There was a knock on the door again, pulling Lucian out of his thoughts.
This time, it wasn't a lawyer. The soft sound of the knock seemed heavier like the weight of what was about to happen was already pressing down on the world around him.
The door creaked open slowly, and the doctor walked in. He was holding a folder of paperwork in his hands. His movements were tentative, and his expression was filled with nervous apprehension as if he were about to do something deeply wrong.
"Hello, Mr. Kane," the doctor began, but Lucian raised his right hand, cutting him off before he could even continue.
"It's Lucian. I am no longer attached to the Kanes, not anymore. Just call me Lucian."
The doctor blinked, stupefied by this weird request. The name Kane carried weight, power, and legacy. But here was this man who had willingly discarded it, as if it were nothing. The doctor cleared his throat awkwardly as he approached the small table near Lucian's chair, laying the folders in his hand.
You don't know what you are asking. Sigh. Don't you know, once it's done, you can never go back... and Also, we can't just go with a heart transplant without any formalities... Please, I beg you, don't make it hard for me... I have kids too.
"I know what I am asking," Lucian interrupted, his voice emotionless.
His eyes looking intthe o doctors with calmness. "I am clear on my decision. There's nothing to discuss.
Give me the papers, and let's get this done fast."
The doctor hesitated, sweat on his forehead. His eyes were looking at papers, but his mind was racing. It's not normal.
Boy... I have to ask... doctor finally couldn't take it and asked, his voice faltering and struggling
"Why? Why are you doing this sigh? You are healthy. There's no medical reason to do this. Why are you destroying your life like this?"
Lucian exhaled his breathing low. So many emotions flickering on his face: pain, exhaustion, and something even deeper, which for someone his age... is rare.
It's like he already has made peace with the end.
"No need to ask anything," Lucian said, his voice low and full of sighs, as if he were holding back the tides of emotions within. "I am not in the mood to explain ANYTHING. Just know that this is what I've chosen to do. And I'm doing it now."
And I will do it... no matter what
The doctor swallowed hard, his throat dry as he tried to process the weight of Lucian's words. "Y-yes… ohk, sir. I won't ask anymore," he stammered. This wasn't a routine procedure; it was something much darker, much more final.
"So," Lucian said, breaking the silence as he stood up from his chair, "when are we doing this?
The doctor's hands trembled slightly as he adjusted his grip on the folder. "We... we can proceed now if you'd like. Everything's ready. We already completed your tests, and sadly enough, you have no medical complications preventing us from starting the procedure. We can begin anytime."
Lucian ignored Doctor Jabb, only nodding, his face an unreadable mask. "Good. am ready."
But the doctor hesitated again, unable to suppress concern. "Boy, please… are you sure? You don't have to die just to save her. There are other options. You can donate your heart to Miss Avey.
After transplanting your heart into hers, we can't just put some other heart into yours... with which you can give your heart to hers, and you can live too... What you say, doctor, said slowly, trying to...
Didn't I already say...
"I don't want to live," Lucian said, cutting him off with eerie finality. His eyes looked into the doctor's, and for a second, the air in the room felt suffocating.
The calm exterior Lucian maintained cracked, just for a second, revealing the deep, cavernous emptiness in him. "Didn't I already tell you? I'm DONE. There's no need to keep dragging this again and again. Am giving her my heart, and that's all there is to it."
Don't try your luck doctor.
Doctor's face paled his throat tightening due to fear and discomfort. There was something about Lucian's tone, something so absolute, that made the doctor feel like he was standing on the edge of the precipice, staring into the dark and unfathomable void.
"But...imagine if you survived," the doctor began hesitantly, his voice shaking, "you'd be able to..."
Lucian eyes narrowed dangerously. "Believe me," he said his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "If I woke up tomorrow, you'll never see the light again. Am not here to survive. I am here to end this."
The doctor gulped, visibly shaken by the sudden shift. He nodded quickly, his palms sweaty as he fumbled with the papers in hand. "Yes yes... I understand," he stammered, clearly terrified of what Lucian might do if he didn't follow through.
As the doctor shifted nervously, Lucian's expression softened a little, his mind drifting back to the task at hand. He reached to his pocket and pulled out his phone, staring at it for a moment before speaking again.
"After I'm gone," Lucian said quietly, his voice filled with a sadness so deep it almost seemed to echo in the small room, "call this number." He handed the doctor a slip of paper with a phone number scrawled on it in his sharp handwriting. "Tell them I'm no longer alive. And give them this."
Lucian held out his phone, his fingers lingering on it for a moment before releasing it into the doctor's trembling hand. "The person on the other end… he'll know what to do. Tell him to check my gallery. He knows my password." Lucian's voice wavered, just for a second, as he added, "It's my last request, not an order. Please, do this for me."
The doctor stared at the phone in his hand, his heart pounding in his chest. This was no ordinary patient. There was so much pain in Lucian's words, so much finality in his actions, that it was almost too much to bear. But he nodded, his voice barely a whisper. "I… I'll do it, Mr. Lucian. I'll make sure everything is handled."
Lucian's eyes locked onto the doctor's, a strange mix of gratitude and resignation flickering in their depths. "Thank you," he said softly. "That's all I need."
With that, Lucian turned toward the door, his back straight, his face calm as if he were preparing for a routine appointment. But inside, the storm was raging. His heart, broken beyond repair, was screaming with a thousand unsaid words, a thousand emotions that he would never voice.
"Let's go," Lucian said firmly, his voice steady despite the hurricane inside him. "It's time."
The doctor, still shaken, nodded and gestured toward the hallway. "This way, Mr. Lucian… everything is ready."
They walked down the dimly lit corridor together, the doctor leading the way as Lucian followed in silence. The sound of their footsteps echoed eerily off the sterile hospital walls, and with each step, Lucian felt himself growing lighter as if the weight of his decision was slowly being lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't scared. He wasn't nervous. He felt… ready.
As they approached the doors to the operating room, the doctor paused, turning back to Lucian one last time. "Mr. Lucian… are you sure you don't want to reconsider? There's still time. You don't have to do this."
Lucian's gaze was unwavering, his eyes filled with an unsettling calm. "I'm sure," he said quietly. "This is my choice."
With a resigned nod, the doctor pushed open the doors, and Lucian stepped inside. The room was cold and clinical, the harsh overhead lights casting a sterile glow over the equipment. The surgical team was already there, waiting in silence, their expressions tense and uncertain. They knew what was about to happen, and it wasn't something any of them were comfortable with.
The door closed softly behind him, sealing Lucian inside the room where his life would end.
"Lie down here, Mr. Lucian," one of the nurses said quietly, gesturing toward the operating table. Lucian complied without hesitation, lowering himself onto the cold metal surface. The lights above him were blinding, but he stared up at them without flinching, his mind strangely calm.
The doctor approached the table, his hands trembling as he prepared the anaesthesia. "This… this will make you sleep," he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the hum of the machines.
Lucian nodded. "Good," he whispered. "Let's get it over with."
As the doctor administered the anaesthetic, Lucian felt a strange sense of peace wash over him. His eyelids grew heavy, and the world around him began to blur, the bright lights fading