“Now that we’re talking openly, I won’t hide anything,” Mike said, looking at Stella. “You probably already heard. Your illness is terminal. It can’t be cured. I hope you understand—I don’t want to waste money on this.”
My heart sank completely. For more than two years, I had been hiding the truth of Stella’s illness from her and I had repeatedly told Mike not to let her know.
“Zerra, I’ve known about my condition for a long time. Don’t cry,” she said, wiping away my tears. “Everyone dies eventually. I’ve already accepted it. Don’t argue because of me. Mike is right — we shouldn’t waste the money. You two should use it to build a good life together.”
“Your son and daughter will need a lot of money as they grow up. You have to look at things more openly.”
I held Stella tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. If there truly were no hope of a cure, I wouldn’t insist.
But the doctor had said there was hope. Even if the chance of success was less than ten percent, it was still a chance.
Besides, the doctor had said that even if she became paralyzed, there was still some hope. New medical treatments would soon come out.