“Leo, please stop. ”
My voice cracked. A tear slid down my face. He stopped writing in his notebook and looked up.
The smile vanished from his face. “Amelia, baby, what’s wrong? ”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The dam broke.
I started crying uncontrollably, my whole body shaking. He dropped the magazine and ran to me, wrapping his arms around me. “Shh, I’m here. Tell me what’s wrong.
I’ll fix it. I’ll fix anything. ”
“You can’t fix this, Leo. No one can fix this.
”
I’m Amelia. I’m twenty-five years old. The doctor gave me six months. And I’m standing in my living room, watching the man I love pick out my wedding dress for a wedding I’ll never see.
Three years ago, my life was simple. I worked in a flower shop. I loved my job—the colors, the smells, the way flowers made people happy. Then one rainy day, a man walked in, completely soaked.
He shook the water off his coat and smiled at me. “I need flowers for my mother’s birthday. She loves yellow. ”
I wrapped yellow roses in paper and tied them with a green ribbon.
Our fingers touched when he took them. He didn’t leave. We talked for an hour. When the rain stopped, he finally walked to the door, then turned around.
“I’m Leo, by the way. ”
“I’m Amelia. ”
“Can I take you to dinner tomorrow, Amelia? ”
That was the beginning.
Our first date was at an Italian restaurant. We laughed so much. He listened—really listened. We saw each other every day after that.
We walked in the park, cooked dinner together, and fell in love. After a year, we moved into this small apartment. We painted the walls yellow. We bought cheap furniture and a plant we named Bob.
Every morning, Leo brought me coffee in bed. At night, we fell asleep holding hands. It was an easy life. A good life.
I didn’t want anything else. I just wanted Leo. Then came the proposal. It was my birthday, six months ago.
Leo woke me up early and took me to a lake outside the city. The leaves were changing colors. He was quiet, nervous, his hands shaking. He got down on one knee.
“Amelia, you changed my life. You brought sunshine into my rainy days. You are my best friend. You are my home.
Will you marry me? ”
I couldn’t speak. I just nodded and cried and hugged him. The ring sparkled in the sun.
It was the best day of my life. We planned a spring wedding. May 15th. Leo bought wedding magazines and a notebook.
He wrote down dress prices, cake flavors, flower names. He was more excited than me. For a few weeks, life was a dream. Then my body started to change.
It began with headaches. Small at first, then heavy, like a stone in my head. Then came the exhaustion. I’d sleep ten hours and wake up feeling like I hadn’t slept at all.
My legs felt weak. I hid it from Leo. He was so happy, planning our future. I didn’t want to ruin his mood.
One day at the flower shop, my vision went blurry. The room started spinning. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. Mrs.
Green, the shop owner, was holding a cold towel to my head. “You fainted, Amelia. I’m calling an ambulance. ”
“No, please.
I’m fine. I just forgot to eat breakfast. ”
I lied. I went to the hospital alone.
I waited three hours in a cold waiting room. A doctor named Dr. Harris ran tests. An MRI.
Blood work. They told me to go home and wait for the results. For five days, I waited. Every time my phone rang, I jumped.
I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I smiled for Leo, but inside I was terrified. Then the hospital called.
They wanted to see me in person. I knew it was bad. Good news is told over the phone. Bad news is told in a quiet room.
Dr. Harris closed the door behind him. He held an envelope with pictures of my brain. He pointed to a white spot.
“There’s a tumor. It’s very aggressive. It’s growing fast. ”
“Can you cut it out?
Surgery? ”
He shook his head. “It’s in a very bad place. We can’t operate.
”
“Medicine? Chemotherapy? ”
“We can try to manage the pain. But it won’t cure you.
It’s too late. ”
The words hit me like a train. Too late. “How much time do I have?
”
He looked down. “Six months. Maybe less. I’m so sorry.
”
That was two months ago. I left the hospital as a different person. People were laughing in the street, drinking coffee, playing with their dogs. I wanted to scream at all of them.
Stop laughing. I’m dying. But I didn’t scream. I sat on a bench in the park and cried until I couldn’t breathe.
Why me? I’m young. I’m kind. I want to be a wife.
I want to be a mother. I want to grow old with Leo. But life doesn’t ask what you want. It just happens.
I made a choice that day. I decided not to tell Leo. Not yet. He was so happy with his notebook and his wedding plans.
I wanted him to have that joy a little longer. I wanted him to sleep peacefully at night. If I told him, his smile would disappear forever. Our home would become a sad place.
Everything would be about sickness and death. I wanted life. I wanted normal. So I kept the secret.
For two months, I carried this heavy rock in my heart. I hid my pills in my purse. I took them when Leo wasn’t looking. I lost weight.
I put on extra makeup to look healthy. Leo noticed things. “Amelia, are you eating enough? You look thin.
”
“I’m eating. ”
He made me big plates of food. He kissed my nose. He was so good.
Too good for this pain. Yesterday, we went to the bakery for the cake tasting. Leo fed me a piece of strawberry cake. “Open up.
” It tasted like summer, like love. But I had a terrible headache. I smiled and chewed. “Is it good?
”
“It’s delicious. ”
“Let’s get the strawberry,” he told the baker. Then he looked at me. His smile faded.
He put his hand on my cheek. “Amelia, are you really okay? You look like you’re in pain. ”
I looked into his beautiful brown eyes.
I wanted to break down. I wanted to say, I’m dying, Leo. I’m leaving you. But I swallowed my tears.
“I’m just tired. It’s the stress. ”
He hugged me in the bakery. I listened to his heartbeat—strong and healthy.
Mine felt weak. The wedding is set for May 15th. It’s now late January. I won’t make it to May.
I know I have to tell him. The secret is breaking my soul. My body is failing. Soon I won’t be able to walk.
He needs to know. He needs time to say goodbye. So now, here I am. Standing in our living room.
The wedding magazine is on the floor. Leo is holding me, scared. “What do you mean, Amelia? You’re scaring me.
”
I take a deep, shaky breath. “I went to the doctor two months ago. Because I was fainting. Because of the headaches.
”
His eyes widen. “Why didn’t you tell me? What did the doctor say? ”
“They did a scan of my brain.
They found a tumor, Leo. A very bad tumor. ”
Leo freezes. He shakes his head.
“No. No. That’s a mistake. Doctors make mistakes all the time.
We’ll get another doctor. ”
He starts pacing. “We’ll go to the best hospital. We have savings.
We’ll pay for surgery. You’ll be fine. You’re young. You’re strong.
”
I grab his arms. “Leo, look at me. It’s too late. It’s growing very fast.
They can’t do surgery. They can’t cure it. ”
“No! ” He pulls away, covering his ears.
“I don’t believe it. I don’t accept it. ”
He falls to his knees. He grabs his hair and lets out a terrible sound—a cry of pure pain.
I get down on the floor with him and hold him. He wraps his arms around me and cries louder than I’ve ever heard a person cry. “How long? ” he chokes out.
“How long? ”
“The doctor gave me six months. That was two months ago. ”
He gasps.
“Four months. You only have four months. ”
“I won’t make it to May, Leo. I’ll be dead before spring.
”
He screams. He hits his fist on the floor. “No. It’s not fair.
God, it’s not fair. ”
We stay on the floor for a long time. The afternoon turns into evening. We don’t turn on the lights.
We just hold each other and cry until we have no more tears. The wedding magazine lies open next to us, the picture of the white dress like a cruel joke. That night, we lie in bed holding hands in the dark. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” I whisper.
“I wanted you to be happy. ”
“You carried this alone,” he says, his voice raw. “You suffered alone. I’m so sorry, Amelia.
I should have noticed. ”
“You were just happy. I wanted you to be happy. ”
“I can’t be happy without you.
I don’t want a life without you. ”
“You must, Leo. You must live. For me.
”
The next few weeks are the darkest days of our lives. Leo takes a leave from work. He stays home with me every second. He becomes my shadow, my nurse.
We go to three different doctors. We travel to another city to see a famous brain specialist. But every doctor shakes their head. Every doctor says the same words: “I’m sorry.
There’s nothing we can do. ”
Leo gets angry. He yells at a doctor once. I have to pull him away.
He’s not angry at the doctor. He’s angry at death. I’m getting weaker every day. The medicine makes me sleep a lot.
I can’t eat the strawberry cake anymore. I can only eat soup. I can’t walk far. Leo carries me to the bathroom, to the bed.
He washes my hair. He brushes my teeth. He never complains. He looks at me like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world, even when my face is pale and sick.
This is true love. Love is carrying someone when they can’t walk. Love is staying when everything is dark. One morning, I wake up feeling a little better.
The pain isn’t so bad. The sun is shining through the window. It’s a cold February morning. Snow is on the ground outside.
Leo is sleeping next to me, dark circles under his eyes. He’s losing weight too. He’s suffering with me. I look at him and think about our dream.
We wanted to be husband and wife. That was our biggest dream. I won’t make it to spring. But I’m still alive today.
I shake his shoulder gently. “Leo, wake up. ”
He opens his eyes fast. “Amelia, are you okay?
Do you need pills? ”
“No. I feel good today. ”
He relaxes a little.
“Good morning, my love. ”
“Leo, I have an idea. A new plan. ”
He looks confused.
“A plan? ”
“I want to marry you. I still want to be your wife. I’m not waiting for May.
I’m not waiting for spring. Spring is too far away. I want to marry you now. This week.
Here in our home. ”
Leo stares at me. Then a small, real smile appears on his face—the first real smile in weeks. “Yes,” he whispers.
“Yes, let’s do it. Let’s get married. ”
We plan a fast wedding. A winter wedding.
We call our families. They’re sad, but they understand. We don’t rent a big venue. We use our small apartment, the living room with the yellow walls.
It’s our favorite place in the world. I don’t wear the big white lace dress from the magazine. It’s too heavy. Instead, my mother buys me a simple, soft pink dress.
It feels like silk. Leo wears his best dark suit. He looks so handsome. The day of the wedding arrives.
It’s a Saturday in February. Outside, it’s snowing heavily. Big white flakes fall from the sky like magic. Inside, our apartment is warm and bright.
Leo bought hundreds of small candles. They’re everywhere—on tables, on shelves, on the floor. The room glows with soft golden light. And there are yellow roses everywhere.
They smell sweet, just like the day we met. Our families are here. The room is crowded, but it feels full of love. I can’t stand for long, so Leo puts a beautiful wooden chair in the middle of the room.
I sit in the chair, wearing my pink dress, a small yellow rose in my hair. I feel weak, but I feel so happy. Leo stands in front of me, holding both my hands. A man from the city office is there to marry us.
The room is quiet. The only sound is the soft crackle of a candle. Leo says his vows first. His voice shakes, but he speaks clearly.
“Amelia, you are the light of my life. You brought sunshine into my rain. From the moment I saw you with those yellow roses, I knew you were my forever. I promise to love you.
I promise to care for you in sickness and in health for all the days we have left. For all eternity, you are my beautiful wife. ”
I take a deep breath. “Leo, you are my rock.
You are my safe place. You made my simple life a grand adventure. I’m so sorry our time is short. But I’m so grateful for every minute.
I promise to love you. I promise to watch over you always until we meet again. You are my wonderful husband. ”
Everyone is crying.
I can hear my mother sobbing quietly. We exchange rings. Leo slides the gold wedding band onto my finger. It sits next to my engagement ring.
I slide his ring onto his finger. The man says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. ”
Leo leans down.
He puts his hands gently on my face and kisses me. It’s a long, sweet, deep kiss. All our love, all our pain, all our hope is in that kiss. When we pull apart, everyone claps and cheers.
“We did it,” Leo whispers. “Mrs. Amelia,” I whisper back. “Mr.
Leo. ”
We have a small party. We eat the strawberry cake. It tastes better than I remember.
We drink a little champagne. We take pictures. In the pictures, I look thin and sick, but my eyes are bright. My smile is huge.
Leo is holding me tight. We look happy. We are happy for that one day. There is no sickness.
There is no tumor. There is only love. There is only a husband and a wife. That was three weeks ago.
Now it’s early March. The winter is ending. Soon the snow will melt. Soon the birds will return.
Soon it will be spring. But I’m leaving. The doctor was right. The tumor is very fast.
I can’t walk at all now. I stay in our bed all day. The pain is very bad. Sometimes I take strong medicine that makes me sleep almost all the time.
When I wake up for short periods, Leo is always there. He sits in a chair next to the bed, holding my hand. He reads books to me. He plays soft music.
Our wedding pictures are on the wall. I look at them when I wake up. They make me smile. I’m so glad we didn’t wait for spring.
I’m so glad I’m his wife. My body feels very heavy now, like I’m sinking into the mattress. Breathing is hard. Talking is hard.
I can only whisper a few words. “I love you,” I whisper to him. He kisses my forehead. “I love you more.
I will always love you more. ”
I’m not angry anymore. I’m not scared anymore. I’ve accepted my path.
I feel a deep peace in my heart. I want to share a lesson from this hard journey. Many people think they have a lot of time. They delay things.
They say, “I’ll travel next year. ” “I’ll forgive my friend tomorrow. ” “I’ll get married in the spring. ” Don’t wait.
Please don’t wait. Time is a trick. It’s not guaranteed. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone—not the young, not the healthy, not the rich.
We only have today. We only have this moment. If you love someone, tell them today. If you want to do something, do it today.
Eat the strawberry cake. Buy the beautiful flowers. Marry the person you love. Don’t wait for perfect weather.
Don’t wait for the perfect time. Life is messy. Life is unpredictable. Life is short.
I’m twenty-five years old. My life is ending. But I’m not a tragedy. I’m a success story.
Why? Because I loved deeply. And I was loved deeply. Some people live a hundred years but never find true love.
They live a long, empty life. I lived a short, full life. My heart is completely full. Leo filled it up.
I have no regrets. I’m getting tired now. My eyes are heavy. I need to close them.
Leo is sitting next to me, holding my hand. His thumb gently rubs my wedding ring. He’s humming our favorite song softly. The room is warm.
The yellow walls look golden in the afternoon light. I can feel my breath slowing down. The pain is fading. Everything feels light.
I feel like I’m floating. I squeeze his hand one last time. He stops humming. He looks at me.
He knows. He leans down and puts his cheek against mine. He’s crying, but he’s trying to be quiet. “It’s okay, my love,” he whispers in my ear.
“It’s okay to let go. I’ll be okay. I promise I’ll carry you in my heart forever. Go to sleep, my beautiful wife.
Go to sleep. ”
His words give me peace. I don’t have to fight anymore. “I love you,” I whisper, my last words.
I close my eyes. I see a bright light. I see a field of yellow roses shining in the sun. It’s spring here.
It’s always spring here. I’m ready.
