I bit my lip. “But I still think it’s a good idea to get a health screening…”
“I’ll do it when I have time,” Jake cut me off. “Anyway, I’ve got some work to finish tonight. I just wanted to call and let you know I’m okay. You should get some sleep.”
Before I could respond, he hung up.
I stared at my phone, stunned. This was the first time since we started dating that Jake had ended the call so abruptly. Was he angry?
After a moment, I texted him: “Goodnight.”
Jake didn’t reply.
I lay in bed, refreshing my phone, waiting for a response that never came, feeling increasingly uneasy. I closed the messaging app and reopened Reddit, only to see a notification—another post from that same user.
I clicked on it instinctively.
“Hey everyone, I talked to her about the wedding today. She said her family wants something small and intimate, but they’ll chip in for some of the costs. I don’t know how much they’ll contribute, but the more, the better—it could go toward my treatment!”
I froze. A small, intimate wedding? Again? Another coincidence?
I scrolled through the comments. Many were berating him, calling him a monster, and saying they’d expose him to his fiancée.
Someone asked, “What if you don’t get enough money?”
He replied quickly, “Then I’ll just infect her too. I doubt her family will leave her without money for treatment. And once she gets it, I’ll make sure it ends up with me!”
