CHAPTER 226: I HAVE CANCER.

"Pookie," Augustine called out, placing his hands gently on Charles’ shoulders. "Pookie, what’s... what’s going on?" he asked, his voice laced with worry, brows arching as his eyes searched Charles’ face.

Charles swallowed hard, his throat tightening as tears streamed freely down his cheeks. "I... I’m sorry, babe," he whispered, his voice trembling as his lips quivered in fear.

"What? Why are you sorry?" Augustine asked.

He averted his gaze over to the front, staring at Reginald who was driving. "Reginald, please... just drive to the nearest place I can get a fresh bottle of water," Augustine said firmly, his voice dry and edged with exhaustion.

"Alright," Reginald replied with a quick nod, his hands tightening around the wheel. "I... I actually have—"

He stopped himself mid-sentence, stealing a glance at the half-empty bottle beside him.

The seal had been broken and his lips had already touched it... and somehow, offering it to Augustine now felt wrong.

So instead, Reginald bit his tongue and stepped on the gas, silently choosing to honor his boss’s unspoken need for space and control.

Sigh!

Once more, Augustine averted his gaze over to Charles as she stare at him with an arched brows. "Pookie, after getting you a bottle of water, I think we need to stop by the hospital," Augustine said, his voice soft but firm, laced with worry. "This isn’t the first time your nose has been bleeding, and honestly, it’s starting to scare the shit out of me."

Charles let out a dry scoff, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "You’re acting like I’m dying or something," he muttered, turning his face toward the window to avoid Augustine’s intense gaze but Augustine didn’t back down.

He reached out, gently brushing his thumb across Charles’ knuckles. "I’m acting like someone who’s terrified of losing the man he loves."

"Come on, Augustine... I... I’ve always wondered how the hell I was going to tell you about my health," Charles began, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his cheeks, soaking the corner of his lips. "I didn’t want to scare you."

"Pookie," Augustine whispered, his voice trembling as he gently cupped Charles’s face, forcing their eyes to meet. "What happened to your health? Tell me... please."

Charles choked on a sob, his shoulders trembling under Augustine’s touch. "I... I didn’t want you to look at me differently. I didn’t want this... this love we have to be shadowed by pity or fear."

Deep down, Augustine has a feeling that what Charles was about to tell him was going to make him extremely devastated but Augustine still doesn’t want to be left in the dark.

Charles swallow hard, his vision was suddenly beginning to get blurry and he knew that this was probably the end.

The only question that Charles could ask himself was why?

’Why did I hide all that I was going through from the man I love?’

Augustine remained silent, his eyes locked on Charles, searching his face for clues... anything that might prepare him for what was coming.

Suddenly, the car slowed to a stop.

Reginald pulled over to the side of the road and quickly got out, dashing toward the supermarket across the street, his only goal to grab a bottle of water for Charles.

In the quiet that followed, Charles turned to Augustine, his voice barely above a whisper. "Babe... I want you to know... to know that no matter what happens, you’ve been a loving partner. Any bad things that’s going to happen to me... just know that it won’t be your fault."

"Cha... Charles." Augustine cried out with a scared voice. "What... what’s truly going on? You are scaring me." He added, his words trailing one after the other which shows how frightened he was.

Once more, Charles forced himself to let out a loud breath as he use the back of his hands to wipe away the blood rolling down from his nose.

Quickly, Augustine slide his hands deep inside his trouser pocket as he pulled out a white handkerchief, placing it above the nose of Charles to help prevent the blood from rushing down.

"I... I have..."

Charles words trailed off as he gulped down his saliva for some seconds before proceeding to continue his phrase. "Babe, remember when I told you not to look into my health record and I made you promise not to do that?"

Augustine nod. "Yeah, I remember." He mumbled, his gaze never leaving Charles.

"Umm... umm, I... I...."

Charles was unable to complete his words when the back door of the car suddenly open with Reginald handing over a bottle of water to Charles.

Augustine quickly grabbed the bottle of water from Reginald as he twisted the cap open, gently guiding it to Charles’s lips as a means of helping him drink with care.

Augustine hand trembled slightly, but he kept his focus steady until Charles had swallowed enough and gave a small nod, signaling he was done.

Augustine pulled the bottle away, his jaw tightening. "Let’s go to the hospital," he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Without a word, Reginald rushed back to the driver’s seat, slid in, and immediately ignited the engine, while Freda and Augustine gaze was fixed at Charles.

"Pookie, you are going to be alright, okay." Augustine purred with a reassuring voice and Charles nod his head with tears still streaming down from his eyes.

For some few seconds, Charles was just sniffing his nose as he sob silently.

’Pfft,’ Charles sigh, trying to brace himself because all of a sudden he was now feeling an agonising pain in his head.

Everything in front of Charles blurred into a haze, the colors and lights bleeding together as a loud, piercing ring exploded in his ears.

It was as if a church bell was trapped in his skull and each second that passed made it harder to breathe.

Then, without warning, Charles body gave in.

He swayed violently to the right, unable to control the sudden weightlessness that gripped him, and his head slammed hard against the car window with a dull, sickening thud.

"CHARLES!" Augustine and Freda both shouted, as Augustine reached out his trembling hands, towards Charles.

Charles gasped for breath as he opened his mouth for air. "I... I have cancer Augustine. And... and I’m going to die."