His Hidden Wife (A Justin Bieber Story)

Chapter Thirty Three

33 - Secrets

'Remember that sometimes the way you think about a person isn't the way they actually are.'
- Anon.

~*~

Muffled voices woke me up from my deep slumber as I adjusted my sight to the blinding light, but stopped when I felt my head ached a little. I softly grunted. Closing my eyes once more, I concentrated on dulling the pain.

"It's getting worse Anthony." As I listened, I heard Dr.Mason's voice resounded, his tone etched with worry. "It's probably best if we put an Implantable Cardioverter Defribillator on her especially that her attacks are getting a lot frequent this year. It will detect her heart rhythm. It's only a precaution but it's the best we could do for now."

I heard someone sigh, probably dad. He sound so tired that I almost wanted to hug him. "She will oppose to that idea. She always wanted to be normal."

Dad, undoubtedly, knows me well. Every word he said was true. But... somehow, hearing how weary he was, I almost wanted that ICD with me.

Almost.

Shutting my eyes tight, I tried to breathe normally.

I had an HCM or better known as Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It's a heart disease that I inherited from my mother. I was diagnosed with it when I, out of nowhere, fainted while I was sketching one normal afternoon, back when I was just only ten years old.

As I woke up from my bedroom that day, I remembered dad sitting beside me while he was holding my hand. Once he saw that I was awake, he suddenly hugged me and cried. I asked why but he never bothered to tell me what was the reason, at first.

When few years passed by, I noticed how I normally kept on having trouble with my breathing and that sometimes, I'd feel tired even though I was only doing little things that hardly required work. My dad was getting worried until I asked him if what I'm experiencing was also the same with mom's. I've seen the familiarity. And with that, he broke down again. I hugged him, telling him I'd do anything to live longer so that he can refrain from crying.

I didn't want to leave him alone. Mom had told me that I shouldn't make dad sad. Again.

Everyone aside from Dr.Mason thought dad and I were just having these quick out of town vacations, but what they didn't know was that I did a surgical procedure known as septal myectomy for my HCM back when I was just a fourteen year old girl. No one knew I was sick and still is, except for Dr. Mason, dad and now, Jacques.

Jacques only found out about my sickness recently when I went to get Justin from a club not so long ago and then fainted in the rain, only to catch by him. Jacques and Ronaldo took me to my dad's and called Dr. Mason right after. He knew how much I hated hospitals but never really had the knowledge as to why... until he had to tell everything he knew for dad to trust him.

I always loathed the feeling of getting people's sympathy. I hated it when I see the glimmer of pity in their irises. I don't need it. I didn't want to be some added baggage they need to worry. I am fine. I maybe sick but I still can walk. I just wanted them to treat me as any normal human being.

People are suddenly kind when they find out you're dying.

"Anthony." Dr. Mason stated. "I'll be honest but time is almost running out for her."

"I know Mase." I could almost hear how my dad's at the brink of breaking down. I know this is hurting him, and it pains me because we both know we can't do anything about it. We've tried so hard before. But things happen.