The door’s bang shattered my heart.
I lay in bed,numb,counting down the final days of my life.
Five days left.Maybe this was it—no chance to turn it around.

I gave a hollow, mirthless laugh.
But the door opened again.My son,Ethan,walked in,igniting a flicker of hope.
James had taken my phone,so I couldn’t reach Ethan.
Realizing James must’ve called him,I tamped down my joy.
Still,he’s my son,raised with all my effort.
I spoke.“Ethan,are you here to pay for Mom’s treatment?”

Ethan sneered.“Mom,how could you think that?Dad sent me to see you one last time.”
My heart sank.My own son felt like a stranger.
My voice croaked out.“Why?I’ve given you everything you wanted.I’ve done more for you than your dad.How dare you say I wasn’t good to you?”
I screamed,hysterical,like a madwoman.

I couldn’t understand.I’d toiled my whole life.
Yet everyone close to me was my enemy.
Ethan sat beside me,eyes blazing with hatred.“Mom,remember Sarah?”
How could I forget?Ethan’s girlfriend.
He brought her home for dinner,planning to get married.
But I overheard her on the phone by the stairs.
She said,“It’s almost done.They’re offering$30,000.Once I get it,I’m out.Don’t worry,Ethan’s clueless.”
I was horrified,my head buzzing.
I rushed to Ethan,telling him she was a fraud and to break up.
Furious,I forgot how much he loved her.
Since I had no concrete evidence to back up my claim, he simply dismissed my words as the ramblings of a desperate and delusional woman.
I resorted to making a fuss and threats.
They broke up,but Ethan grew distant.
“Mom,I reconnected with Sarah.Thank God she’s not married.I gave her up for you—my biggest mistake!Now you’re dying,it’s perfect.No more obstacles for me and Sarah.Dad said he’d give me$40,000 for our wedding.Can you?”
His words paralyzed me, leaving me rooted to the bed
All these years,he’d resented me.
He’d only wake up when she scammed him.
Lying there,I realized none of this mattered anymore.
I turned away and had finally had enough of him.
My life had been a dismal failure.
After Ethan left,James sat beside me.
“See?Everyone hates you.What’s the point of living?Just die.It’s better for everyone.”
Exhausted,I ignored him.
If there’s a next life,I won’t spare them.
On my final day,my body weakened visibly.
Unable to hold back,I coughed blood onto the white sheets.
I slumped down, utterly limp”，“slumped down.
As consciousness faded,a voice rang out.
“Program error!Counterattack System activated!”
I gasped for breath, my eyes snapping open in shock.