Ethan has cancer.

The words hit me like a sledgehammer.

It was so sudden.

When I arrived at Ethan's house, he was lying in bed, looking frail and painfully thin.

His once vibrant face was pale, his body almost unrecognizable from the strong older brother figure I had always known.

Ethan stared blankly at the white wall, his voice soft but steady. "Elaine, I need to tell you something."

I swallowed hard, ...