The Cancer Lie That Exposed Him

My husband, Ethan Hayes, was diagnosed with cancer.

I decided to sell my premarital property to raise money for his medical expenses, but my mom stopped me.

Don't tell him the truth yet, my mom said. Tell him you're the one with cancer and see what he says.

I thought my mom was being petty, but she insisted:

"If he's willing to stand by you and sell the house to help with your treatment, then I'll agree to let you sell your property."

I did as she said. But the very first day after I told him, Ethan's face turned cold.

"You have cancer and you still want me to sell the house to pay for your treatment? You're just dragging me down!"

"I'm not being selfish, but cancer is like a bottomless pit. In the end, you won't get better, and I'll be bankrupted."

Without another word, he took our bank cards.

"I'm telling you to just give up on treatment. At least you can enjoy the last few days of your life. If you keep trying to treat it, we're getting divorced."

I stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment, then gave a cold laugh.

"Fine. I won't get treatment then."

After all, I'm not the one with cancer.

When Ethan heard me say this, his expression immediately softened considerably.

He sighed and stepped forward to comfort me.

"Sophia, don't blame me for being heartless."

"Getting cancer out of nowhereno one can predict these things. It's not that I don't want to treat you, but cancer is a bottomless pit."

"Think about me, think about your parents. If something happens to you and you're gone, someone still needs to take care of them, right?"

Ethan spoke with such apparent sincerity that he almost moved himself to tears.

But inside, I was laughing coldly.

Sure enough, when something really happens, that's when you see someone's true colors.

Normally, Ethan was thoughtful about everything. After five years of marriage, I thought we were one of those rare loving couples.

He always blow-dried my hair for me after I washed it.

Every night, he personally prepared my footbath water, making sure it was the perfect temperaturenot too hot, not too cold.

I was touched by these little details.

I believed that when facing hardship together, we should give our all for each other.

But now, thinking I had cancer, Ethan directly told me to give up treatment while putting on this affectionate act. It was truly disgusting.

I remained silent as Ethan's voice continued in my ear.

"Sophia, I know you're upset about having cancer, but put yourself in my shoes."

He gently held my hand, looking so devoted.

"If I were the one with cancer,"

"Even if you wanted to spend all our savings on my treatment, I wouldn't agree, because I wouldn't burden you even a little bit."

I looked at him silently. "But I have cancer. Wouldn't you even consider selling a house to help raise some medical expenses for me?"

"What if treatment could give me a fighting chance?"

Ethan's brow furrowed tightly. "Sell the house for treatment? Sophia, you're being too naive."

"Do you know how much those targeted cancer drugs cost?"

"Our house would probably be like throwing a stone into a wellyou wouldn't even hear a splash. We'd probably end up completely broke."

"Besides, my mom still needs to live in this house. If we really sell it, where would our whole family sleep? Under a bridge?"

My mother-in-law, who had been eavesdropping in her room, couldn't help but come out.

"Sophia White, you've been married for five years and haven't even produced an egg, and now you want my son to sell the house to pay for your treatment? Dream on!"

"Everyone has their fate. If you're short-lived, blame yourself. You can't blame anyone else!"

"Mom!"

Ethan frowned and interrupted his mother. "Sophia is sick after all. Don't talk like that."

He gave her a look. "Go to the market and buy a chicken. Make some chicken soup for Sophia to nourish her body."

His mother looked reluctant and muttered under her breath.

"She's about to die anyway. What's the point of chicken soup? Pure waste!"

The door slammed shut. Ethan pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a while.

I snapped back to reality and glanced at it. "What are you buying?"

"Painkillers for you, of course."

Ethan didn't even look up, seemingly clicking to pay. "I bought you six months' worth of painkillers. If the pain gets unbearable, just take some."

"After all, having cancer is basically a death sentence. There's no need for you to keep going to the hospital."

Ethan's voice sounded so gentle,

But to me at that moment, it was like a death-beckoning demon.

I was so angry I laughed. "Ethan, are you now even taking away my right to go to the hospital?"

Is this the love you've been claiming all along?

Is this the man I trusted for five years?

"Sophia," Ethan frowned and stood up. "Don't make it sound so harsh."

"I'm not stopping you from going to the hospital. I'm just trying to be considerate, in case you can't bear the pain."

"After all, you've already given up on treatment. Going to the hospital would just waste more money."

I couldn't listen anymore. I grabbed my bag and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

Ethan's voice called after me.

"Remember to come back early tonight. I'll make chicken soup for you."

I took a cab to my mom's house. The moment I opened the door, my mom looked somewhat startled.

"Sophia, why did you come back?"

"Mom, you were right. I lied and said I had cancer, and forget about selling the house for treatmentEthan wouldn't even spend a penny on me. He told me to just give up on treatment."

And here I was, ready to sell my premarital property to pay for his treatment.

My mom's expression also turned cold as she held my hand with concern.

"Sophia, since your husband said to give up, then give up."

"Didn't you buy Ethan a lot of insurance policies recently? Just wait."

I stayed at my mom's house for three nights straight.

Ethan, who usually checked in on me every day,

Didn't send me a single message for three whole days.

It wasn't until the fourth day that Ethan's message finally arrived.

"Why aren't you back yet? Sophia, you didn't ignore my advice and go to the hospital, did you? I told you it's useless."

"That bank card is linked to my transaction alerts. If you buy medicine or anything, I can see it clear as day."

My stomach churned violently, a strong wave of nausea rushing up.

Looking at these two messages, I felt chilled to the bone.

This was the man I'd loved for five years, the person I thought I could live and die with.

Yet he was this petty and mean. Knowing I was dying, he was still worried about me spending a single penny of his money.

"I'm coming back today."

I typed my reply.

After all, I'd paid half the down payment on the house we were living in and had been paying the mortgage together.

Since Ethan wronged me first,

I couldn't let myself lose both the person and the property.

I had just pushed open the front door when the sound of a man and woman laughing in the living room completely threw me.

At some point, Ethan had brought a strange woman home.

The woman was wearing a miniskirt, curled up on the sofa in Ethan's arms, the two of them intimately entangled, talking and laughing.

They were sharing a grape. When it dropped, Ethan grabbed the woman's chin and kissed her.

"Ethan, I'm not dead yet."

Seeing me standing in the doorway with a dark expression,

Ethan not only didn't panic, but instead kept his arm around the woman's waist and spoke matter-of-factly.

"Sophia, you don't have much time left anyway. You can't expect me to spend the rest of my life lonely, can you?"

"I'm finding a companion in advance. When you're underground, you'll be at peace too, right?"

His words nearly made me sick to my stomach.

My mother-in-law chimed in from the side.

"Exactly. My son has such good prospectswhat kind of woman can't he find?"

She glared at me coldly with a sarcastic tone.

"If you weren't such a short-lived burden dragging him down, would my son have to go through all this trouble finding another woman?"

With that, she carried a fruit plate over to the strange woman with a smile plastered on her face.

"Chloe, I just washed these cherries. Try some."

"When you marry into our family, you can eat as much expensive fruit as you want."

Chloe Brooks smiled sweetly and accepted them. "Thank you, Auntie."

My expression grew even colder.

Those were cherries I'd bought just recently. I hadn't even eaten any yet, and they'd already finished them all.

I clenched my fists tightly. At that moment, my heart was colder than ice.

Five years in this family, and I'd given my all to these people.

But they couldn't wait for me to die.

"Sophia, don't get the wrong idea. I'm Chloe Brooks, just good friends with Ethan."

Chloe flashed a provocative smile and shoved a photo in my face.

"This was taken when we were at the cycling club."

I coldly glanced at it from the corner of my eye. In the photo, Ethan and Chloe in short shorts had their arms around each other, looking very close.

This wasn't the first time I'd heard Chloe's name.

The first time was when Ethan was gaming with his teammates in his study.

"Do you know that Chloe Brooks?"

"The one with the outgoing personality. Her body is just... wow. If I could ever... ahem, forget it. That's not something we should be thinking about."

Standing outside the door at the time, my heart flared with anger when I heard this.

But since he didn't finish the sentence and nothing actually happened,

I pretended I hadn't heard it.

But now, he'd brought her home.

"Sophia."

Chloe reached out and smacked Ethan's butt, teasing.

"Last time I just wore a bikini and Ethan couldn't control himself. He pulled me into his tent to sleep."

"I was just helping him with his physical needs. Don't take it to heart."

I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling.

So it wasn't just a mental betrayal

He'd physically betrayed me too.

"Enough, Ethan. Even if I really only have a few days left, it's not your place to humiliate me like this."

Ethan frowned slightly.

"Sophia, how is this humiliating you?"

"You said before that you loved me so much that if you left before me, you wouldn't want to see me lonely for the rest of my life."

"Don't worry. If Chloe and I really end up together, we'll definitely bring flowers to visit you every year on holidays."

I was already furious, but inside I couldn't help but laugh coldly.

We'd see who'd be bringing flowers to whom.

I had no time for this nonsense. I turned and headed for the bedroom.

"Stop."

Ethan suddenly called out, then tossed me a comforter and pillow.

"Sophia, I've thought it over. Since you're not feeling well, you might be uncomfortable at night. Why don't you move to the guest room for now?"

My mother-in-law chimed in from the side.

"That's right. You have cancer nowit's so unlucky. Don't pass your sickness on to my son."

I was so angry I laughed.

"So this is what you've been planning while I was gone these past few days."

"Fine. I'll make you happy."

That afternoon, I pushed open the study door. Ethan quickly pushed Chloe under the desk.

Chloe deliberately made trouble.

I pretended not to notice Ethan's barely controlled expression.

"Sign this."

I expressionlessly dropped a document on the desk.

Ethan's eyes were glazed, trying to stay composed as he glanced at me. "What... is this?"

His words came out in a strange tone.

Only in bed did Ethan make that kind of hoarse sound.

What they were doing was self-evident.

"Sophia, you're not asking for a divorce, are you?"

"Of course not."

I glanced at Chloe crouched under the desk and let out a sneer.

"It's a cancer treatment waiver."

"Sign this."

"Then I won't get treatment."

This suggestion clearly suited him perfectly.

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't even read it, just signed the last page directly.

"Sophia, go rest."

"Didn't the doctor say that even if you give up treatment, you still have a month to live?"

"You always wanted to see the Northern Lights. In a while, I'll take time off work and take you..."

Ethan's subsequent words became increasingly fragmented.

I checked the waiver to make sure the signature was fine, gave a cold laugh, and as I left, kindly reminded him:

"Use the bed."

"The bed is so big. Why squeeze in here so awkwardly and secretively?"

With those words,

I ignored Ethan's shocked and stunned expression and slammed the door shut.

That night, Chloe clearly had no intention of leaving and stayed directly in our marital home.

She refused to sleep on the sofa and, wearing my pajamas, headed straight for the master bedroom.

Seeing my dark expression, she covered her mouth and laughed.

"Sophia, you don't have many days left anyway."

"Why fuss over so much? These silk pajamas are really comfortable. Why don't you just give them to me?"

"Take them off."

I stared at her coldly. "You'd even bully a dying person?"

"Even if I die, I'm burning these and taking them with me. I won't let some homewrecker have them."

"And I'm not dead yet. You're a guest. You should sleep on the sofa."

Chloe leaned close to my ear and lowered her voice.

"The sofa is too hard. I can't sleep comfortably on it. Plus I need a familiar environmentI need to hold a man to fall asleep."

As Chloe said this, she winked at Ethan.

Ethan impatiently spoke to me.

"Enough, Sophia."

"Instead of making things difficult for Chloe, you should be doing everything you want to do. After all, you only have a month left to live."

"Especially at nightwon't your stomach hurt terribly?"

Ethan let out a light scoff and pointed to the nightstand in the guest room.

"See that? I've already prepared painkillers for you."

I gritted my teeth. "How thoughtful of you."

I voluntarily gave up the master bedroom.

Ethan smiled with satisfaction and patted my shoulder. "Sophia, you're much more sensible than before."

"I've already bought tickets to see the Northern Lights. In the last stretch of your life, I promise you'll spend it happily."

With that, Ethan pulled Chloe's slender waist and disappeared into the master bedroom.

That night, listening to them rolling around in the master bedroom, laughing and playing.

Yes, he still has a month to live.

I told myself.

It won't be much longer.

When I came out early the next morning, Chloe was already sitting at the dining table like the lady of the house.

She'd finished an entire bowl of chicken soup and smiled with satisfaction.

"Auntie, your chicken soup is delicious. I want more."

After saying this, Chloe belatedly covered her mouth. "Sophia, I'm so sorry. I heard that was chicken soup Auntie made for you, and I drank it all..."

"You haven't even had breakfast yet. It's all my fault!"

Watching Chloe's self-reproachful expression, Ethan affectionately ruffled her hair.

"It's just a bowl of chicken soup. We can make more."

"Sophia isn't feeling well. She can't digest such nutritious food anyway."

I really couldn't watch this. My stomach was full just from anger.

"I'm not eating."

I grabbed my bag and turned to leave.

Ethan's expression suddenly changed as he clutched his stomach and ran to the bathroom.

When he came out, his mother asked worriedly, "Son, what's wrong? Why has your stomach been hurting more and more frequently lately?"

Ethan sighed but didn't think much of it.

"Probably ate something bad recently."

Only I looked down, my expression dark and inscrutable.

How could it be food poisoning?

After all, stomach cancer couldn't be symptomless.

His mother's expression flickered strangely. "How odd. Sophia has stomach cancer but doesn't seem uncomfortable. How is it that you..."

Ethan laughed and interrupted. "Mom, what are you worried about? Your son's physical exam results came back. I'm perfectly healthy."

That day, after shopping with my best friend, I was eating an ice cream cone as we went upstairs.

Before I could finish half the ice cream,

Someone coming toward me violently knocked it out of my hand.

Ethan stared at me coldly. "Sophia, are you crazy?"

"You know you have stomach cancer and you still dare eat ice cream? Are you trying to die faster?"

For a moment I was startled, as if I saw worry and heartache in Ethan's eyes, but I quickly realized it was just an illusion.

Ethan didn't even care about my life.

Why would he care if eating ice cream would make my stomach hurt?

"What do you want?"

Ethan rambled on about many things before finally getting to the point.

It turned out he'd come to find me, even waiting downstairs without complaint, just to force me to transfer my premarital property to Chloe.

"Since we've both decided to be together, Sophia, we were married after all. Just give the house to Chloe as a wedding gift."

I could hardly believe my ears.

"Why should I give her my house as a dowry?"

Ethan looked displeased. "What kind of talk is that?"

"You don't have many days left anyway. After you die, won't your premarital property be inherited by me as your legacy? Chloe is an orphan. You won't even give her a wedding gift?"

Ethan pulled out a property transfer agreement. "If you sign obediently now, I'll still consider taking you to see the Northern Lights so you won't have regrets."

"Otherwise, just wait to regret it."

I coldly scanned those unfair terms, completely motionless.

"I'll never sign."

Ethan laughed in anger.

"Sophia, you're so confused."

"You're about to die. What use is holding onto this property? Don't forget, we're married. After you die, all the money will be mine..."

I took a deep breath. "Ethan, do you know that actually it's you who..."

Before I could finish, Ethan's phone rang.

He picked it up and looked at the caller ID, frowning. "City Hospital? Why are they calling now?"

He remembered he'd been feeling off these past few days and went for a physical exam.

This must be the doctor calling about the results.

Ethan didn't hesitate to answer, his tone casual. "Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Ethan Hayes? Your test results are in. You've been diagnosed with late-stage cancer..."