The smile on Janice’s face froze the moment she finished reading the message. She knew exactly what it meant if someone needed chemotherapy. Her head snapped toward Ariel, eyes wide with shock and


    disbelief.


    Ariel turned and saw Janice’s tearful eyes.


    rmed, Ariel wiped at Janice’s tears. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”


    Janice pointed at her phone. “What’s the meaning of this?”


    Ariel’s breath hitched when she saw Liam’s WhatsApp message. Her throat tightened, making it


    impossible to speak.


    “Ariel! What the hell is going on? What chemotherapy sessions? What follow–up appointments? You…


    What’s wrong with your body?”


    Janice broke down in tears as soon as she registered the severity of the situation. She raised her voice, hoping to force Ariel to tell her it was all a misunderstanding, that it wasn’t true.


    But Ariel only looked at her and swallowed hard. A bitter smile curved her lips. “I… I have endometrial


    cancer.”


    Janice’s world seemed to copse around her. She froze, forcing herself to ept the devastating truth.


    “When did you find out?” Her voice cracked. “If I hadn’t seen this message, when were you nning to tell


    me? To tell Chad<b>?</b><b>” </b>


    Torn between her own upset and sorrow for Ariel, Janice suddenly broke into loud sobs.


    Ariel had anticipated this reaction. She’d known Janice would respond this way.


    Janice wasn’t used to hardship and was prone to emotional outbursts.


    Like someone confessing a terrible sin, Ariel lowered her gaze. “I’ve known for a while. I wanted to wait until the project at the 719 base was finished before telling you both.”


    If she had told them earlier, neither Chad nor Janice would have allowed her to work.


    “So you’ve been enduring this alone?” Janice sobbed. “Ariel, you’re merciless–to yourself! How could you


    be <b>so </b>cruel?”


    Janice wiped her tears, a terrible ache in her chest.


    Ariel had long gotten used to it. She wiped the tears from Janice’s cheeks. “Don’t cry. I’ve been receiving proper treatment, and I’ve found an excellent doctor<b>. </b>There’s still hope for my case.”


    Janice gritted her teeth and rubbed her face roughly, as if steeling herself. “Which hospital is it?” she dered, suddenly ready to face the world. “Let’s go now!”


    Ariel didn’t argue. She simply typed the address into the navigation.


    Janice drove in silence, wiping her tears as they went.


    It was a rare moment for Janice, who was usually so talkative, to be silent.


    Ariel sat quietly, her emotions in turmoil.


    When they arrived, Janice pulled Ariel toward the hospital entrance, ready to head upstairs.


    But Ariel stopped, her hand curling into a fist. “Jan, I need to go to the obstetrics and gynecology department first.”


    Janice had yet to recover from the earlier shock. “Why do you need to go there?”


    Ariel decided not to hide it from her. “I want to take a pregnancy test.”


    Janice’s eyes widened in shock. “Pregnancy test? You’re pregnant? Who’s the father?”


    That day, she was learning one shocking piece of news after another.


    Ariel couldn’t tell her much for now. “It’s only a suspicion. I haven’t confirmed it yet.”


    Despite her confusion, Janice took charge, handling all the paperwork so Ariel wouldn’t have to lift a


    finger. Ariel sat in a chair, her hands and feet cold.


    They had to wait for about an hour to get the results.


    “With your condition,” Janice asked, her mind still in a mess, “would you even be able to have a safe


    delivery if you were really pregnant?”


    The question sliced through Ariel’s defenses, dragging up the fears she’d tried to bury since yesterday.


    When it was time <i>to </i>collect the report, Janice scanned the QR code she had received and printed it out.


    At that moment, Liam stepped out of the elevator and immediately spotted Ariel.


    He froze briefly, then changed direction and approached her.


    “When did you get here<b>?</b>”


    Ariel looked up, pulled from her daze. “I came to do another test first.”


    Liam studied her face for a moment. “I’ll schedule an appointment for youter. We’ll reassess your condition.”


    Ariel opened her mouth, about to ask him a question, but Janice returned with her report just then.