Reclaiming the CEO's Heart

Chapter 15 The Chemotherapy

Avery glanced gratefully at Nicholas, who nodded before leaving to handle the procedures for her.

The nurse patiently explained to her, "Miss Adams, the following treatment will be a long-term thing. The chemotherapy drugs are administered through injections, which require us to insert a needle into your blood vessels each time for the infusion. This puts strain on your blood vessels as they endure the damage caused by the chemotherapy drugs. In severe cases, there may also be drug extravasation. Many chemotherapy drugs are corrosive. To avoid these troubles, we recommend that you have a port implanted in your arm.

"To ensure that the medication can smoothly enter your veins and reach your internal organs, we will leave venous access in advance. The advantage lies in its durability, and we won't need to find a vein or worry about the needle falling out during the next chemotherapy session. It is convenient and safe. The downside is that you can't lift heavy objects with that arm."

Avery agreed to the nurse's suggestion and underwent a minor surgery to have a port implanted in her arm before receiving chemotherapy.

Since her body had developed antibodies to anesthesia, she refused the injection of anesthetics. When the knife cut through her fragile flesh, she only frowned without making a sound.

"Not many girls can endure pain like you do," the doctor said.

"Who can I show my pain to? No one cares," Avery said sadly.

She recalled the emergency rescue performed by the doctors when she fell into the water and gave birth prematurely a year ago. Even with anesthesia, she could still feel the sharp pain of the surgical knife cutting through her abdomen. On that day, she fainted in agony on the operating table and woke up in pain.

Jacob had been standing outside Layla's delivery room the whole time. She had screamed until her voice went hoarse, but he never came in to check on her.

Since then, she had learned to suffer silently, no matter how much it hurt.

The day after the chemotherapy, all sorts of side effects appeared. Nicholas handled the discharge procedures for her.

Avery had to stop for breaks countless times during the short journey from the hospital ward to the underground parking lot. Even the slightest movement made her dizzy and nauseous. It felt as though her strength had been drained.

Nicholas sighed and squatted down to pick her up. Avery panicked and resisted in a hurry. "Nic, no..."

Nicholas didn't listen to her this time. Instead, he said sternly, "You're in a terrible condition. If you don't accept my help, I'll have to call your family for your safety. Jacob is your only family now, right?" Avery couldn't help but feel ironic. Without the divorce certificate, Jacob was still legally her husband and her only 'family' who could take care of her. "Don't tell him."

She was a mess now. If Jacob found out she had cancer, he would probably be thrilled. She didn't want to be mocked by him.

Nicholas escorted her back to her apartment and suggested, "Avy, you must find someone to take care of you, or even your meals will be a problem."

Avery nodded. "I know. My friend is coming back from abroad. She will take care of me. Nic, you should leave me and go back to work."

Nicholas checked his watch. He was going to be late. He had important surgery to perform today, so he said goodbye to her and left.

Avery lay alone on the bed, unable to describe what she was feeling. Every part of her body hurt as dizziness overwhelmed her. Her stomach churned, and the wound on her arm throbbed with pain. This was supposed to be the human world, but every second she spent felt hellish.

She never expected that the person she missed the most at that moment would still be Jacob. She recalled the year when she had acute appendicitis. He carried her to the hospital despite the heavy snow. Back then, she was still a fragile woman. When she was pushed into the operating room, she cried in fear. Jacob held her hand tightly and followed her into the operating room. The doctor performed the whole surgery under his watchful gaze.

Even after all this time, she still remembered his expression when he said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here with you."

For a month after the surgery, she hadn't gotten out of bed. He had been there to attend to her every need. But now he was with another woman, taking care of their child.

Avery reminded herself again and again of his unfaithfulness and cruelty. She had to forget his kindness.

In intense pain, she struggled to get out of bed and gritted her teeth as she told herself to hang on. She couldn't die because she still had the truth to uncover.

She scooped some rice, but tears fell onto the grains as she rinsed them.

The most painful thing wasn't the medicine penetrating her marrow but rather the strong feelings she had for him, which felt like countless knives relentlessly cutting her. It hurt so much that she could hardly breathe.

For three whole days, she writhed in pain in bed. When she woke up on the fourth morning, she felt that the pain and the dizziness had subsided a little.

The curtains were pulled open by Nicholas, who had taken care of her every day after work.

He brought fresh ingredients and sweet potatoes that she had been longing for.

He had come in a hurry, with dew on his black woolen coat and moisture on his hair. When he lowered his head to assess her condition, she saw a snowflake that hadn't melted on his long eyelashes. "Is it snowing?" Avery weakly asked.

Nicholas nodded. "Yes, it snowed all night. I'll take you to see it in a few days when you get better."

"Okay. It no longer hurts so much today." Avery got up, wrapped in thick pajamas.

But when she turned around, she noticed a large patch of her hair scattered on the pillow.

Even though she had anticipated this outcome and cut her hair short ahead of time, it still shocked her when she saw it.

In a hurry, she pulled up the blanket to cover the pillow. No one wanted to expose their vulnerability to others.

She panicked and said, "I'll go freshen up."

Nicholas had seen many cancer patients and knew that, besides the fear of death, they often struggled to face their situations. "Okay, take your time."

Avery closed the bathroom door and looked at herself in the mirror. Weakness was written all over her face. As she tentatively tugged at her hair, a large clump of it fell off and appeared in her hand. She had always been a beautiful woman, and the scene caused her heart to sink deeper.

By and by, she would lose all her hair.

She had to complete the divorce procedures as soon as possible.

She didn't want to wait and meet Jacob with a bald head.

Finally, she turned on her phone and dialed Jacob's number, ignoring the accumulated messages.

Little did she know that Jacob had been searching for her these past few days.

In the past, she would have to wait for a while, but this time the man immediately answered the phone. Tinged with anger, his voice came through the phone. "Avery, where the hell have you been?" He had been searching for her for four days and nights.

But instead of explaining herself, Avery said in an anxious tone, "Jacob, I'll be waiting for you at City Hall in one hour. I don't want to drag this out any longer. Let's get divorced."