That night, after Sam left, Bliss was heartbroken. She struggled with the decision to keep him away from her, knowing she had a deadly illness, progeria, which affected her deeply. Understanding that Sam's recent loss of Janet had already caused him so much pain, she felt it was best to distance herself from him, to spare him from further heartbreak.

Her doctor's words echoed in her mind, "You don't have much time to live. You're lucky to start experiencing symptoms at a late stage. In medicine, we call this 'atypical progeria'. Enjoy your life when you can." Following this, she relocated to Washington, DC, with her mother, Madam Stella, and blocked all her friends, including Sam.

Now, looking at a photo of Sam, she couldn't help but reminisce. "I miss you, Sam. I love you and will always do," she whispered to the picture. Watching from a distance, tears welled in her mother's eyes as she observed the stark transformation. The once vibrant teenager now stood with a fragile, aged air about her.

Bliss's mother was pained as she noticed her daughter's thinning, brittle, grayish-brown hair, accompanied by wrinkles and age spots. The once-smooth skin now hung loose, and the sparkle in her eyes had dimmed, replaced by a weary, sunken look. The quiet stillness of the room was broken only by the soft creaking of Bliss's joints as she moved, a haunting reminder of the disease's relentless march.

As Bliss moved, her joints creaked softly, a haunting reminder of the disease's relentless march. Her mother's heart ached as she witnessed her daughter's vitality seep away, leaving behind a fragile, elderly shadow of her former self.

Remembering the day Bliss was diagnosed with progeria, her mother felt the weight of that moment bearing down on her. Bliss's eyes met her mother's, and in that instant, they shared a deep, wordless understanding. Her mother saw the fear, the sadness, and the determination in those eyes, and her heart swelled with love and grief.

"Whose picture were you kissing and looking at?" her mother asked, anxiously.

"It's a friend," Bliss quickly replied.

"Bliss, I want to tell you something. You are not going to die while I'm still alive. So always be happy. It breaks my heart to see you in this condition. Why should it be you?" her mother said amidst tears.

"I pray so, Mum. But you and I know the truth. I've been suffering from progeria for a long time now, and it hasn't been like this. There's no hope for me," Bliss said, wiping away her mother's tears.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Let me go and get the door," her mother said. "Who would be knocking at this hidden place? It certainly can't be any of my friends. Maybe my mum's friends," Bliss thought. She was still lost in thought when Charles and Julie barged into the room.

"Oh my goodness, Bliss, look at you. You look so pale and wrinkled. What happened to you?" Julie asked, bewildered with shock.

"I will tell you everything," Bliss said, fighting back her tears. They came closer to her as she began, "I'm sorry I kept all of you in the dark all this while. I have been suffering from progeria for a long time now. Before we even met. Before I met Sam. I didn't want to bother anyone about it. It was a secret I held only to myself, waiting for the day of its manifestation," she paused, catching her breath. It seemed the more she talked, the paler she looked.

"I didn't want to fall in love. I knew that one day I would look like this and die off. So I made that promise to myself, to live a single life. But no, I was wrong. Sam came into my life and gave me hope. I could feel his genuine love, but it pained me to know that it would hurt him so badly. That's why I made a promise to myself, to evict myself from his life," she said, crying.

Julie felt bad for her. "Don't worry, Bliss, I'm sure you will be just fine," she encouraged. "Does Sam know about this?" Charles asked.

"No. Please don't tell him. I don't want him to feel guilty. Please, just let me die in silence," Bliss begged. Julie immediately shut her up. "Please speak no more, you're not dying. You are not leaving poor Sam, me, your mum, Charles, and everyone you know behind. At least think about Sam. I know your intentions were good. You didn't want to hurt him, and you had to do it the painful way but think about how hurt he would be when you die. He might even commit suicide," Julie spoke fearfully.

Madam Stella watched them silently. She wished her daughter would stop thinking about death. All these years, she had never seen her in that condition. Always cheerful and ambitious, and now she was looking at a daughter whose spirit had already faded.

Bliss smiled gently. "Don't worry, Julie. I will not die. But you must promise me that you will never tell Sam about this illness," she said, with a hopeful tone.

. "Please, can you help me and tell Sam that I've moved on? He should forget me and find someone else who would make him happy."
Julie stared at her in surprise. "You must be out of your mind Bliss. So you don't believe that you can recover from this mess you are in. Charles let's go", she said, stomping out of the house.

As Julie stormed out of the house, Charles hesitated for a moment, torn between comforting Bliss and respecting her request. After a moment of contemplation, he turned back to Bliss and said, "Bliss, I understand that you're going through a lot, but I believe that everyone deserves a chance to recover and find happiness. I won't force you to do anything, but please know that we're here for you. You're not alone in this." With a reassuring smile, he followed Julie out of the house, knowing that it was important to give Bliss some space while still being there for her when she was ready.