I pressed Rowan, desperate for answers. "Where have you been lately? I couldn't reach you on the phone and I haven't been able to find you anywhere!"
A flash of irritation crossed his face, his voice tense as he replied, "I'm about to graduate. Every day is spent revising my thesis."
Then he took out a simple silver ring, slipped it onto my finger and squeezed my hand gently. "Once Grandma recovers, I promise we'll get married."
I looked down at the plain silver ring, feeling a sense of disbelief.
After eight long years, I had finally received the proposal I had been waiting for, yet it was so unremarkable, so devoid of thought or meaning.
But life did not wait for us to celebrate. Grandma suddenly vomited blood, her condition deteriorating rapidly.
The doctor's expression was grave as he spoke. "If you can pay for her treatment immediately, there's a chance she may recover."
Tears blurred my vision as I turned to Rowan. "Rowan, I gave you a card with the down payment for our house. Please, give it back to me. I need it to save Grandma."
Rowan's fingers stilled, his breathing growing heavier. "I'm sorry, Amara… I can't access it right now."
My heart skipped a beat and I tugged at his sleeve in desperation. "Why not? Why can't you access it?"
He looked away, a flicker of guilt in his eyes as he tried to loosen my grip. "Amara… you still owe me that four thousand dollars too…"
I felt as though I was losing my mind. Falling to my knees, I clutched at his trousers, begging him, "Please, Rowan. I'm begging you. If you can't give it all, just give me part of it. I will definitely pay you back. Okay?"
But he pried my hands away, his voice was cold and unyielding. "I have something very important that I need it for. I can't give it back to you."
I collapsed onto the ground, my heart pounding, my mind in utter disarray, with only one thought to call Rowan. A large mouthful of blood surged from the corner of Grandma's lips, followed by thick, black globs spilling out one after another.
I knelt beside her, frantically wiping the corners of her mouth as though somehow I could ease her pain. However, no matter how many times I wiped her lips clean, I could not take away the agony wracking her frail body.