Chapter 5
Charlie’s Diner was tucked away on a side street, yet it buzzed with popularity. Tia Clark had stood in line for a grueling three hours just to get a serving of their famed dumplings.
When she finally rushed over to Nathan’s place to deliver the meal, Sylvia greeted her with a frosty glare.
“Who told you to add chili?”
Tia, her breath catching in her throat from the effort, stammered, “I thought you liked spicy food?”
Without a second thought, Sylvia overturned the container, letting the dumplings spill out. “I don’t like it anymore.”
Nathan cast a heavy glance at Tia. “Go back and get it again.”
With no choice but to comply, Tia hurried out once more.
The second time she returned, Sylvia complained about the shrimp in the filling.
Nathan, seemingly oblivious to Sylvia’s deliberate antics, simply instructed, “Go back and get it again.”
And so, Tia made several trips back and forth.
By the time she returned with the final order, night had fallen.
Weary and clutching the wrapped dumplings, she made her way back.
Pain clawed at her stomach, and her steps faltered.
Her mind, clouded with fatigue, barely registered the path ahead.
Suddenly, a piercing horn jolted her senses-
A van careened towards her, slamming into Tia with brutal force!
The impact sent her crashing to the ground, rolling several times. Overwhelmed by the pain, she couldn’t help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
The scent of the spilled dumplings lingered in the air.
Everything around Tia blurred like static on a snowy TV screen.
Was this it? Could she finally rest, finally be with Victoria?
A single tear of release slipped from her eye before she lost consciousness entirely.
At the hospital.
Simon saw the paramedics rushing Tia in on a stretcher, his heart skipped a beat.
“Tia! Tia!”
He called out repeatedly, but there was no response from her limp form.
She continued to cough up blood.
Even the head doctor was startled. “Could it be a ruptured organ?”
Simon, stricken with fear, replied, “She has stomach cancer!”
The doctor’s expression shifted instantly, and they hurriedly wheeled her into surgery.
Several tense hours passed. The operation ended, but it was only enough to stop the bleeding from her external injuries.
All the monitors showed a grim reality: her vital signs were dropping rapidly.
Simon, panic–stricken, pleaded, “Doctor, what’s happening to her?”
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The doctor shook his head, “It’s late–stage cancer. Her body was already frail, and the accident accelerated organ failure.”
On the hospital bed, Tia remained unconscious, her breathing shallow as she unknowingly repeated one name. “Nathan… Nathan…”
It seemed as though she was moments from passing. Simon, tears in his eyes, clutched her hand, his voice choked with emotion, “Tia, please hold on, just hold on a little longer.”
“I’ll call him. He’ll come to see you. Just wait a moment longer!”
With that, he shakily retrieved her phone.
He dialed Nathan’s number.
When the call connected, a cold voice came through, “Tia, did you get lost while fetching dumplings?”
Simon gripped the phone tightly, “It’s Simon.”
Silence fell on the other end, before Nathan’s voice, sterner, asked, “Why do you have her phone?”
Simon watched the heart rate monitor, noting the dwindling line. His voice trembled as he spoke each word slowly and deliberately:
“Come to the hospital. See Tia Clark for the last time.”
Chapter o
