly amused by my panic.
But he didn’t see his own face in that moment—the pale, almost ghostly look of someone who’d been on the brink of something serious. I tried to play it off, forcing a small smile. “Better safe than sorry. You always claim you’re fine, but look at you—hospital bed and all.”
“Growing old is like a machine needing repairs. It’s just part of the deal,” he said, unfazed.
I had to hand it to him—his positive outlook was remarkable. Without it, he probably would have lost his mind long ago, especially dealing with Lindsey’s unpredictable behavior.
But even someone as strong as him had succumbed to illness. They say stress can manifest physically, and while his cancer wasn’t caused by a single factor, I knew Jace’s situation had been a trigger. And I… I was part of that trigger. If it hadn’t been for me, Matthew might not have become so distraught.
“Matthew, at your age, you’ve got to learn to let go. Stop worrying about everyone’s business. Stop worrying about Jace,” I said, my voice gentle but firm. “Whatever choices he makes—whether you or Lindsey agree or not—you have to let him live his life.”
Matthew stayed quiet, but his silence confirmed what I already knew: he wasn’t ready to let go. For as laid-back as he could be, he was equally stubborn when it came to the people he loved.
I gently massaged his arm. “Do you believe in fate?”
He didn’t answer, but I sighed softly. “I do. What’s happening with Jace and me… It’s fate.”
I stared off, gathering my thoughts. “You know, my parents are the perfect example. They were orphans who worked hard, built a family, and turned their lives around. Just when things were finally looking up, they died in that accident. That was their fate.”
They never got to enjoy the life they built. Fate didn’t give them the chance to live out their days surrounded by the love they’d fought so hard for.
Matthew listened, but his face held a hint of resistance. “Your parents didn’t believe in fate when they were alive,” he said quietly. “They didn’t give in to it.”
He wasn’t wrong. My parents always believed you could shape your own destiny, that hard work could change the course of your life.
But fate didn’t care. It took them anyway.
Just thinking about the crash made my chest tighten. And it brought back the doubts I’d had about Matthew. I swallowed hard. “Matt… I’m sorry.”
He gave me a confused smile. “Why?”
“I went to the police. Asked for the report on my parents’ crash,” I told him the truth.
He stayed quiet for a moment, then sighed. “You always were stubborn.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Headstrong and unreasonable. You’ve known that forever.”
He shook his head, smiling but tired. “You really are… still that little girl.”
I gave his arm a playful squeeze. “You keep calling me a little girl. Makes me feel like I haven’t grown up yet.”