He Begged Me To Stay After I Had Already Left Chapter 09

He Begged Me To Stay After I Had Already Left Chapter 09

Back in the real world, my eyes flew open, and I dragged in breath after breath.

The sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose.

Above me was the pale white ceiling of a hospital room.,

I was back.

I was really back.

I shot upright and turned toward the bed beside mine.

My brother lay there quietly, his face sallow, his body so thin it hurt to look at him.

Beside him, the vital signs monitor let out a faint, sluggish beep.

“Noah…”

My voice shook, and tears spilled out at once.

I opened my hand.

Resting in my palm was a glowing blue vial.

This was the system’s reward, the cure for cancer.

I didn’t hesitate for even a second. I threw off the blanket, jumped out of bed, and rushed to his side.

Carefully, I injected the medicine into his IV line.

The blue liquid flowed through the clear tubing and slowly into Noah’s vein.

I gripped his cold hand tightly and prayed with everything I had.

Please let it work. Please, it has to work.

Seconds crawled by.

Then the rhythm on the monitor began to change.

The weak pulse that had barely been there started to grow stronger.

The deep crease between Noah’s brows slowly eased, and for the first time in forever, a hint of color

returned to his face.

Three days later, the attending physician stood there with the latest test results in his hands,

trembling.

“A miracle. This is an absolute miracle.”

He looked at Noah and me, his face full of disbelief.

“The cancer cells in Noah Hayes’s body are completely gone.”

“His organs are recovering rapidly. He’s cured.”

I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t break down sobbing.

Propped up against the headboard, Noah still looked weak, but his eyes were clear again.

He reached out, rubbed my hair gently, and smiled.

“You silly girl. What are you crying for?”

“I promised you I’d live to see you get into college.”

I threw myself into his arms and cried without holding anything back.

“Noah. I thought I was never going to see you again.”

He patted my back softly.

“How could that happen? But why did you sleep so deeply for the last few days?”

“The doctor said you were just exhausted, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t wake you.’

I lifted my head from his shoulder and wiped my tears away.

“I had a very, very long dream.”

He looked at me with curiosity.

“What did you dream about?”

I thought back to everything that had happened in that other world.

Chase’s cruelty. Sophie’s malice. The tidal wave of insults that had buried me alive.

But none of it hurt anymore.

I smiled and shook my head.

“I dreamed I fought a giant monster and won the cure.”

Noah laughed.

“Did you? My Nina is amazing.”

“So what did the monster look like?”

“Ugly,” I said solemnly. “And not very bright.”

He burst out laughing.

For the first time in a very long time, the hospital room was filled with joy.

A month later, Noah was officially discharged.

We went back to our small apartment, the one that was tiny but full of warmth.

Sunlight spilled through the windows onto the wooden floor, warm and golden.

I put my school uniform back on and slung my backpack over my shoulder.

Today was my first day back at school.

Noah moved around the kitchen, and the smell of fried eggs filled the air.

“Nina, breakfast. Don’t be late on your first day back.”

“Coming!”

I took a huge bite of my fried egg and closed my eyes in satisfaction.

“Noah, your cooking is still so good.”

He pinched my nose fondly.

“Then I’ll make it for you every day. Eat up. I’ll take you to school when you’re done.”

I sat on the back of his bike, the morning breeze brushing across my face.

As I looked at the familiar streets on either side of us, everything felt almost unreal.

Sometimes Chase’s desperate face at the airport would flash through my mind.

Sometimes I would remember all the wrongs I had suffered in that world.

But I didn’t care anymore.

Because I knew those people and those events had never truly been real.

They were nothing more than routines programmed by the system, puppets controlled by the

script.

And I had already broken out of that false cage.

I was back in the world that truly belonged to me.

After school, I had just stepped through the gates when I saw Noah waiting for me beneath the old

oak tree.

He was wearing a clean white shirt, his smile as warm as ever.

“Nina, over here.”

I ran to him and wrapped both arms around his.

“Noah, what are we having for dinner tonight?”

“What do you want?”

“I want barbecue ribs and glazed salmon.”

“You got it.”

The setting sun stretched our shadows long across the ground.

I turned and looked at the sunset burning at the horizon.

In that other world, Chase might still be going to the airport every day to wait for me.

He might still be sending text after text that would never get a reply.

But none of that had anything to do with me anymore.

My punishment was over, but the hell of living with what he’d done would never end for him.

“Noah, come on. If we get to the butcher too late, the fresh ribs will be gone.”

“You got it. Hold on tight.”

The clear ring of his bike bell echoed down the street.

The sunlight was perfect, and the breeze was gentle.

My story was only just beginning.

Goodbye to that cold, empty world.

Hello to my new life.

“Noah, it’s the weekend tomorrow. Want to go to the amusement park?”

“Sure. I’ll go on anything you want.”

“I’m riding the roller coaster three times.”

“…Please have mercy on me.”

Our laughter drifted farther and farther away on the wind.