Page 92 of Kadra: The Unfeeling

Vernon’s eyes narrow before he opens his mouth to say. “I don’t trust you.”

He shouldn’t.

The only thing he should trust me with is his boss’ heart.

“I really don’t give a fuck if you do.” I shrug.

He doesn’t seem hostile nor does he give me the impression he plans on ratting me out to Kadra.

We look at one another as silence falls between us and after he’s done staring me down with those creepy as fuck bottomless eyes, he breaks his silence. “But she does trust you. More than she has anyone else.” He looks down at the bedside table behind me and sighs, his eyes returning to me. “And that is the only reason why I’m trusting you with this.” His eyes no longer look empty. What I see there is much worse.

Despair.

Fuck.

Emotion clogs my throat, but I push through it.

“Trusting me with what?” I asked calmly. That bad feeling I’ve been having for two days now grows stronger.

Tick, tock… I swear I hear the needles of an invisible clock haunting me.

“She’s sick,” Vernon says solemnly.

She’s sick.

Confused, I step forward looking him straight in the eye. I know she felt sick days ago but she’s doing much better now. “She’s gotten b?—”

He shakes his head no, cutting me off. “She was diagnosed with stage three lymphoma cancer a few weeks ago.”

The moment the word cancer leaves his mouth my heart drops to the floor and my head begins to spin.

No.

Cancer.

Stage three.

Fuck, baby.

There’s a ringing in my ear and I can’t fucking think straight. The words haunt me. I feel the need to throw up.

Her face flashes through my mind. Her soft smile.

The most recent memory of her, she was smiling softly at me. I never noticed there was something wrong with her. She looks as beautiful as always. Then I think back to the day I found her standing in the rain. She looked like hell, like she’d been through hell, and yet she was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“I’m tired, Vitali. So tired.”

The look of pain in her eyes.

Bile rises in my throat.

I know she’s battling demons but I never thought it could be this. She’s had a rough life and demons that plague her but I never would’ve guessed she was sick. How can life be this cruel to this woman? What else will it throw her fucking way to test her resilience and her strength? What fucking else? She’s been through so much already and now this.

“Fuck!” I need to hit or break something when anger clouds my vision but I hold myself back not wanting to ruin anything of hers. Never her.

Someone clears their throat. I forgot Vernon was in the room with me. I start to pace around the room feeling more helpless than I ever felt in my entire goddamn life.

Meeting Vernon’s pain filled eyes, I croak. “How bad is it? Is she taking care of herself?” I grit out. Rubbing my face, I continue. “Don’t tell me she’s…” Dying is on the tip of my tongue but I can’t bring myself to utter the words.

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