As I Lay Dying He Is With His Soulmate in Labor

On Valentine's Day, I was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer, with less than a month left to live.

As I was engulfed in confusion and panic, Sebastian Nash knelt before me with a pained expression, saying, "I'm sorry, Betsy. I've fallen in love with another woman."

He then promised me seriously, "I haven't cheated on you. What I share with her is a deep emotional bond. We won't have sex, and my feelings and commitment to you remain unchanged. I will continue to fulfill my duties as your husband."

Clutching the diagnosis report tightly, I managed to force out a few words, "Okay. I will let you be together."

Sebastian was both surprised and worried as he embraced me, saying, "Betsy, don't leave me. I love her, but I love you more. Please don't be angry or make trouble with me."

I gave a bitter smile, "I won't."

As a dying person, there was nothing worth crying or fussing over.

1.

Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief and held my cold hand. "Why is your face so pale? Is your stomach bothering you again?"

I felt a cramp in my stomach again.

I wanted to tell him that I had advanced stomach cancer and was on the brink of death.

Despite his concern for me, I could tell his mind was elsewhere. "Is there something else you want to say to me?" I asked.

His gaze shifted from my face to his feet, and he hesitated before speaking.

I took a deep breath and told him, "Go ahead, I'm mentally prepared."

Sebastian spoke tentatively. His voice was soft, but it shocked me. "Jazlyn is nine months pregnant."

My mind went blank.

Sebastian scrambled to explain, "I haven't had sex with Jazlyn. The child was conceived through IVF."

Afraid of upsetting me, he tried to convince me with his flawed logic, "Betsy, you've always wanted a child but couldn't have one due to health reasons. When Jazlyn's baby is born, we'll raise it together. The baby will call you mom and will be ours."

I watched his lips move without truly hearing his words.

After what felt like an eternity, in his eyes filled with hope and struggle, I replied, "Okay."

Sebastian was stunned for a moment, then hugged me with surprise and joy, sincere tears streaming from his eyes. "Thank you, Betsy."

He hugged me so tightly that my stomach was squeezed, and a smell of blood mixed with stomach acid came from my throat.

I quickly turned my head away, feeling panicked and expectant, wondering if Sebastian could notice anything was wrong with me.

He was a specialist in oncology, focusing particularly on stomach cancer.

Sebastian was immersed in his joy, his eyes shining with a light I had never seen before. "Jazlyn is a wonderful girl. I promise you'll like her when you meet her."

I was disappointed, but I only smiled bitterly and relievedly.

Sebastian's heart had long left me. When I die, he probably won't be sad.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Sebastian eagerly went to open it.

Jazlyn bent down, and Sebastian dropped to his knees to help her get her things.

As soon as she entered, she dropped to her knees in apology. "Betsy, I'm sorry."

Sebastian knelt too, his tone anxious as he defended her. "Betsy, this is Jazlyn. It's my fault. I couldn't control my feelings, and I was the one who pursued her first."

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my heart, and the pain in my stomach was immediately suppressed.

Seeing them both kneeling before me, I felt a strange mix of emotions. I felt stuffy, weak, and a kind of pain that I didn't know how to describe.

Honestly, if Sebastian weren't my husband, I'd think they were quite a match.

She had long curly hair and red lips, which made her charming. Even with her pregnant belly, she still looked beautiful.

The two of them knelt in front of me, looking like a couple in love who wanted to be together despite others' opposition.

But one was my husband of ten years, the other his emotional affair partner.

Swallowing the blood taste in my throat, I reached out to help Jazlyn up. "You're pregnant, and the floor is cold. The due date must be soon. If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay here. It'll be easier for Sebastian to take care of you."

After saying this, I felt a sense of relief.

I was living on borrowed time, while Jazlyn carried a new life soon to enter this world. It was time for me to step aside.

"No," Sebastian said, helping Jazlyn up and protectively shielding her and her belly.

A sharp pain pierced my heart, and the pain in my stomach surged anew.

Jazlyn cast a reproachful glance at Sebastian and spoke to me with a guilty tone, avoiding eye contact. "Betsy, I know saying sorry is useless, but if you don't mind, give me a chance to make amends."

Her eyes were bright, filled with sincere innocence. "Sebastian mentioned your health has always been fragile, and you've had stomach issues since childhood. I've studied nutrition and can help you take care of your stomach."

The burning pain in my stomach intensified until I couldn't bear it any longer. Covering my mouth and nose, I stumbled toward the bathroom.

Leaning over the toilet, I coughed up blood, the stomach acid scorching my throat with fiery pain.

A warm hand touched my shoulder, and Sebastian's worried voice came from above, "Betsy, are you okay?"

I wiped my mouth, frantically pressing the toilet flush button, which failed at this critical moment.

Though Sebastian voiced concern for me, his gaze never left Jazlyn in the living room.

I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful Sebastian hadn't noticed the blood.

I didn't know why I feared him finding out I was dying.

Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, I took out the divorce agreement I'd prepared long ago and coaxed him into signing it. "Your baby will be born in a month. This is my gift to you."

Sebastian didn't even glance at the agreement before tossing it into the trash, his voice trembling as he held me tightly, "Betsy, you said you wouldn't leave me."

He quickly apologized, sounding flustered, "I don't mean any other reason by not letting her live here. It's just that Jazlyn is pregnant, and you're not in the best health. I was worried she might disturb you."

Breaking free from Sebastian's embrace, I picked up the agreement and opened it. "Go ahead and sign it, it's fine."

I had asked my lawyer to prepare this agreement right after leaving the hospital.

The contents of the first few pages were the gifts I intended to leave to Sebastian after my death, and the last page of the agreement was the divorce agreement.

I had planned to deceive him into signing it, then find an excuse to leave, to die far away.

I'd rather he resent me forever than watch him suffer.

Sebastian skimmed through the document, his gaze never leaving the living room. After signing it, he held me again, both guilty and grateful, "Betsy, thank you, it is also your child."

His guilty tone struck a nerve, prompting me to ask a long-buried, childish question, "Sebastian, do you remember the promise you made to me at our wedding?"

Gently releasing me, he knelt on one knee, his voice no longer reverent but filled with regret, "Betsy, I will never leave you, never give up on you. I love you, and I'll always be by your side. I will forever be devoted to you. My heart belongs only to you."

"Oh!" A sudden scream erupted from the living room.

Sebastian immediately dashed towards the living room at lightning speed.

Fighting the stabbing pain in my stomach, I wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes with resignation.

We both broke our wedding promises.

Emerging from the bathroom, I found the dining room filled with a dozen dishes.

The rich aroma of soup filled the air. Sebastian was gently blowing on Jazlyn's burned finger, which had blistered from the heat. "It looks so painful. Are you trying to make me worry?"

I felt a lump in my throat as I held my painfully cramping stomach, wanting to tell Sebastian that I was also in pain.

A pair of delicate hands held my arm, "Betsy, I made a table full of dishes, try my cooking."

Jazlyn guided me to the dining table and seated me, enthusiastically serving me food, her eyes filled with worry and guilt, "Betsy, you look much thinner than in the photos."

Sebastian deftly placed a steak into Jazlyn's plate, "Betsy, you should eat more. It pains me to see you so thin."

He spoke absentmindedly, his focus entirely on Jazlyn.

Jazlyn, feeling sorry, moved the steak from her plate to mine. "Betsy, you've lost too much weight."

Watching Jazlyn's constant concern for me finally drew Sebastian's attention to me, "Betsy, why have you lost so much weight? Have you not been eating well because I've been busy taking care of Jazlyn?"

Feeling both pained and helpless, he took the steak from my plate and returned it to Jazlyn's. "Betsy's stomach was harmed by hunger when she was young. She can't eat anything too greasy."

Since the onset of various discomforts, I've lost ten pounds rapidly.

It was not just weight loss. I was dying.

Dealing with advanced stomach cancer, every bite of food felt like torture. Unable to endure the stomach pain any longer, I managed just a few bites of vegetables before heading upstairs.

Back in the room, I took some painkillers and lay down, but the stomach pain got worse.

Curled up in bed, I rummaged through the bedside drawer for two sleeping pills.

When the pain became unbearable, sleeping was the only escape.

I tossed and turned in bed for what felt like an eternity. The painkillers offered little relief, and the burning pain in my stomach clawed at my nerves. The sleeping pills only left me in a haze.

In a state of semi-consciousness, I faintly heard Jazlyn's voice from downstairs, playfully scolding Sebastian. "Sebastian, you're being too dismissive of Betsy. She seems unwell."

Sebastian's nonchalant voice drifted up from below. "She has had a delicate stomach since she was a kid. She'll be fine, don't worry too much."

I didn't know how much time passed before the sleeping pills finally took effect. Just as I was about to drift into sleep, the space beside me on the bed sank slightly. It must have been Sebastian returning.

Half-asleep, I couldn't open my eyes, and the burning pain in my stomach showed no signs of easing.

The doctor had warned me that the cancer cells were spreading aggressively.

Perhaps this time, closing my eyes meant I would never wake up again.

As the pain in my stomach grew worse, I painfully opened my eyes.

The house was eerily quiet, with the table set with freshly heated meals.

I had run out of the medication prescribed by the doctor, so I forced myself to get up and took a cab to the hospital.

During the examination, the doctor sighed repeatedly. "Dr. Nash's latest research on a special drug for stomach cancer can't cure the disease, but can greatly reduce the suffering of patients in the late stages. He's your husband, and you can't keep this hidden from him much longer."

Persuaded by my attending physician, I decided to confront Sebastian and reveal that I was dying.

The torment of advanced stomach cancer left me in unbearable pain. As I passed by a large mirror in the corridor, I caught a glimpse of myself.

My complexion was pale, and my cheeks and eye sockets were hollowed, resembling a shadow of my former self. I wanted to die with dignity.

Just as I was contemplating how to tell Sebastian about my illness, his worried voice came from behind. "Betsy, why are you at the hospital? Is your stomach acting up again?"

The burning sensation in my stomach surged, and I clung tightly to Sebastian's arm, almost pleading. "Sebastian, I have advanced stomach cancer. Can you..."

Before I could finish, Sebastian paused, then chuckled softly. "Betsy, you're becoming childish. Have you started using these tricks to make up stories?"

I wanted to continue explaining, but Sebastian tousled my hair as if comforting a child. "Come on, don't make a fuss. Didn't you agree to accept Jazlyn and the baby?"