After Briony was rushed to the hospital that day, the doctors confirmed her condition had taken a turn for the worse.

A week of desperate treatments followed-a brutal battle that barely snatched her life back from Death's grasp.

But Briony's illness was anything but typical, defying every expert's predictions.

There was a bitter divide among the doctors. Cedric Clarke had brought in a team of oncologists who insisted on chemotherapy. On the other side, Kendal Ellsworth and several other senior physicians trained in holistic medicine argued fiercely against it.

Their disagreements dragged on, neither side willing to back down.

In the end, it was Briony who made the call.

She refused chemo, opting instead for conservative management.

It was her right as a patient, and though the experts disagreed, they ultimately respected her choice.

Briony moved back into that small medical cottage.

Every day, Kendal would visit to perform acupuncture, and the air inside was thick with the scent of herbal remedies. Bowl after bowl of bitter medicine came and went without pause.

at bay for now, but she grew thinner by the

a little plain porridge. Even when she forced herself

in suffering, but in the growing frailty of her body. Eventually,

days blurred together in her fight against the illness,

eye, a month had passed. Winter

two months, Briony had lost over twenty pounds. Her already fair skin now looked nearly translucent, the tiny blue

her

knew they were coming, Briony would bundle herself up tightly and put on a little makeup to

they often looked puzzled, the adults kept the truth from them. All they

when Mommy could come

daughter said those words,

up and gently distract her

Nina seemed to sense

through when his father was gravely ill. It was as if he'd always known that Mommy's illness was

and eat more.

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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