“Yes, I understand completely. We’ll talk later.”

The call ended abruptly, leaving an uneasy weight in the air. Eric kept the phone in his hand, his gaze fixed on Hadley as if debating whether to speak.

“What’s wrong?” Hadley asked, reading the heaviness in his expression before making a careful guess. “Is this about Linda?”

“Yes,” Eric confirmed with a solemn nod. “She…”

Hadley’s brow creased, concern deepening across her face. The last she knew, Eric and Ernest had arranged for Linda to be seen by an oncologist.

“Has her condition worsened?” she pressed.

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Eric replied with blunt honesty. “The consultation results are in. The doctors are recommending… amputation.”

Amputation?

Hadley’s eyes widened in shock, her lashes trembling at the devastating revelation. “Will that procedure… help?”

Eric’s response carried no certainty. “There are no guarantees in this situation.”

The implication was clear—even if Linda went through with the amputation, the tumor could still spread, and her survival remained terrifyingly uncertain.

Within the sterile confines of the sanatorium, Ernest sat in a chair directly across from Linda, whose eyes were swollen and bloodshot from endless weeping.

Words had never been his strength, and now he found himself utterly helpless in offering her comfort.

A decision as monumental as amputation could not be hidden from the patient. Her psychological state had already been fragile, and when the medical team delivered the devastating news in person, her world shattered completely.

Linda’s emotions spiraled into chaos, erupting in hysterical screams and inconsolable sobs.

It took considerable time, along with the aid of sedatives, before some semblance of calm was restored. Still, the staff dared not let down their guard. At that very moment, Linda’s wrists and ankles remained restrained for her own safety.

“Ernest.” After a long silence, Linda slowly turned her head toward him, her voice thick with despair and barely audible through the remnants of her turmoil. “Is this truly the only path forward?”

“Linda…” Ernest let out a heavy sigh, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him. “The physicians are giving their expert guidance. They have the knowledge we don’t.”

“But…” Linda’s eyelids drooped as tears streamed down her cheeks in an endless flow. “I’m terrified, absolutely terrified… What if something goes wrong, what if…”

The unfinished question lingered like a specter between them. Though unspoken, they both understood her deepest fear.

Every surgery carried risk. The medical team had warned that she might not survive the operation at all. And even if she did, there was no guarantee the tumor cells would stop their relentless spread.

Every decision ahead bristled with peril, resembling a labyrinth with no escape.

Linda dissolved into heartbroken sobs, words abandoning her completely.

.

.

.