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.

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

mom seemed to catch our gaze and gave a resigned smile. "People lose their hair during chemo. We decided to shave it off first rather than wait for

You can find many pretty

to be around seven or eight, blissfully unaware of the gravity of her situation, excitedly talking about the beautiful pigtails at the wig shop. Jade

"Yeah, let's check it

if to say something but

the fanciest wig!" Seeing the

shook her head. "Spare my

laughing, the sadness we'd

didn't immediately feel sick from

to stop.

looked at me in horror, but after I reassured her that it was only a haircut, she agreed to accompany me inside. My hair had grown since high

barber asked for the third time, but I was determined. "Keep my hair,

to the hospital, the barber understood my situation and

wipe her tears secretly while I just smiled. It was

barber carefully cut and preserved my hair, offering encouragement and sharing stories of cancer