"Zoe!"
In a panic, he jumped to his feet, clumsily trying to dial 911.
All around was a sea of white, stretching endlessly.
Zoe looked up blankly, wondering if she had died.
"I love you."
A young man materialized before her, his expression earnest, his eyes filled with an unbelievably sincere tenderness.
She froze, reaching out to him.
In the next moment, the world spun, and the scene shifted to him delivering a vicious slap to her face for someone else.
She never imagined it, did she?
People always change; those who vow to love forever can cease loving just as easily.
The affection in his eyes would one day transform into disgust, the hand that once held hers would rise high to strike her face for another.
It was all her fault, misjudging and bringing this upon herself, a life half-ruined in misery.
The grand promises they once made to each other faded quietly amidst the trivialities of everyday life, remaining etched only in her heart while he had long forgotten.
She jolted awake, feeling a hand holding hers tightly.
"Wife... you're finally awake."
The face before her eyes was haggard, the former arrogance nowhere to be seen.
Zoe squinted, feeling him so distant.
How could this be?
Stomach cancer?
Evan, with bloodshot eyes from days without sleep, stood vigilant.
The door swung open abruptly.
Edward entered, carrying Christmas.
He rose, instantly on guard. "What are you doing here?"
Edward ignored him, his red-rimmed eyes fixed on the figure in the bed.
"I brought Christmas."
The cat, clearly missing her, leaped onto the empty space beside her as Edward crouched down by the bedside.
She was so thin that even on a single bed, she seemed barely there.
Fuming, Evan was about to speak when he saw a fleeting smile on Zoe's lips.
This smile, unseen for so long, left him stunned into silence.
She turned her head to look at Christmas rubbing against her hand, her eyes softening.
Edward stood, his heart heavy.
"Can you step out for a bit? I want to talk to her."
Talk to her?
This is his wife!
Zoe turned her gaze towards him.
Evan pressed his lips together and reluctantly stepped out.
Just this once. Only this once.
From then on, she would be his alone, forever.
He headed to the doctor's office.
Edward sat down, his eyes reddened.
How could she have deteriorated so rapidly?
"You listen to the doctor, undergo chemotherapy." If luck was on their side... she might live...
She stared at him, dazed, propping herself up on the bed.
Edward helped adjust the bed for her.
"Don't be stubborn anymore, take your medicine... you should..."
Zoe suddenly smiled, a look of relief on her face, her dimples deep.
She cradled Christmas, stroking its fur, and shook her head.
His throat tightened. "Medicine has advanced so much nowadays... it's different... you just need to..."
She bowed her head, obstinately shaking it, then reached out to him again.
Edward was taken aback, unsure of her meaning.
She pointed at his pocket.
He fished out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it over.
Zoe lowered her eyelids, typed a message, and soon returned the phone.
The words on the screen almost pierced his eyes.
"When I die, bury me in A Cemetery. I've already bought the plot, right next to my parents."
Edward's fingers tensed as he looked at her, her faint smile unwavering.
