Henry waved the check in his hand, his expression full of disdain.
I looked at him calmly, my heart filled with a dense, piercing pain.
At the university graduation ceremony, Henry was an outstanding graduate who received a national scholarship. During his speech as the student representative, he publicly announced that I was his girlfriend and proposed to me in front of tens of thousands of people.
At that time, he was a young CEO with a promising future, having already founded his own company before even graduating. Although he started from scratch, his future was bright.
And I had just been diagnosed with bone cancer, with even seeing the sun tomorrow being a luxury.
I had no doubt that if I confessed to him, he would give everything he had to treat my illness without a word of complaint.
But his future would be ruined.
I knew that my illness required a lot of money, and money was what he lacked the most at that time.
I didn't want him to suffer with me.
I rejected his proposal and went abroad for treatment.
But everyone thought that I looked down on him for being poor and followed a rich man abroad.
Even Henry thought that he had given all his true feelings to me, only to be met with my heartlessness.
I was the damned woman who was only after money and couldn't endure hard times with him.
So, after returning to the country, he threw five million dollars at me, commanding me to marry him.
At that time, my illness had relapsed, and the treatment was very expensive. So I accepted his money as payment for selling myself, enduring his humiliation every day.
But now, just to make me apologize to Aria, he casually handed me a check for ten million dollars.
In his eyes, Aria's dignity was worth more than my life.
The pain in my heart spread, penetrating deep into my bones.
I gave a bitter smile. They said bone cancer was the most painful disease in the world, but compared to heartache, it seemed so insignificant.
More and more people gathered around, their eyes filled with either contempt or disdain.
For a moment, I even considered accepting the check.
With these ten million dollars, at least I wouldn't have to worry about the treatment costs for a while.
Henry just wanted to humiliate me, didn't he?
Maybe in his heart, this kind of humiliation was nothing compared to the humiliation of being rejected by me in front of thousands of people that day.
I slowly stood up, and Aria's lips curled into a sneer when she saw my movement.
Just as I was about to speak, a calm male voice came from the door, "For burns, you should rinse with running water immediately. Ice packs are not very effective and can easily leave scars. I'm a doctor from Cascade College, I wouldn't lie to you."
I looked towards the man. He was wearing a white shirt without a single wrinkle, paired with black trousers, looking clean and gentle.
He said to Henry with a stern voice, "If you're still worried about her, you should take her to the hospital quickly."
Hearing this, the people around started to discuss.
"Yes, listen to the doctor."
"Yeah, or do you just want an apology?"
Henry gave me a cold look, said nothing, and carried Aria out of the restaurant.
As they left, the crowd gradually dispersed.
I smiled at the man who had just helped me out. "Thank you, are you Dr. Scott?"
Brian nodded. "Yes, it's me. Dr. Ramirez has told me about your situation."
I was taken aback. "How did you know..."
"I've been researching this disease for years and seen a lot of patients, I can tell at a glance." Brian pointed to his eyes, behind his glasses, his eyes seemed to see through everything.
I gave a bitter smile, my heart sinking. "It seems my illness is very serious."
Brian smiled gently. "Please be positive. In our research center, there are many cases of successful treatment."
He glanced at his watch and said politely, "I only have half an hour. Let me briefly introduce our newly researched drug to you."
I nodded.
He was very professional, exuding the rigor and seriousness of a researcher. He explained the advantages and side effects of the newly developed targeted drug and gave some suggestions based on my condition.
I had a plan in mind but was still hesitant. "Dr. Scott, I can start treatment anytime, but I don't have much money right now. I don't know if I can afford it."
Brian adjusted his glasses and said seriously, "The initial surgery costs are covered, but there will be long-term medication treatment afterward, and you need to prepare for those costs in advance."
"But don't worry, our research center is also recruiting volunteers for clinical drug trials. If there's no other way, I can help you apply for it."
I quickly thanked him.
By the time a drug reaches human trials, it should be basically successful, with not many side effects.
However, there were requirements for the physical indicators of trial participants. Healthy people might not even meet the requirements, let alone an advanced cancer patient like me.
With a benevolent heart, maybe Brian felt sorry for me and was willing to help me with a quota.
After confirming that I would be hospitalized tomorrow to prepare for surgery, I said goodbye to Brian and went home.
As Brian said, a good rest and a good mood were the best treatments.