Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Jessica stood there in stunned silence for a long moment, unable to process what she'd just heard. She truly hadn't expected a second chance.

For so long, she'd believed there was no hope left for her; she'd practically given up on herself.

But maybe, she realized now, you should never quit before the very end-no matter how bleak things seem. There's always a sliver of hope left in life.

It was only after the doctor explained things that she understood: her cancer hadn't spread, and the medication she'd been taking was actually working-there were even signs that the cancer cells were shrinking.

And now, her hospital had just introduced a new treatment for liver cancer. With this technique, they could control the spread of cancer cells before surgery, and if the numbers dropped low enough, she'd be eligible for an operation.

Of course, finding a suitable liver donor on short notice was never going to be easy.

"Do you have any immediate family?" the doctor asked. "If you do, we'd like to bring them in for compatibility testing."

Her mind went blank. Her father was the only close relative she had left, and ever since her mother died, he'd vanished. She hadn't seen him in years.

She explained the situation to the doctor, who nodded sympathetically. "If that's the case, we'll need to search the donor registry. It can take a long time-there's a long line of patients waiting for a match. We'll put you on the list, but your best bet would be to contact your father and bring him in for testing. There's a much higher chance of success with an immediate family member."

Jessica scrawled a note on her notepad: "Okay, I understand. I'll do my best to reach him. Thank you."

The medication she was currently taking was working, so there was no rush to switch her to something else. The hospital stocked the same medicine, and the doctor even prescribed her an additional, newer drug.

Before she left, the doctor reminded her to keep her spirits up. "A positive attitude helps recovery," he said kindly. "Depression is a major obstacle for liver cancer patients."

When Jessica stepped out of the hospital, the sun was shining-warm and bright, bathing the world in golden light.

For the first time in ages, she felt a strange, unfamiliar sense of relief.

Maybe just maybe her body had started to turn a corner the moment she

decided to leave behind her suffocating marriage.

It wouldn't be easy to find her father, or to wait for a matching donor, but there was hope, however slim.

She thought back to her own

struggle with aphasia. Her grandmother had taken her to

countless doctors over the yearsnet

later, when Jessica started earning

her own money, she'd tried even more clinics and specialists, but nothing ever worked.

Then, out of the blue, came a glimmer of recovery. She'd even met Herbert, who introduced her to a

new therapy developed after years of research-one that might@ure her aphasia for good. noveldrama

If she could recover her health, life would open up again, full of possibilities.

A smile broke across her face-a

real, genuine smile she hadn't felt in ages. Her heart felt as light as the sun outside, and even her steps grew lighter as she made her way home.

When Jessica returned to her apartment complex and the elevator doors slid open, she was surprised to find Sandra and Abell standing in front of her door, arms full of shopping bags.

She paused, caught off guard.

Sandra noticed her and hurried over, her voice warm and gentle. "Jessy, there you are! We were starting to worry."

Jessica had no idea why Sandra and Abell had decided to visit out of the blue, but she still let them inside.

The two elders bustled in, lugging their bags of gifts.

Jessica grabbed her notebook and wrote, "Thank you both for coming to see me. But if you're here to talk me out of the divorce, please don't even start."

She was determined to go through with it.

Sandra sighed inwardly. Timothy was no ordinary man; if Jessica was willing to let him go, she must have suffered deeply. Otherwise, she would never give up on someone like him.

Sandra quickly reassured her, "We just wanted to check in on you, Jessy. We haven't reached out to you or Henry enough over the years. That's on us."