68

68
"I'm so sorry, Katia, but it's the truth," Oscar told her after a while.

She continued shaking her head.

"I refuse! I refuse to believe it! Oscar, you can't come after four months and tell me you're going to die," she demanded, wiping the back of her hand under her nose. "You promised that when you came back, we would get married. Are you not going to keep your promise?"

"Katia," he looked at her seriously. "I'm the first one who didn't want this to happen. I wanted to marry you, have children..." When he said that, Katia looked away. "I've tried to fight to get better, but I no longer have the strength," he held her hands tightly while looking into her eyes. "I want to be with you in these remaining months, which is why I'm here. The doctors gave me the opportunity to stay there until I die, but my heart wanted to see you, my mouth wanted to kiss you, and my arms needed to hold you so tight that you'd say, 'You're a pain, let me go already,' like you always do," he chuckled, but Katia did not. "All I want is to see you smile before I die, and even when I'm dying..."

"I don't think I can do that," she said, tears still falling. "Oscar... I..." She inhaled through her nose to hold back the tears that wanted to escape.

"Is something wrong?" He looked at her with a sweet smile when he noticed she wanted to say something.

"No... nothing. It's just that I won't be able to accept it."

"I'm sure you can," he kissed her near her left eye.

She smiled weakly, even though she wasn't in the mood to smile.

Oscar moved closer to her and embraced her while she rested her head on his shoulder, looking to the right. If he wanted to see her smile, she would smile, but when he wasn't with her, she would cry.

She needed to cry to let it all out. Why was everything going so wrong for her lately?

First, the strange wedding with her boss, then the appearance of the man who had raped her five years ago, and now the death of Adrien.

Now she had to face the death of the man she loved.

But that wasn't the last thing she would have to face. In a few months, she would have to make a big decision that could change her life again, but she had little time left to decide. If she didn't make a choice within two months, there would be no turning back.

She felt one of Oscar's hands caressing her head. She hugged him tightly and buried her face against his shoulder.

...

Madeleine moved through the reception hall in search of her friend. She wanted to know how she was after the conversation with Oscar, but she couldn't find her anywhere.

Tired of searching, she went to the bathroom, as her pregnancy made her need to urinate frequently. She hated being pregnant because she was always feeling full.

She opened the bathroom door and stared at the person sitting on the floor. Next to the sink counter was Katia, with her head resting on her folded knees against her chest.

Madeleine brought a hand to her chest, looking at her sadly. Each sob she heard made her feel sadder. She could imagine why Katia was in this state.

She entered the bathroom, closed the door, and then knelt in front of her, not caring about dirtying her dress, and placed a hand on Katia's knees.

"I've been looking for you, Katia. I know why you're like this, and... I'm truly sorry. You don't deserve all of this," she said with affection.

"Oscar... Oscar is dying, Madeleine... he's dying," she told her without changing her position. "I'm like a black widow..."

The German's words struck her heart heavily at that moment.

"It's not true, Katia. Don't say such things," her friend reassured her.

"It's the truth... Five years ago, I suffered workplace harassment from Mr. Johnson, and it didn't stop until he raped me... but at least he gave me what I've wanted most in my life, which was Adri... but a year after my son was born, Oscar left, leaving me alone... and then, three years later, he came back, but he told me he has an equal chance of dying as of living... two months ago, Adri died, and all because I couldn't offer him the chance to be treated..."

"That wasn't your fault. It was the Board that didn't accept it," Madeleine interrupted. "You did everything you could, but because of the Board..."

"...and today Oscar told me he's going to die..." Katia finished, her voice breaking due to tears. "I'm a black widow..."

"That's not true," her friend scolded. "You're not a black widow."

"Of course I am... and to make matters worse, all the bad things started happening to me since I started working at the Seattle branch…" Madeleine watched her friend's shoulders move up and down as she sobbed. "I should have never started working at that company…"

"But if you hadn't worked there, you and I wouldn't have met, and you wouldn't even know Oscar."

"I met Oscar when I was walking down the street with my roommate that year. I don't think that would have changed…"

"But I still say you can't say those things. Have you not realized the accusation you've made against yourself? I don't know where you got that, but you can't say you're like a black widow," she put a hand on Katia's head and gently caressed it. "Whoever told you that doesn't know you well."

That comment made her start crying again.

Remembering everything Stefan had said to her in their argument was like accepting her feelings for him and the mistake she made by having sex.

"You are a cancer in my life that I want to get rid of forever," Katia remembered telling Stefan.

But that wasn't what she really thought of him, quite the opposite.

He had been the only person who had helped her forget about her son's death. She had also realized that she felt something for him, but she didn't know what it really was.

"That's not true, Katia. You're not a black widow, and it's not your fault that Oscar…" Madeleine began to say after a few seconds of silence.

"It is true, Madeleine. If it's not true, then tell me, why do all the people I touch end up dying from some illness?" Katia interrupted, with her head still on her lap.

"Don't say nonsense! If that were really the case, even I would have gotten sick, Katia. And no, I'm just pregnant. Joshua is healthy, my daughter too... even Mr. Schmidt... who, by the way, was very worried about you when you left with your parents to Boston." seeing that her friend didn't say anything, she sighed. "Come on, get up, or you'll get dirty…" she abruptly stopped when the bathroom door opened.

The bride turned to see who was entering and was surprised to see the woman who was accompanying Stefan to the wedding.

"If Katia realizes that she's here...," Mónica thought, looking back at her friend.