When Love Becomes a Cage by Nora

Chapter 26

Chapter 26



The next day, I texted Clyde's secretary, Gemma, to call in sick. I kept it vague, mentioning I had personal matters to attend to without diving into any details.

Gemma's response was brief, a simple "Okay," without further inquiry.

Being Merritt Patterson's right hand, Gemma was Clyde's most trusted assistant. So, getting her approval was as good as getting Clyde's.

After the unpleasantness of the previous day, Clyde probably thought I was being petulant and throwing a tantrum. He didn't mince his words when he texted me, stating I was absent for not taking a leave and that I'd lose my perfect attendance bonus for the month.

After doing the math, the loss wasn't as painful as I thought, so I didn't fret much about it.

Jade was already waiting for me downstairs early in the morning, holding some sandwiches. "I know you're not feeling up to eating much, but you've got to try a bit. They say chemotherapy can take a toll on you."

With a look of concern, she watched as I took big bites of the sandwich, finally breathing a sigh of relief before driving me to the hospital.

with a bald head nearby. I instinctively grabbed Jade's hand tightly. Jade saw the girl, too, her eyes filled with

during chemo. We decided to shave it off first

worry, miss. You can wear a wig. You can find many

excitedly talking about the beautiful pigtails at the wig

smiling. "Yeah, let's check it

to say something

wig!" Seeing the tears in her eyes, I nodded vigorously. "I want the most expensive one. Or you could grow out your

head. "Spare my few strands, will

out laughing, the sadness we'd felt just moments

sick from the chemo, which

I asked Jade to stop.

only a haircut, she agreed to accompany

pity," the barber asked for the third time, but I was determined. "Keep my hair, please. I want to make it into a wig. Your

hospital, the barber understood my situation and

just smiled. It was just a haircut, not the

my hair, offering encouragement and sharing stories of