Lauren felt the world shift beneath her feet.
Her breath hitched. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She had been prepared for excuses, sarcasm, another deflection. But not this. Not this.
Larry sat there, looking at her with tired eyes, his face pale and drawn. He had always been so full of life, so annoyingly Larry—smirking, teasing, larger than life. But now… now, he looked fragile.
She swallowed hard. “What?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the silence like a blade.
Larry exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. “I have kidney cancer.”
Lauren flinched. Her stomach twisted so violently she thought she might throw up.
“No.” She shook her head, her arms wrapping around herself as if that could keep her from falling apart. “No, you—you’re messing with
