Chapter 179
Amber sat quietly in the dimly lit living room, her gaze fixed on the
distant corners of the room where shadows stretched long in the late
afternoon light. Despite the warmth of the space, there was an
unspoken chill that seemed to cling to her. Her fingers, once agile and
confident, were now shaky and delicate as they twisted a strand of
hair between her fingers, only to find it falling loose in her hand. She
looked at the broken strands in her palm and felt a sting, a sharp
reminder of how much had changed. The once thick, lustrous hair
that had always framed her face so perfectly was now thinning,
shedding in clumps. The loss was more than just physical–it felt like
another part of herself slipping away, like a tangible sign of the fight
she was enduring inside her body.
She hadn’t been able to look at herself in the mirror for days, afraid
to face the reality of the changes. It was one thing to feel it–the
weakness, the constant nausea, the debilitating fatigue–but seeing
it, seeing the toll the chemotherapy had already begun to take, was
another kind of heartbreak. She had always prided herself on her
strength, her vitality. She had been the woman who could do it all-
the one who juggled work, home, and motherhood with ease, who
exuded energy and warmth no matter what the day threw at her. Now, she barely recognized the woman in the reflection. It was like she was watching someone else–a stranger who was struggling, who was no longer in control.
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Each day had become a battle, one that she had no choice but to
fight. The chemotherapy sessions had started weeks ago, and the toll.
it was taking on her body was becoming more apparent with each
な
passing day. It wasn’t just the physical exhaustion that wore her
down–it was the emotional exhaustion, too. Amber had always been
the strong one, the steady force that held everything together. But,
now, she felt like she was constantly fighting to keep herself afloat, to
keep up with the demands of life, even though her strength was
fading faster than she could replenish it.
The weakness was the hardest part. It wasn’t just the fatigue that she
could push through. It was the kind of exhaustion that made even
simple tasks feel insurmountable. She couldn’t remember the last
time she had felt truly rested. Every step, every movement, was a
reminder of how fragile she had become. And even though she told
Luca she was fine–pushed herself to be strong for him, for Nico-
there were moments when the weight of it all would overwhelm her.
The effort it took to put on a brave face, to act like everything was
normal, was exhausting in itself.
The nausea, too, was relentless. It hit her at unpredictable times,
leaving her weak and pale, her stomach twisting in knots. She could
no longer eat the foods she once loved, and the thought of food often
made her stomach turn. Luca tried his best to keep her spirits up-
bringing her meals, sitting with her during the worst of the nausea-
but she could see the concern in his eyes, the quiet sadness that crept in whenever she couldn’t bring herself to eat. The love in his eyes was
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undeniable, but so was the worry. She hated seeing that look in him,
hated knowing that he was struggling as much as she was, even if he
tried to hide it.
But perhaps the hardest thing of all was the toll it was taking on her
relationship with Nico. Her son, her precious boy, had always been
her source of joy, her reason for smiling even on the hardest days. His
C laughter had filled their home with light, his boundless energy had
kept her on her toes, and his innocence had always reminded her of
the beauty in the world. But now, when Nico looked at her, Amber
could see a shift in him. There was a quiet sadness in his eyes, a kind
of knowing that was far beyond his years. He wasn’t old enough to
fully understand what was happening, but he could sense that
something was wrong.
