Nicholas POV
“Is there no way out of this? Is my daughter going to die?” Mrs Clara asked, her voice trembling as she sobbed even more.
I shifted my gaze from her to the chandelier which hung in the middle of the living room. I couldn’t look at her because I didn’t want the tears gathering in my eyes to fall.
If tears could keep Monica alive then I was ready to cry a tank full but it couldn’t so it was just a waste of energy.
“I don’t know mom. I don’t know what to do or think anymore” I said, my voice trembling as I placed my head on my palm frustratedly
“Have you tried to go to hospital for another test? It could be that her previous test result was a mistake or_” Aunt Ella said but I cut her short.
“Aunt, Monica is sick. She forgets things and Ethan once took her into his car and she thought it was me” I said, finding Aunt Ella’s words ridiculous
“What! How? When?” Mrs Clara asked.
“it was the day of her birthday. I went to get the car and saw Ethan’s car zooming off. Monica followed Ethan because she thought he was me” I said.
“How can she think he is you? There’s a lot of difference between your and Ethan’s facial features. You and Ethan are not alike” Mrs Clara said, her voice low and laced with sadness.
“It was her illness that caused it, Mom. She looked at Ethan and all she was seeing was me” I explained further.
“What are we going to do? Is there no hope? I can’t lose my daughter. I can’t lose my Monica. I haven’t had a lot of good time with her yet. We haven’t spent time together. Why was this happening?” Mrs Clara asked, her voice rough and laced with sadness as tears ran down her cheeks
Mrs. Clara’s sobs filled the room as everyone fell silent. I stared at Uncle Karl whose facial expression was laced with sadness.
Aunt Ella just sobbed in her palm while Mrs Clara wailed on the floor. I’ve lost all hope of keeping Monica alive. I was frustrated, sad, scared, and restless.
I’ve done all I can to help Monica and have nothing to show for all my hard work. The only surgeon I had managed to look for could even be a fraud.
Anthony was right about what he said earlier in the office. I’ve not worked with them before and I can’t guarantee their sincerity.
I hope they’re real. I hope they’re not fake. I hope they aren’t fraudsters because if they are, that will just crash every iota of hope left in me.
“Who else knows about this?” Uncle Karl asked, after a long period of silence.
“Just us and Anthony” I replied.
“So Anthony knew about this all these while and you’re just telling us now?” He asked, a frown on his face.
“I’m sorry uncle,” I said.
“Monica can’t die. I’m going to make some calls and see if some of my friends who are neurosurgeons can be of help” Uncle Karl said, walking out of the living room with his gaze fixed on his phone.
I sighed in exhaustion and felt a pang of headache. Everything was overwhelming and tiring and the worst part was I still couldn’t provide a solution to save my wife even after all the stress.
“No, I refuse to watch this happen. I refuse to let things be this way” Mrs Clara said, her voice sharp and her eyes laced with a newfound determination but they still didn’t subside the sadness and loss of hope I felt.
“It’s okay Mom. I’ve come to accept my fate” Monica said from the stairs, a small bit sad smile on her lips.
“Monica” Mrs Clara yelled amidst her tears, her hands holding tightly onto her shirt, as if she was trying to subside the growing pain in her chest.
“Oh my dear, why didn’t you tell us all this while? Why bear this huge secret alone?” Aunt Ella asked, walking to Monica who was already sniffing, fighting back the tears in her eyes.
This wasn’t what I wanted. This wasn’t how I imagined my marriage with Monica to be. I wanted happiness, not sadness.
I wanted a long life not for anyone to die young. I wanted to grow old with my wife and not become a widower before fourty. Was this too much to ask? Why was life giving me the opposite?
Tears gathered in my eyes as I watched Aunt Ella and Monica cry in each other’s arms. The once-silent living room was filled with sobs and sniffing.
I couldn’t even hold back my tears because my heart ached for the future. I dreamt of a Happy and comfortable life with Monica.
I had plans for her, for us. I wanted to have more kids. I wanted to see her smile when I woke up and her pink cheeks whenever she blushed.
I wanted to watch her cook lunch for me. I wanted to get her gifts, and jewelry and take her out but life was taking this opportunity away from me.
“It’s okay aunt. It’s okay. Everything will be fine” Monica said, her voice trembling as more tears spilled from her eyes.
I couldn’t look at them anymore. I shifted my gaze from them and looked at the floor. My heart ached so much that the tears which had gathered in my eyes began spilling from them.
“You’ve been so good to me Aunt Ella. I will never forget your act of kindness even in my grave” Monica uttered.
“No no, don’t say that. You’re not going to die. I will search the world for a way that tumors can be removed. You can’t die. I won’t allow it” Aunt Ella said, her voice laced with sadness and certainty.
I told myself that some days ago and yet, I still haven’t arrived at a way for Monica to escape death. Was life going to take the only woman I had managed to fall in love with away from me? Was this how things were going to end? I want nothing more than for this dream to end and I hope this is a dream.