Chapter 2 - The Future He Had Earned
The final diagnosis came two days later.
The doctor explained the treatment schedule, the likely side effects and the importance of emotional support. Maya listened quietly, writing down every instruction in a small blue notebook.
“Do you have family nearby?” the doctor asked.
“My husband.”
“Bring him to your next appointment.”
Maya agreed.
But when she returned home, she found Arjun standing in the living room with a bottle of champagne.
“I got it,” he announced. “Regional director.”
For the first time in weeks, he looked completely free. He lifted her off the floor and turned in a circle while she laughed against his shoulder.
The celebration lasted less than a minute before his phone began ringing.
His parents called first. Then his brother. Then executives from three different offices.
Maya watched him accept their congratulations.
His new position would involve travel, long meetings and responsibility for hundreds of employees. It was the future he had dreamed about since he had been a scholarship student wearing secondhand suits to interviews.
That evening, Arjun found Maya standing on their balcony.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
She studied his face.
“If something happened that changed all our plans, what would you do?”
He leaned against the railing.
“I would fix it.”
“What if it couldn’t be fixed?”
“Then I’d keep trying until I found another way.”
“And if you had to give up this promotion?”
He looked confused.
“Why would I have to do that?”
Maya turned toward the city lights.
“I’m only asking.”
Arjun placed his jacket around her shoulders.
“No job matters more than you.”
It should have comforted her.
Instead, it confirmed her worst fear.
He would give everything up.
He would attend every appointment, refuse every business trip and eventually watch his career disappear. He would insist that it was his choice, but Maya imagined the silent regret growing between them.
She imagined him smiling beside a hospital bed while secretly wondering what his life might have been.
That night, after he fell asleep, Maya placed her hand against his cheek.
May you like
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
By morning, she had decided to make him stop loving her.
