02

The staff murmured as Shannon stepped out of the elevator. She was done shedding tears and had made up her mind to head back home. As she walked past them, they went mute but burst into laughter after a few seconds.

‘What a rotten lady claiming to be the CEO's wife.’ one of them said, and they all giggled.

‘Take a good look at her dress. I'm sure Mr. Tony is not a simp.’ Another added, followed by a laugh.

Shannon did not spare them a glance any longer until she walked out of the building. Her palms were sweating, and she could feel her heart pounding harder. A sudden headache hit her—one that made her feel like her head would fall off soon.

“Are you done?” the security personnel that had led her in previously said to her, but she didn't give a damn response. She dashed out of the compound and stood beside the road, waiting to board a cab that would drop her home.

Her chest tightened. She still wanted to believe that what she saw there wasn't real. She felt heartbroken and devastated, betrayed by the one she had suffered with.

Three years ago, she had agreed to marry Tony and help him build his company in exchange for taking good care of her parents. It wasn't as easy as she thought because Tony never showed interest in her nor treated her as his wife for once. After her parents died in a motor accident, everything became worse.

“Building 8, Vals Street,” she said to the cab that had parked before her before she hopped into the car.

She folded her arms against her chest, holding back her tears so the driver wouldn't ask her unnecessary questions. All she wanted was to get into her room and cry it all out, and then decide whether to stay back with Tony or sign the divorce papers he talked about.

The painful part is suffering with him until he achieved what he wanted, and then being tossed aside for another woman to enjoy her sweats. How would she leave all that wealth to his secretary? Would she be compensated for the time wasted?

She rubbed her nose and was about to bring out the cash in her pocket when she felt a heavy hit on her heart. She tried to breathe, and it seemed her heart had paused beating.

“Madam,” the driver called out, taking glances at her from the rearview. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and then shook her head. She wanted to speak, but the difficulty couldn't let her utter a single word. At that point, she couldn't be herself any longer. She couldn't tell where she was again. All that she was struggling for was to breathe even if it would be through her mouth.

“You aren't saying anything to me. Please don't….” The driver parked at the side of the road instantly after watching her relax back on the chair—her eyes shut.

He turned backwards and touched her hands. He lifted it and watched it fall back sluggishly. “What the fuck is this?” he yelled and ignited the car again, heading to the nearby hospital.

***

The continuous alarm of the monitor drew the attention of the doctors and nurses as they rushed into the ward where Shannon was led. As usual, they began operating on her, trying their best to restore her life.

They were all running helter-skelter, scared to lose a life.

Shannon moved her finger a bit after several minutes of all their efforts.

“Can you see me?”

Her vision was blurry on her first attempt to open her eyes, so she shut it back again. She coughed slightly and pulled out the oxygen placed on her.

“You are awake? How is that possible?” one of the doctors screamed. “She was brought here in a coma.”

Shannon narrowed her eyes. ‘Come on? Didn't I die? My chest was blocked in that car……’ she recalled, and then grabbed the bed sheets. ‘How did I wake up again?’

“She opened her eyes—” the nurse sitting beside the bed she was laid drew the attention of the others.

Shannon could see the multitudes on white all before her, staring at her like she was a ghost. “I died. How did…..”

“You didn't die. You were in a coma because your heart stopped pumping blood.” one of the doctors said to her.

She tried to sit up but they didn't let her. ‘So, I was given a second chance? I was reborn in this same body.’ she thought to herself, staring at them. “Why did my heart stop pumping blood? I was fine before I entered the cab.”

“Even the driver was shocked and had just left minutes ago. You are in the final stage of your heart disease….”

Hearing that, her eyes flew wide. She jolted from the bed, scaring them apart. “What?” her voice echoed in the room. “Heart disease?”

The nurse held her and nodded. “The whole doctors looked into the cause and came out with the same result. Weren't you having the symptoms to come for a check-up?”

Shannon glanced at the nurse but lacked words to say.

“The common symptoms are tiredness, lack of appetite, nausea, increased heart rate, frequent urination, heart palpitations, and so on. Didn't you notice any of these?” another doctor chipped in with a question.

She gulped hard and nodded. “I felt it, but I thought I was pregnant, and was even planning to come for a pregnancy test soon. What sort of heart disease is this that kills in a go?”

“It's called Congestive Heart Failure and you've been suffering from it for a long time but didn't manage it. This final stage is so dangerous—you are so lucky to survive it, so from now on, you will have to continue to manage it, although that doesn't stop the fact that you have less than one year to live since you survived this time.”

Shannon felt like her world was crumbling the most. How can she have less than one year to live when she hasn't even decided how her life will be?

“Congratulations on surviving. The nurses will take care of you from here.”

She watched as the doctors bowed to her and all left the ward. Tears gathered in her eyes. This was more heartbreaking than catching her cheating husband.

‘Less than twelve months to live? What will I accomplish within this period?’ her limbs were trembling…her mouth dried up. “Tony wants a divorce after treating me like a nobody. Should I just bring him down within these twelve months?”