Maybe, Someday

Chapter 16

Aki's POV (A glimpse of her POV for the last few chapters)

Lately, I have been feeling worse than usual. The fatigue weighed heavily on me, and there were days when just getting out of bed felt like an uphill battle.

I hadn't told Serene about my illness; I didn't want to worry her. I wanted to be the strong one for her, especially with our anniversary and her graduation coming up.

One morning, as I lay in bed with Serene, I felt a mix of comfort and guilt. She was curled up against me, her warmth soothing my troubled thoughts.

I wanted to stay in this moment forever, but my phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling me back to reality. It was my doctor calling.

I hesitated, staring at the screen. I didn't want to answer. The last thing I wanted was to hear more bad news.

But as I lay there, Serene stirred and noticed my phone vibrating.

"Are you going to answer that?" she asked, her voice sleepy but insistent.

"It's just a friend," I replied, trying to brush it off. I wanted to focus on her, on us. But the phone buzzed again, and my heart sank. I knew I had to answer.

"Okay, fine," I said, reluctantly picking up the phone. "Hey what's up?"

Going away from Serene a little bit.

"Zyd, it's me, Anastasia," the voice on the other end was calm but firm.

"We need to talk about your treatment. I think it's time to consider upgrading your plan. You might have to undergo surgery soon."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

"I'll worry about it later," I said quickly, trying to sound nonchalant, but inside I was panicking.

I didn't want to think about surgery. I didn't want to think about any of this right now.

"Please, Zyd. This is important," the doctor urged, but I cut the call short, unable to hear more. I dropped the phone on the bed, feeling a wave of dread wash over me.

When I turned back to Serene, she was propped up on one elbow, concern etched on her features. "Who was that?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.

"Sorry about that, just a friend from work," I lied, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. I hated keeping things from her, but I couldn't let her see how scared I really was.

Serene studied me for a moment, and I could see the worry in her expression, but she didn't press further.

Instead, she leaned in closer, wrapping her arms around me. "Okay. Just remember, I'm here for you," she said softly.

As I held her close, I felt the weight of my secret pressing down on me. I wanted to be strong for her, to be the partner she deserved.

But the truth was, I was scared. Scared of what was happening to my body and scared of how it would affect our future together.

I took a deep breath, trying to push the fear aside, at least for this moment. I needed to focus on Serene, on the love we shared.

I hoped that somehow, I could figure everything out before it was too late.

The day of Serene's graduation and our anniversary had finally arrived, and I had planned everything down to the last detail.

I wanted it to be perfect—a private dinner set up on the beach after the ceremony, just the two of us under the stars.

I had also arranged a surprise week-long vacation abroad for us. I could hardly wait to see her reaction.

As I drove to the venue, excitement bubbled inside me. I texted Serene, letting her know I was on my way.