(Annie's POV)

A few days have passed and I haven't talked to Eren at all. I couldn't. I just couldn't. After what I did I could not just come back and talk to him like nothing happened.

I needed time. Time to heal. Time to think. But the longer I wait the harder it gets. I never thought that one day in my life I wouldn't have the courage to look at a guy. I guess Eren really changed me over the years.

My mind was filled with nothing but guilt and remorse. I wanted to release myself from the shackles of sadness and pain and run to the arms of my loved one and stay with him forever, never letting go of him ever again. But my mind feared the possibility of him finding out what I did and abandoning me for someone else.

The feeling of guilt was so great it was gnawing on my insides and my soul. I had to do something otherwise it would become too unbearable to even live.

Suddenly, I received a call from an unknown number. My mind didn't care who it was and just answered the phone directly.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hello is this Ms. Annie Leonhart?" A female voice asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I'm calling you from the Golden Mountain Hospital. I'm afraid it's your mother."

My heart dropped so deep it went through the floor. I nearly dropped my phone. My mind didn't know what to do and all I could ask myself internally was
'Is this a dream?'

Sadly it wasn't. I got all the details from the nurse and tried to find a method of transportation. I ended up calling an Uber. Once it arrived I immediately got inside, only grabbing my phone and charger along with a backpack for some trip essentials as it was going to be a long trip.

The words of the nurse were inside my head, replaying and replaying over and over again. My mom is in a hospital. She has cancer, she's too far gone and worst of all, she never told me.

A few hours later we made it into this so called Golden Mountain Hospital. It was some form of an association founded by a rich someone or other. Never cared for the details. I only cared for the one patient inside of it I was going to visit.

At the reception I asked for my mother's room and they happily told me where to go. It was on the third floor.

I made my way up the stairs, not willing to wait for an elevator as people were coming and going in and out of them at all times inside the highly staffed hospitals filled with doctors and visitors.

By the time I arrived it was already nighttime and so visitors were either leaving or staying next to their respective patients. The hospital itself was huge and had lots of advance medical tech that I believe were the result of being founded by a rich someone or other.

Finally I arrived to the door of my mom's room. I took a second to take a deep breath and think about what I will say. Then I opened the door.

The heart monitor was beeping. It was a sound of relief knowing that my mother was alive and yet I still didn't want to hear it. I approached my mom's bed, only to see her looking at me with the weak smile she could do.

My eyes immediately started to tear up. I tried to hold myself together but it was hard to do so. I was desperately hanging on.

"Annie... how are you, sweetie?" She asked.

"I... I... Why didn't you tell me?" I said, voice cracking and lips shivering.

"I'm sorry. I should have but I didn't want you to worry." She replied.

"What? I am your daughter! You are my mother! How can I not worry?"

"I know, I know... I wanted you to forget about your old life. That includes me and your father."

"My father has been dealt with." I replied.

"What?" She asked with a shocked expression on her face. "What did you do?"

"We don't have to worry about him anymore. He won't be seeing sunlight any time soon." I stated.

"I... I don't want to talk about it." She replied.

"What's... What is this... illness of yours?" I asked.

"Titan..."

The second she said that my heart skipped a beat. I clenched my fist as hard as I can but as soon as she held it in her hand, mine softened and I relaxed.

"You too?" I asked, on the verge of tears.

"Yes. And I only have... a few days left." She replied.

"Mom, listen. I... Associates of mine are developing a cure! We'll be saved. We will live together! Free from that sociopath's manipulation! If you could just hold on a little bit longer!" I exclaimed.

"Is that so... Well, it's too late for me anyways. No need to bother. No cure would heal me anytime soon."

"Mom, please..." I begged her to listen, but my pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Never mind me, sweetie. You go live your life, make friends, find love, be happy. I want to be no more than a distant memory of yours."

I laid my head on the side of her bed, eyes wet with tears. She is so stubborn, not willing to listen. I do not want her to leave me. She was and still is one of the greatest thing about my life. I don't want to live as a child with no mother.

"Annie. Annie." She called. I didn't listen. I only kept crying on the bed. "Annie please. Don't cry. I'm only holding you back."

"I... I don't want to live without my mother!" I cried.

"And I don't want to live without you. But we have no other choice. I'm only moments away from meeting my maker. I want you to live the rest of your life happy and free of all worry and enjoy an eventful journey. And now with this cure you're talking about, you can finally live your life to the fullest without the worrying about dying anytime soon. And I'll be cheering you on, from above. I'll look after you, I promise." She stated. "I love you Annie. And I will always be with you."

Suddenly the nurse came in and asked me to leave. I told my mom that I'll be staying outside. She didn't say anything and just nodded with a smile.

I closed the door behind me and then sat on the floor with my back leaning against the wall and arms wrapped around my legs, covering my face.

"Annie." That's when I heard his voice calling me. I looked up only for my eyes to meet his green alluring ones.

"Eren?" I said with a cracking voice.

"I'm here." He said.

I felt bad seeing him here, but at the same time I felt happy. I needed him more than ever. And there he was. Right when I needed him.

"My dad... He works here, so... I was paying a visit and when I learned your mom was here... I asked about her. They told me they don't know any relatives of her they can reach... I urged them to call you. I'm... I'm sorry Annie." He explained. I immediately got up and embraced him with the hardest hug ever before burying my face in his shoulder and crying. He hugged me back and took me to the cafeteria where he ordered two cups of hot chocolate and got us a seat.

"You'll be staying here, huh?" He asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"Then I'll be staying too."

"Eren I-" I tried to talk him out of it but he cut me off.

"Annie. No. Please, just let me. I want to help you."

"Eren..."

He took my hands in his and stared me in the eye. I couldn't help but melt at the sight of his handsome face.

"My dad will be working here all night long. His house is close by. Let's go there. You'll be staying with me." He stated.

"Ok." I replied silently.

After a few minutes, Eren and I got up and left the hospital to go to his place. When we arrived he took me inside and sat next to me on the sofa of the living room. He embraced me in his arm. The second I felt his embrace I was lost in it. I could t help it. I loved him. Needed him. And he was there.

"Eren..." I said.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Can I stay by your side?" I asked.

"Always. In fact I was planning to ask you if you want to sleep with me." He stated.

"I want to." I replied.

A few hours later of watching movies with Eren and trying to forget about everything for the night, we decided to go to bed.

It felt nice and relaxing to finally sleep with Eren once again. I needed this. Even though I didn't deserve him. And now I know that I really do not deserve him.

But he wants me, and I want him. And that's how it's gonna go.

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