Vera struggled to catch up with them. Her lungs hurt from running at full speed for what felt like an hour already.

'Stop, please! Make this stop! I'm tired!'

Luckily for her, they were already at their destination. Vera tried to catch her breath as the leaned over a pole for support. The two were unfazed by the ordeal, and just rushed inside. Afraid of being left behind, she ran after them.

'How are they so agile? Argggh, from being a werewolf with unlimited stamina, I'm reduced to a very weak body? It makes me miss that body.' The feeling of losing control and turning feral came back to her mind. 'Almost.'

As she entered, she craned her head to look for Clarissa and Leonor. They saw her talking to a doctor and slowly approached them. Her ears strained to hear their conversation.

'Are they... arguing?'

Clarissa covered her face with her hands, while Leonor consoled her. Leonor tried to talk with the doctor, but he bid his farewell with a reluctant face.

'I guess I should leave them for a while...'

---

Ten minutes later, Clarissa was sitting in front of a room. A conflicted look was upon her face, unsure whether she should come near Clarissa, as she was very distraught. Leonor was still beside her. A pained look was also splashed across her face. Leonor's head titled upwards, and their eyes met. A hint of recognition briefly flashed from her eyes, and nodded. Leonor left Clarissa to her own devices.

'This will be okay...' Vera mustered her courage and moved towards Clarissa. The sign plastered on the door caught her attention.

'Theodore Marchyll...? Just who is he? Is he her husband?' She shook her head, annoyed at herself. 'That's not my problem. I'm sure Clarissa will tell me in due time... when she deems it necessary...' She plopped down beside the trembling and hunched Clarissa.

"Clarissa..." Her eyes gazed upwards. Puffy red eyes, swollen from crying, glanced at her. Her eyes, once warm and gentle, was empty. The bright shade of blue it once shown was now dull. She was rendered speechless.

"Vera..."

"Are you... okay?"

"I'm fine, no---"

---

"---THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! TELL ME YOU'RE LYING!" Clarissa's limbs crumpled, unable to bear the weight of the news she had received. "No... not my poor Theo..."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. His case is one of a kind. To be frank, we've never seen it before. There's nothing we could do."

Clarissa just sobbed even harder. His husband just stood there, stoic and emotionless. However, the doctor was not done yet.

"His disease, according to our observations, will progressively get worse."

"What do you mean?" asked the stoic man.

"I'm sorry to say this, but..." The doctor took a deep breath as he prepared himself to deliver the final blow. "Your son would have only a few years left to live."

"A... few... years...?"

"From his condition, we gathered that he will only have 7 years to live if he's lucky... 4 if not..."

Clarissa couldn't believe it. "B-b-but he's only 15! That's impossible!" Her husband was motionless.

"I'm sorry." The doctor paused for a few moments, then left the room. Clarissa was left there as a sobbing mess, but her husband did not even offer any comfort. He stood there, stunned, then walked out of the room, slamming the door in the process.

~~~

Clarissa softly brushed her son's hair as he slept peacefully on the bed. Her smile turned wistful.

'You're seventeen now...' Her lips trembled as she tried holding back her sobs. Her effort was for naught as one by one they came falling as she grieved for the lost future of her son. She couldn't help but feel guilty about her son's condition.

'After all, it was I who brought him into this world... It's my fault...'

She continued blaming herself for everything.

For her son's sickness that condemned him to a very short life (burying my son? What kind of mother am I?);

For her husband's decision to leave them months after his diagnosis as he couldn't have a defective son, as both of them were worthless in his eyes as her child couldn't be strong enough, as she couldn't even birth a healthy and capable heir (it was your fault, yours and yours only);

For her son's lost smiles that became less frequent when he knew about his sickness, and finally ceased when her husband, his doting, loving father left them (was that a façade as well?);

For her not noticing at all (and now it's lost forever).

However, she needed to remain strong, as much as she could. Not even for herself, but her sweet, sweet child who did nothing wrong. She shut her eyes, and pleaded:

'I... I know that it is impossible for him to have a longer life. Yet, I still dare to hope for that. However... if that's not possible, I... I only wish that I could hear his honest laughs, that he'd be happy once more before the last moments of his life.'

---

"---worries." Clarissa tried to smile at her, but it only came as a grimace.

'No, you're not...' However, she pretended not to notice. Clarissa became less tense when she did not press the matter further.

They sat there beside each other, pondering over the news they received. However, Clarissa was the first one to break the silence.

"I know you are wondering... what is happening right now..."

Vera just listened at her. Clarissa appreciated the gesture and continued.

"Why am I crying, right?"

Vera replied with a nod. Clarissa sighed.

"I guess I can't hide this from you for a long time, huh? After all, I couldn't kick out a guest, much more if that guest was someone I had invited, plus have been sick recently..." Soft chuckles escaped from her throat.

"I did not tell you, but I have a child..." Vera feigned ignorance and surprise at Clarissa's confession. After all, she was not supposed to know about that. "That child of mine has an incurable disease...

"Recently, he's been doing fine... But suddenly, he had an attack once more... Then... Then..." Clarissa's lips quivered in despair.

"It's fine, Clarissa, you don't have to tell me if it bothers you..."

"No... It's fine... I-I just received a-another b-bad news."

'A bad news?'

"M-my c-child... I've always known t-that he'd be g-going first b-before... m-me... I p-prepared m-myself for it... B-but... His time..."

Vera's heart sank. 'Is this...'

"It got even shorter..." Clarissa took a deep breath. "F-from t-two years from now at the v-very least... H-he's only got t-three m-months left."