A Love to Last - 9. Chapter 9: Will Ben and David get the happy ending they deserve?

“No!” David said, shaking his head. He could feel the searing pain in his heart. “That cannot be. You must be mistaken. Ben cannot have cancer, it’s not possible.”

“I am sorry.” The handsome man apologized. “I know how hard this might be for you and I wish I wasn’t breaking this news to you. But it’s the truth. I did the test thrice and it was confirmed that he has colon cancer and it has started invading other organs.”

David’s face felt terribly wet as though he were standing in a blowing gale.

“No! You’re lying.” He sobbed. “Ben cannot have cancer. It’s not possible. He’s a good guy, doctor.”

He couldn’t stop crying.

“Pease, tell me this is a joke.”

“Calm down, your husband needs you now more than ever.” He said, rubbing the man’s shoulder. “He needs your support and your love now more than ever. You need to be strong and happy for his sake. These are moments when he’s gonna need you more than ever.”

‘Well, I want our first born to be a girl.’ Ben’s voice rang through his head. ‘And she’s gonna be beautiful. We’ll name her Leah, just like my mother.’

David furiously rubbed his tears and looked at the doctor, his eyes blood red. Without saying a word, he rudely ran past him and badged into the room. When he reached there, his heart broke to pieces when he saw Ben lying in that bed with blood connected to him.

He looked so peaceful and yet, the only thing David was able to remember was the state he had found him in. He walked slowly to the bed, ignoring the nurse that was doing her thing and injecting him with some medication.

Reaching the bed, he dropped to his knees and held Ben’s hand, kissing it like there was no tomorrow. The boy was sleeping, probably unaware of the terrible disease that he had been diagnosed with. A terrible weight fell onto David’s shoulders as he watched the boy lying still on the bed.

“My love,” He said in between sobs. “You’re gonna be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear. You need to fight for us, for our future and for our family. You promised that it was gonna be the two of us forever.”

He cried like a baby, feeling like someone was squeezing his heart. It had to be a lie because there was no way Ben could have cancer.

“We’ve sedated him but once he wakes up, he might began experiencing the pain again,” The doctor whom he hadn’t even noticed had followed him spoke. “At this stage of the cancer, it will be useless to do radiotherapy as it cannot help us. The only way is surgery and we need to do it quickly before it becomes impossible.”

David raised his face and stared at the doctor, feeling his heart begin to race.

“What?” He slowly rose from the floor. “Does this mean that once he undergoes surgery, he’s gonna be just fine?”

“I cannot say right now, Mr. Paola.” He sighed. “It’s a 50:50 chance, depending on the extent of the invasion. I cannot say much because I am not an oncologist.”

Whatever the doctor said was gibberish to him. All he heard was that there was a chance that his Ben could be saved and he was going with that. He couldn’t lose him and he wasn’t going to.

“Then let’s do it.” He said, gripping the doctor’s arm painfully. “I don’t care about anything else as long as I can ensure the survival of my husband. When can we start?” He asked abruptly. “Do I need to sign any papers? Can we do it today?”

“That’s no problem.” The doctor smiled. “However, like I said, we need a specialist for this case. Surgery will be performed and you are gonna need to deposit a minimum of 340 000 dollars.”

David could have sworn his jaw almost dropped to the floor. His mouth opened, his body didn’t move. The color drained from his face as he stared wide-eyed at the doctor in front of him. Fear slowly cripped through him and he felt his heart pounding in his chest, threatening to come out.

“340 000 dollars?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

“Yes!” The doctor nodded. “Once you do that, we can have the specialist come here and start doing the tests. Then he’ll undergo surgery.”

“What?” A tear rolled down his cheek. “But-but I don’t have such an amount of money. Even if I sold everything I have, there’s no way I am gonna raise anything. Please…” He put his hands together. “…I am begging you, doctor, help me. Save my husband and I shall forever be grateful.”

“I am sorry, Mr. Paola.” The doctor apologized. “My hands are currently tied. I cannot do anything to help. The only way is surgery. You’re the only one that can help him and the sooner you find the money, the better it will be for your husband. Otherwise, without surgery, we cannot do anything here as well. You might as well take him home.”

A strange feeling washed over David with unbreakable force.

“I am sorry.” The doctor apologized. “But you need to raise that money as soon as possible. I am sure that there has to be some way you can find it.” He smiled sheepishly and patted on his shoulder. “Excuse me!”

When the doctor left, David remained there with his head full of thoughts that he didn’t know what to think first. He knew he had to save Ben no matter the cost. He couldn’t allow him to suffer.

He went back to the bed, took the boy’s hands and stared into his beautiful face.

“Why is this happening, my love?” He cried softly as he slowly knelt. “Why did it have to be you and not me? You don’t deserve what’s happening to you, my love? I wish it was me lying in that bed instead of you.

How am I supposed to stay strong when I know that you’re suffering?” He mourned. “Why is life testing me like this?”

His hands moved and caressed the boy’s cheeks.

“I need you, Ben. “He sobbed heartbreakingly, his tears of sadness falling like a shower as he sobbed. “I don’t know what to do or where I am gonna get the money. But I can’t watch you die, I just can’t. I’d rather die with you.”

He buried his face into the bed and sobbed there with a strangled scream, his shoulders trembling. After crying for what felt like hours, he raised his face with his eyes red and swollen. He gazed at the sleeping boy and got up from the floor, kissing him softly on the lips.

“I will do everything to make sure you get out of this, Ben.” David vowed as he planted a kiss on the forehead. “I promise!”

With those words, he quickly left the room.

***

“These are the files that I want you to study.” Claudia said as she handed a beautiful young woman the files. “We’re receiving a very important client and I want everything to go smoothly.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded, wearing a beautiful smile. “All of us know how important this deal is for you and also for us. We’ll do our best to impress them.”:

Claudia smiled. “I know you will.”

She began giving the woman instructions on what she wanted them to focus mostly on. Claudia was looking sexy that morning in what she wore. She had a black designer’s sexy dress that showed off her beautiful hour glass figure, reaching her knees. Her cleavage was exposed for the world to see with beautiful silver heels on her feet. Her hair was made into a braided ponytail, revealing her beautiful ageless face with makeup gracing her face.

As she was busy explaining, she heard her door open and close.

“I thought I said I didn’t wanna be disturbed.” She said in a frustrated tone. “Can you go and come back later. I am discussing something very important.”
She didn’t even bother to look at who had come inside, but she continued explaining.

“Mom?”

Claudia felt the muscles of her heart tighten with incredible force when she heard that voice. Her eyes robotically moved towards the door and when she saw him standing there, staring at her, her breathing became light and her mouth gaped.

She couldn’t believe it. Her son whom she hadn’t set eyes on in sixth month was standing in her office. It was like a dream, a very good dream. He looked different from the classy and good looking son she had raised. His hair had grown so much. He wore a blue old t-shirt that seemed to have some blood stains on it. He had a blue short and sandals on his feet. He had lost some weight and seeing him like that, she felt like crying.

“David!” Her breath was shaky. “Is that you?” She rose from the chair slowly, her mouth shaking.

She dismissed the woman she had been talking to and rushed to her son. She wrapped her arms around him and mother and son hugged tightly, both emotional. Claudia couldn’t believe it. Although she had disowned him, she was glad he was back because she dismissed him.

David on the other hand had never though he’d be that emotional when he met his mother again. At that point, he realized how much he had missed her, how much he had missed her embrace and cares. It was such an emotional moment.

“Oh my God, David!” Claudia sniveled as she kissed his face. “Look at you, my son. You’ve changed so much. What happened to you?”

David couldn’t speak. He just stared at her with tears in his eyes. He had travelled about 2 hours just to reach the capital and he was already worried about leaving his husband alone, unattended to.

“Never mind!” She held his hands and kissed them. “The good thing is you’re back, my son. You have no idea how happy this makes me. Everyone is gonna be so happy to see you.”

She started rushing to the table. “Let me just pack my stuff and then we can go home.” She laughed. “I’ll cancel all my meetings and then…”

“Mom!” He called weakly.

“I know.” She laughed. “I know that we kinda left things in a bad state and we said some hurtful words to each other. But let’s forget about that. You’re my son and I cannot remain mad at you forever. The important thing is you realized your mistakes and you came back. I am gonna throw a grand party for your return. I cannot wait to tell…”

“Mom…”

“Just a minute, baby.” She glanced at him and smiled. “Let me…”

“I need your help!” he said softly, getting closer to her. “I really need your help because I am in trouble.”

Claudia quickly turned and looked at her son, a frown appearing on her face.

“What kind of trouble are you in?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “We can talk about it at…”

“I don’t have much time, mom.” He sighed. “I need money, about 400 000 dollars. IT’s urgent.”

Claudia felt her heart begin to race. “What? Why do you need so much money? Can you tell what kind of trouble you are.”

“I can’t right now but maybe later. But you need to give me that money.” He said abruptly. “I need it right now. It’s a matter of life and death.”

Claudia felt like someone had slapped her in the face. “You didn’t return here because you missed your family, did you? You only returned here because you had nowhere else to go. You only showed up here because you’re desperate and you need this money.” Her voice was rising. “How could I have been so stupid as to think that my long lost son has finally returned to his family? I am so stupid.”

“Mom, please.” He rushed to her and held her hand. “I did miss you and…”

“No!” She furiously released her hand. “How stupid do you think I am? Six months you left our house. No calls, no texts and not even a word from you. I should have known.”

“Mom, please…”

“David, just leave.”

“Mom, I need your help.” Tears welled in his eyes. “Ben is in the hospital and he needs emergency surgery. If he doesn’t get that, I might lose him.”

Claudia’s eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched together. She let out a growl of annoyance and clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her skin. She was suddenly so mad that she began shaking. ‘Ben’ she thought as all kinds of evil possessed her and she was reminded of how much she hated him.

“Yesternight, he was in so much pain and he began bleeding.” He added, staring at his mother who couldn’t even keep eye contact with him. “The doctor told me he has cancer and it can only be treated by surgery. I need to pay for the specialist to come and perform everything.” He dropped to his knees. “I am desperate here, mom, and I need your help. You’re the only one that can help me. Please!”

‘Serves him right,’ She thought as she glared at her son, getting hurt by his words.

“Mom, please…” He added, taking her hand into his but she angrily withdrew. “…you’re my only hope. Help me.”

Claudia chuckled bitterly. “6 months ago, you left my house because of this same boy. You chose that boy over your family despite my warnings.” She groaned, shaking her head. “I begged you to stay but you still left any ways. You pointed the gun at me, your mother. Do you remember what I said to you?”

David was quiet. He couldn’t open his mouth to answer her, except for the tears in his eyes.

“I told you that once you left, you could never return. That was the most painful moment in my life.” She barked. “Every mother’s wish is to spend all the days of her life with her children but when her children hurt her, what do you expect her to do. So, what should I call this? Should I call it karma?”

“Mom, please…”

“That boy destroyed my happy family.” She yelled, moving away from him. “We used to happy and united, until he seduced you and destroyed everything. Do you know how much I have been praying for that boy to suffer? Guess my wish came true.” She laughed.

“Please!” David put his hands together. “I love him so much and I cannot just watch him suffer like this. If not for anyone, at least do it for me, mom. I promise I’ll forever be indebted to you.”

“For what?” She chuckled bitterly. “So that I can be heartbroken again?”

“No, but your son will be happy.” He said, staring deep into her eyes. “Mom, I love you so much but I cannot live without Ben. I know that you’re not the kind of woman that would allow someone to die when you’ve got the power to do something. I know that despite what has happened between us, you still love me and want to see me happy. I am begging you, mom. I need your help.”

Claudia remained quiet, staring at her crying son. She wanted to hold him so bad and tell him everything was gonna be okay. But she was also mad at him for putting her in so much pain the last six months. She hated Ben so much and she wanted nothing more than to see him suffer. If he died, then her son was finally gonna return to her. Her family was gonna be complete.

“Please!”

Claudia slightly closed her eyes.

“Fine!” She sighed. “I will help you. I will give you any amount of money that you want.”

David felt a shiver go down his spine when he heard her answer. His heart leapt with joy and a smile appeared on his face. He rose from the floor and rushed to his mother. Then with excitement, he hugged her tightly.

“Thank you so much, mom,” He said excitedly. “Thank you so much. I know that you were gonna help me.”

“Yeah, you’re my son after all.” She said with a stern face. “But you didn’t allow me to finish. You are also gonna do something for me.”

David broke the hug but still held her hands in his. “What is it, mom? I’ll do anything. Just tell me.”

“Good!” She caressed his cheek, wearing a million-dollar smile. “I’ll help that boy although he doesn’t deserve it. But you’re gonna return back home and you’re gonna resume working at the company.”

David chuckled. “That’s not a problem. As soon as Ben…”

“You’re not returning home with that boy.” She seethed, her eyes widening. “You’re gonna return home, resume work and you’re gonna marry Jim.”

David’s entire body jerked to a stand still unexpectedly. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard his mother say. His eyes widened and he slowly uncoiled his arms from her, standing a distance. He shook his head.

“What?” He gasped. “Mom?”

“What?” She shrugged, jotting her hip. “You thought it was gonna be easy? You’re even lucky I am offering to help but like I said, I am a mother after all. God forbid will I allow my family to break again. You’ll get what you want and I’ll also get what I want. Let’s just call it helping one another.”

“No!” He shook his head, tears rolling down his face. “Over my dead body will I leave Ben and marry someone I don’t love. Ben is my life and I cannot imagine spending my life with any other person.”

“Good!” She chuckled bitterly, raising an eyebrow. “Then I guess you’re gonna have to watch your life die. I am pretty sure it will be fun. Either way, I get rid of that boy out of our lives.”

Fear crawled over his body, prickling his skin. The thought of Ben dying make him so sick that he felt his stomach tighten. All he felt was desperate despair.

“I left home six months ago, a life full of luxury with workers at my disposal.” He said in between sobs. “All my life, I have never done manual work, not a single day. But I left all that behind and worked myself off just to be with him mother. What does that show you? I love Ben so much and if you could just give him a chance, you’ll get to realize that he’s a nice boy. He makes me happy. He shows me so much love. I don’t love Jim and I can never be with him no matter what.”

“Oh…” She moaned, touching her chest in mock astonishment. “…that is so sweet. Too bad that doesn’t move me at all. I don’t care if you’re in love with God himself. All I know is that you’re gonna do as I have asked if you want me to help him. Otherwise, you can forget about it.”

David nodded, wiping his tears.

“Then forgive me for coming to you… mother.” He said, a little harshly. “Looks like I made a big mistake. I was hoping I was coming to meet my mother and she would help her son and accept the boy that makes him happy. But all this bitterness and selfishness that you have will one day cost you everything that you have. Thank you so much for your help.”

With one final look at her, he started going away.

“You will understand one day when you have children that you need to make certain decisions and sacrifices for them.” She hollered, making him stop. “And when you become desperate enough, you know where to find me.”

Without even turning, David stormed out of the office. He was in so much pain and he was so desperate. His only way of finding money had been shattered. He had tried calling his friend but he couldn’t reach him.

What was he going to do?

***

“You don’t say!” Elena gasped, holding out her chest. “Wow! This is the best news I have heard in a long time. I didn’t even start praying and God has already started punishing him for me. Wow, this turned out better than I expected.”

‘I was shocked too.’ Claudia laughed on the other end. ‘Who would have guessed that something like this was gonna happen?’

“Obviously, not us.” Elena laughed on top of her voice. “So where’s he? I swear I would love to set my eyes on him and cause more pain than he is suffering.”

‘No idea!’ She sighed on the other end. ‘I didn’t even bother to ask because I don’t care. I gave him an ultimatum if he wants me to help him.’

“I trust you.” Elena laughed manically. “I want to see him suffer more than he is doing right now. In a few days, I bet he’ll be six feet underground. Then I’ll get rid of the pest called Ben forever. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“It is.”

“You know what? This calls for a celebration.” She hollered. “I’ll meet you soon so you can give me details. We need to find where this bitch is so we can pay him a visit.”

‘On it.’

She cut the call and just stood still, wearing an evil grin. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been that excited, feeling like she was about to have the best orgasm of her life. She could picture the boy taking his last breath and she wanted to witness it with her own eyes.

As she was busy thinking, she saw her son coming inside and she rushed to him. Reaching him, she grabbed his arms and started spinning him, singing a very joyful song. Jim who didn’t know what was going on looked like a deer caught in headlight.

“Mom?” He sounded confused. “What’s going on?”

Elena stopped and then cupped her son’s cheeks. “I have got very good news for you. This is the best news that you will hear after a long time.”

Jim frowned, raising an eyebrow. “The only best news I can get is that my soulmate has returned. If not that then the news is useless to me. That’s the only thing that can make me happy.”

Elena beamed, shaking her head. “You’re gonna love this because it comes with a bonus.” She took his hands and brought him closer. “I just got off the phone with Claudia and she told me that David showed up at the office today.”

Jim’s lips parted in silent surprise.

“What?” He jumped like a child. “Are you being serious? My boyfriend is back home? Wow, I must go to him right now. I can’t wait to wrap my arms around him. Finally. Yes!” He screamed.

“David isn’t back home, yet!” Elena said abruptly, watching as her son’s face became blank. “But he’ll soon come home. But that’s not the best news.”

“I don’t wanna hear it.” He said harshly. “The only thing I care about is my David.”

“Ben has cancer.” She chuckled happily, staring deep into his eyes. “According to what David said, the only way that he can live is if he has surgery. But they have no money to pay the specialist that is to perform surgery.”

A smile appeared on Jim’s lips. He felt like his feet barely touched the ground as his joy unfolded like a flower. He felt fully and wonderfully alive. Then in a flash, he burst into laughter. He laughed and laughed until tears of mirth began coming out the side of his eyes.

“Oh my God… wow… wow…” He continued laughing until his mother joined him. “…never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I’d get to hear of such good news. Ben has cancer? So, what they say is true. Karma is a bad bitch after all. I always wanted him to burn in hell but this is even better. Serves him right for sleeping with my boyfriend.”

“I told you, Ben might have won the battle but he’s lost the war.” Elena added, an evil grin gracing her face. “I am going to make sure that he never gets that surgery no matter what they do. This is a golden opportunity that I’ve been waiting for. I will ensure that he dies a painful and slow death.”

“Count me in!” Jim said harshly. “I wanna see him suffer. Then I will get my David back. He’s gonna realize that he’s got no choice but to come to me.”

“You’ve already won. And this calls for a celebration. Our enemy has fallen and we didn’t even have to do anything. What could be better than this?”

“Nothing, mother!”

Elena squeezed her son’s shoulder. “Let me go get us some expensive wine to celebrate.”

She left and Jim remained standing there with the most beautiful smile.

‘I can’t wait for your death, Ben.’ He thought. ‘It’s what you deserve for stealing and sleeping with my boyfriend. I won’t pretend that I am sad because this is the best news that I have gotten in a long time. Now I will be able to have it all without sharing. Good riddance to bad rubbish.’

***

David was seated closer to Ben’s bed with his face buried on the bed, holding his lover’s hand. He had tried to sleep but God knows he couldn’t. His mind was really crowded and he had a splitting headache that felt like someone was pounding on him with a wrecking ball.

“David?”

David didn’t know if it was his mind playing tricks on him but he heard a sweet voice calling him. Ben hadn’t woken up and it was driving him crazy. He wanted to talk to him, to hold him and to kiss him. There was a lot going on in his head and he just wished that everything was bad to normal.

“David!”

He felt a hand in his hair and he quickly raised his face to find Ben staring at him, wearing a weak smile. The boy looked so weak and pale. His eyes that were so full of life looked like nothing he could recognize. He felt pain slip through him slowly and tears build up in his eyes.

“My love,” His hand found Ben’s head and he leaned to kiss him. He was so hot. “You’re finally awake. How are you feeling?”

Ben tried to put up a smile but he wasn’t fooling anyone. “I feel weak and very tired. How are you doing, baby? Hope you’re not beating yourself up.”

“I am not fine.” He said softly, a tear rolling down his face. “I can’t bear to see you on that bed. I am not used to this. I feel so useless and…”

“Shhh…” Ben said as he weakly moved his hand and caressed his husband’s. “You’re not useless, baby. You’re the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. You’ve made me so happy in the short time that we’ve been together.”

David sniveled, kissing Ben’s hand. “And I will still continue to make you happy. You just need to get better so we can go back home.”

Ben didn’t like seeing David suffering. He was suffering but all he wanted was to see his love happy and smiling. While David was gone, he had woken up and had insisted the doctor tell him what was wrong. He had cancer and it was spreading fast. He didn’t have long to live.

“Yes!” He nodded. “But even if that doesn’t happen, I want you to be happy, David. I know I am not fine and I don’t know what’s gonna happen today, tomorrow or next week.”

David could no longer control his hands, they were shaking in an odd trembling rhythm.

“Please, don’t say that.” He cried softly. “You’re breaking my heart, baby. You’re gonna be fine. I just don’t understand why this is happening to you. The doctor…” He paused and took a shaky breath. “…he said that you might have been experiencing this for some time.”

Ben slightly closed his eyes. “I didn’t want you to get worried. It’s been over two months. It started slowly and I thought it was gonna go away. I visited a pharmacy and bought some painkillers. They were working until that night. I don’t know what happened and… and…. I am so sorry. I should have said something but you were going through a lot as it was. I didn’t want to add to your worries.”

“It’s okay.” He nodded, wiping his tears. “I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re gonna be fine, my love. I promise you that.”

Sorrowful tears streamed down Ben’s face. “You’re a good guy, David, and even if these were my last days, I would want to spend them holding your hand.” He said in between sobs. “All my life, I never thought I’d meet someone that would love me so much but you did and I am thankful for that. You showed me more love than the people I called my family. You left everything and followed me.”

“Please stop…” David cried, shaking his head. “…you’re gonna be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you. I still need you in my life. We still have a family to start, remember?”

“All the words we spoke.” He nodded, smiling in his pain. “By the way, have you had anything to eat?”

David laughed. “Are you serious right now?”

“What?” Ben raised an eyebrow. “Can’t I worry about my husband?”

“You can but not right now. Food is not that important to me.” He said softly. “What I want is you out of that bed and back to your usual self. Besides, you too haven’t had anything. Maybe I should go and get you something to eat.”

“Weirdly enough, I am not hungry.” He shook his head. “Seeing you here is satisfying enough, but I want you to eat something. You can’t just stay hungry.”

“I am not hungry.” He shook his head. “I will eat when you are out of bed.”

“You can’t punish yourself. Besides, we don’t know when and if I will be out of here.” He took his husband’s hand and squeezed it. “But whatever the case, I want you to…” he paused when he felt something sharp like a knife in his gut. He winced, brows furrowed tight with pain.

“Baby?” David rose from the chair and stared at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I…” But he felt it, the pain, sharp and heavy. “Ow!” He screamed, gripping David’s arm tightly.

When David felt that painful grip, his heart began racing. Ben’s pain became so intense that he began screaming, assuming fetal position again. His screams were so much that it didn’t take the nurses time to get into the room to attend to him.

David held Ben the whole time. His heart was throbbing in his ears, loud and irregular, but he barely heard it, for his mind was clouded with fear as he watched the love of his life suffering. Whatever the nurses were doing seemed to be working as in no time, Ben’s cries died down and, in a few seconds, he was asleep again.

David got scared again. He just sat there holding his hand with tears rolling down his cheek.

“Good evening, Mr. Paola.” He heard a voice greet.

He raised his face and saw the doctor standing there with a sad face.

“Like you’re seeing, his condition is getting worse by the day.” He sighed, staring into his eyes. “We don’t know what might come and like I said, he needs emergency surgery. By now, I was expecting you to have raised something. We can’t keep sedating him as that’s gonna bring other unforeseen side effects. I have managed to talk to the specialist and he’s ready whenever you are.”

David combed his hair with his fingers. “I am trying my best. Right now, my hands are tied and I feel so useless seeing him in this state.”

“I understand, but you need to try harder, Mr. Paola.” The doctor emphasized. “We need to do this as soon as possible. Otherwise, we may reach a point where not even surgery is gonna help him. Please, I have seen how much you love this boy and it would hurt me to see anything bad happen to him.”

David sniveled and rubbed his eyes. He rose from the chair and stood in front of the doctor, staring deep into his eyes.

“Are you married?”

The doctor raised an eyebrow. “No, I am not married. But I have a girlfriend whom I love so much and plan to marry in future if everything goes in our favor.”

David nodded. “What would you do if she was the one that was lying down here and you were in my shoes? What would you do if you were offered something that would ensure her survival but means that you have to be apart from her?”

The doctor sighed and smiled sheepishly. “I would do everything within my power to ensure that she survives if it means that we won’t be together. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love her any less. But I also know that true love is about sacrifice, not to do the best thing but the right thing. Knowing that she’s alive and very healthy would be good for me, even if it would hurt me.”

Unhappy lines on his face etched deeply. He was in a dilemma.

“Why did you ask me that question?”

“It was just a thought.” He said as his eyes landed on the sleeping boy again. “Thank you so much for your answer. It means a lot to me. I’ll find ways of bringing the money for you. In the mean time, just help me in any way you can before that.”

“You know I will,” He said with a smile. “I care about my patients equally.”

He left and David took his seat and began caressing the boy’s hand. He had tears in his eyes.

“Do you remember the first time we met outside the hotel?” He asked, chuckling to himself. “If someone had told me that day that I was gonna meet someone I was gonna love to death, I wouldn’t have believed them.

Ever since that day, I have never looked back. I have loved you with every fiber of my being. I thought we were gonna be happy together forever but it seems like our trials haven’t really ended. It seems like every stage, there’s an obstacle that we have to face.

I just didn’t know that it was gonna be this big.” He sniveled. “I love you so much, Ben, so, so much and I cannot imagine my life without you. My heart, my body and my soul all belong to you. God is my witness and I am making a promise to you this day with God being my witness, my love for you shall never fade. I’ll always love you and I’ll always fight for our love. We shall have that family we planned and our lives will get better. I promise you.”

He leaned down and kissed the boy’s lips.

“I love you so much.”

He took the boy’s hands in his and lay his head on the bed, staring at him. He could just die looking at that gorgeous body.

“I’ll love you till my last breath.”

***

Claudia was coming down the stairs, looking like a beautiful model. She had her hair tied in a ponytail and she wore a beautiful black dress with slippers on her feet. Before she could even reach the living room, the entrance door opened wide, revealing a surprise, her son standing there.

When their eyes met, she felt a shiver go down her spine. He looked miserable… his hair was messy… his eyes were a bit swollen and he wore the same clothes he’d worn when she had seen him at the office the previous day.

Seeing him, a smile popped up her face and she began rushing towards him. David on the other hand was rushing towards her because he was in a hurry. When they met, they stared at each other for some time that one would have thought there was staring contest.

“David, hey!” Claudia’s hand found his cheek and gently squeezed it. “My baby, you don’t look so well. Have you been sleeping at all?”

“Save Ben!” David said with so much pain in his voice. “Pay the money and let them commence the surgery. His condition is deteriorating and I have failed to raise the money. Please!”

Claudia smiled. “David, baby, it hurts me to see you like this.” She shook her head. “But without me, you’re like a lost sheep. I am ready to save that good for nothing boy as long as you give the word. His life is in your hands.”

“I have already…”

“You know what I want to hear.” She said harshly. “I am not Jesus Christ that goes around saving people for free. So, you know the magic words and I will snap my fingers.”

“I will come back home and I will resume working in the company. I will take up every role as the son of the family.” He said in pain. “Ben will not be coming with me here. I will leave him as soon as surgery is done.”

Clkaudia burst into laughter. “And…” She placed a hand to her ear, getting closer to him.

David closed his eyes and warm tears rolled down his face like water from a dam. It was very painful and he felt his heart feel like someone had stabbed him.

“I will marry Jim.”

He hung his head and let the tears flow.

“Excellent!” Claudia clapped, feeling she’d just hit a jackpot. “Now we’re talking. Just give me a second and we’ll finalize this.”

She rushed to the table and got out a file. She brought a pen and handed it to her son. “This is the contract that states that you’re gonna return home, go back to work and marry Jim. In this contract, you vow that your marriage to Jim will be real and you guys will stay together forever. Only until your marriage is done will I get to do my end of the bargain.” She crossed her arms and watched him in tears without any remorse. “I have already signed my part. Now the only part remaining is yours.”

There was a sudden darkness that completely surrounded David as he looked at the contract. It was a fog that wouldn’t rise or fade. A single tear rolled down his cheek, as he stood by and thought about Ben and all the moments they had shared. He was too numb to move or think about anything else.

‘I love you so much, David!’ His voice rang in his head, tearing his heart to pieces. ‘I want us to have a female child and we’re going to name her Leah after my mother.

‘You’ve showed me so much love in the short time we’ve been together more than I ever got from my family.’

An image of Ben smiling at him, hugging him and kissing him played in his head.

As his hand slowly held the pen and robotically moved to sign the contract, there was a shadow, vague but prominent and taking all his strength each second that passed, piece by piece by piece, tear by tear. As he signed the contract, the tears flowed like a river and he didn’t even wanna stop them.

“Done!” his voice was raw. He slowly wiped his tears.

“Good!” Claudia clapped, putting the contract away. “Welcome back home, son. I missed you so much, my love.”

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. David didn’t even respond to the hug. There was something rising deep inside of him, hatred for his mother. He’d never thought he’d feel like that about his mother. She was a monster and she was destroying his life.

“Come here, my love.” She broke the hug but held his hand sweetly. “Wipe your tears. This is the best decision you’ve ever made and I can guarantee that you’re gonna be happy. You’ve got everything and a boy that will love you truly.”

“No one will ever love me the way Ben does.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I will never love anyone the way I love him. And mom… I hope you don’t live to regret this decision you’ve made today.”

“Why should I?” She shrugged. “I just saved my family from destruction and total embarrassment. I am a mother after all. Now cheer up…” She held his chin sweetly. “…you’re gonna be a married man soon.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. Then something happened, something that irritated him to the very core.

“David!” He heard a voice holler.

He didn’t need to be a genius to know that it was Jim. He heard footsteps rushing towards him right before Jim appeared in front of him. He was hyperventilating, staring at him like he wanted to eat him right there. Jim felt tears build in his eyes and he covered his mouth which was shaking uncontrollably. After six months, he was finally able to look his man in the eyes.

“My love!” He gasped. “Oh my God, you’re finally here.” He took his hand but David retaliated. “I missed you so much, my love.”

Claudia chuckled. “He missed all of us too. But he is right back with us and he’s going nowhere. And guess what?” She raised an eyebrow, staring at them both. “You two are getting married in three days.”

“What?” Both David and Jim shouted.

“What?” Claudia shrugged. “We wouldn’t wanna lose poor Ben, would we? The earlier you two get married, the earlier he gets treated. Do you want us to postpone to a month?” David was quiet. “I didn’t think so.”

Jim couldn’t contain his happiness. “Oh! This is the best day of my life. Finally, we’re getting married. We’re finally gonna be together, my love. I have been waiting for this moment forever.”

David couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “And you’re happy about this?” He asked Jim. “Ben is your brother and he’s dying in the hospital. You know I love him so much and yet you still wanna marry me after everything that happened?”

Jim smiled. “Ben is not my brother. I hate him so much with every fiber of my being. I have forgiven you for everything that happened but I will never forgive him for seducing you. Fate has brought us together and sooner or later, you’re gonna love me too. My love for you will neutralize whatever spell he had cast on you. You’ll see.”

David couldn’t believe it. Shaking his head, he made a quick turn and started leaving. But before he even made a step…

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“I am going back to the hospital to be with Ben.”

Claudia laughed. “You don’t get it, do you?” She crossed her arms and wore a stern face. “You’re never gonna see him ever again. You won’t go near him or else… our deal will be done before it’s over.”

“What? But…”

“You signed the contract that forbids you from going near him. I won’t stop you from going but…” She chirped. “…if you disobey me again, I’ll make sure that I let that boy die. The choice is all yours.”

“But he’s all alone.”

“I’ll have some people take care of him until surgery.” She shrugged. “You have a wedding to plan and you better start getting into it. You will act like Jim’s husband to be, doing all things as a couple. You will plan this wedding, you will smile and you will attend every event related to this wedding. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, mother.” Jim answered for him, coiling his arms with him. “I’ll make sure that he does all that. After all, Ben is also my brother and I am gonna ensure his survival.”

Just like a flash, Jim placed his hand at the back of David’s neck and pulled him towards him. Before David realized what was going on, the crazy was kissing him. It was quick and even before he reacted, it was over. Jim was rubbing on his lips sweetly.

“I missed these.” He moaned. “But now they’re we’re getting married, they’re gonna be all mine. I promise that you won’t ever regret this decision. I’ll be the best husband anybody can ever ask for.”

David didn’t even respond. He just kept on staring at Jim, wondering how someone could be so evil. If only he had the power and the will, he’d have done something that would have had him arrested. But he was helpless. The only thing that was at the back of his mind was the survival of his love.

“David?”

David froze when he heard that voice, a voice that he had missed so much. When he turned, he found his sister staring at him like she’d seen a ghost. She was so emotional that she couldn’t help but shed tears.

“David?”

She rushed to him and hugged him tightly. When his arms wrapped themselves around her, she confirmed that what was happening wasn’t a dream. It was all so real. She sobbed on his chest, fearing that if she let him go, she was gonna realize that it was all a dream.

“David!” She sobbed. “Is this really you? Oh my God, I can’t believe it. You’re finally here.”

“Amber.” David said weakly, pulling away from the hug. “You look so beautiful. I can’t believe I am holding you right now. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” She chuckled in her tears. “But you left and you didn’t even say anything to me. No calls or replies to the texts that I sent you. I looked everywhere for you. Didn’t you miss us at all?”

David nodded. “I missed you more than you could ever imagine. But I couldn’t do anything. I had to keep quiet because it was easier for me. Forgive your brother and understand him.”

Amber smiled as David rubbed her tears. “How could I stay mad at you? You know how much I love you and I understood why you kept quiet. You had to protect Ben. But now, I am so happy that you’re back.”

“And he’s not leaving.” Claudia chimed in, staring at her children. “He’s gonna stay with us forever. And you’re just in time too because we have a wedding to prepare in three days.”

“What?” Amber frowned, confused at her mother’s words. “A wedding? Really? That’s good news. I knew that your return must have been so important. But where’s Ben? I know you brought him. Where’s the other groom?”

Amber scanned the entire room but she couldn’t see him.

“Come on!” She hit her brother slightly on the chest. “Don’t tell you’re gonna do the whole you shouldn’t see your groom before the wedding thing. It’s so old fashioned. Besides, I missed my best friend and you two were living together, isn’t that, right?”

David remained silent. He just stared at her with tears in his eyes.

“Oh, you’re so excited.” She added, laughing at the top of her voice. “Your dream is coming true. Okay!” She raised her hands as if she was surrendering. “Just tell me where he is. I’ll go and see him.”

Claudia raised an eyebrow and wore an evil grin. “Well, dear, you have got the whole thing wrong. David is getting married but not to that boy. David is getting married to the beautiful boy beside him in three days, Jim!”

Amber took a glance at Jim who was blushing like a virgin bride on her wedding night and then at her brother and Jim again. Then she burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears began coming out of her eyes. But her laughter started fading as she realized that no one was laughing with her. A frown appeared on her face as she glared at her brother who couldn’t keep eye contact with her.

“Tell me this is a joke?” She said, shaking her head. “You’re marrying, Jim? How’s that possible? This joke is expensive.”

David nodded slowly.

“No!” She snapped, letting go of his hand. “How? Why? And Ben, what happens to him? You’re in love with Ben and you left because of him. I know you love him so much and…” She angrily pointed at Jim. “…you’re marrying this excuse of a guy? No!”

“Excuse me!” Jim snapped.

“You shut up!” She barked, breathing like she was in labor. “What’s going on here? Where’s Ben? Why are you marrying this boy?”

“He… he…”

“He’s not important!” Claudia chimed in, gripping her son’s arm. She put him closer to her. “David just realized that all this time, he has been in love with Jim. He couldn’t stay away from him, especially after realizing that the good for nothing boy had cast a spell on him. True love wins.”

Amber couldn’t control her tears. She felt so much pain as she stared at her brother. She could tell that something was wrong. His eyes were red and swollen. He was obviously hiding something and Claudia knew about it.

“But…” She couldn’t say a word anymore.

“Your brother is getting married in three days and he doesn’t wanna talk about that boy. I forbid his name to be mentioned in this house.” She turned to her son and beamed. “Let’s go, baby, we have a lot of things to do.”

Claudia took her son and Jim, leaving Amber standing there like a statue. She had thought that she was gonna be happy once her brother returned home. Now all he had brought to her was worry.

“What’s going on?” She whispered.

***

True to her word, the next day, preparations for the grand wedding started. There were posts in magazines, newspapers, on social media platforms and everyone knew about the upcoming wedding of David and Jim.

It was gonna be the wedding of the decade since the union was gonna be between two sons from very powerful families. Everyone was talking about it. There were interviews being done, photos being taken of the couple.

There was so much to be done and so very little time. But Claudia and Elena were making sure that everything was perfect. They hired the best photographers, chefs, musicians. Many people were invited to the wedding, friends, family, politicians and even celebrities. They didn’t want anyone important to miss the union.

But here he was, the groom that was so worried about his soulmate. He hadn’t seen him or heard anything from him and it was killing him slowly on the inside. He kept on wondering how the boy was doing… if he had eaten… if he was still being sedated… if his condition was improving or getting worse. But with all the questions that he had, he couldn’t find anyone to answer him.

David couldn’t tell Amber anything as his mother had forbidden him to tell her the truth. According to him, he wanted to marry Jim on his own will. She could tell that he wasn’t happy but no matter what she did, she couldn’t get the answer she was looking for.

Jim on the other hand had never been so happy in his entire life. He was getting married to the only man that he wanted, the only man that he had ever loved. It seemed too good to be true but it was happening. Oh, how he wished Ben was seeing how happy he was and getting his happily ever after. His mother was being super helpful. She helped with organizing his wedding suit, makeup and hairstylists. He couldn’t believe in a few days, he was finally gonna marry David.

Seconds were turning to minutes, minutes to hours and hours to days. David was getting closer to his nightmare. He knew that his life was never gonna be the same. But at the expense of his happiness, he knew that Ben was gonna be alive.

‘I hope one day you’ll understand me, Ben. I am doing this so that you can live. Maybe in future, very soon our destinies are gonna be aligned. All I know is that there’s a place for us. We will be together.’

***

Ben slowly opened his eyes after what felt like months. He felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time. He was welcome by a terrible headache. The world was spinning and he wanted to vomit, but yeah, he was okay. He couldn’t remember the last time he set his eyes on David and it was making him worry.

He took a deep breath and tried to get up but his strength couldn’t allow him. He was so weak as he had only been surviving on intravenous fluids for the last five days. He tried to get up again but his body failed him and he dropped to the bed again, breathing harshly.

“Are you sure you should be doing that?” A voice spoke, a very familiar and feminine voice.

Ben scanned the room to see where the voice was coming from and he saw seated on the couch with her legs crossed, looking like a boss and grinning at him. She was looking so beautiful that he wondered if she had come to celebrate his death before he actually died.

She wore a red, flashy dress that looked like it was dipped in diamonds. The dress showed off her beautiful curves and it had a slit all the way from the thighs and as usual, her cleavage was sticking out. She had silver high heels on her feet that sparkled and seemed to hurt his eyes. Her hair was curled and then let loose and her makeup was just to die for. Someone would have mistaken her for a queen of England.

But Ben was too shocked or rather scared to admire because if she was there, it could only mean one thing and that was trouble.

“I was starting to wonder if you were gonna wake up at all.” She moaned, rising from the couch. “Not that I wouldn’t like that but I wanted to tell you something you were gonna like.”

“What are you doing here?” Ben’s voice was shaky. “How did you find me? Where’s David? David!” He called although his voice was weak. “David!”

“You’re just wasting your time and energy, my dear step-son.” Elena mocked as she slowly walked towards him. “David isn’t here, but don’t worry, I will keep you company for a few minutes.”

“Are you gonna hurt me?” Ben couldn’t mask his fear. His heart beat so fast he thought he was gonna have a heart attack.

“I would have loved to do that, my dear boy…” She chirped as she got nearer. “…but what I have for you is enough to hurt you, maybe even kill you. Not that you are not dying anyways.” She laughed at the top of her voice.

“Please, go away.”

“You know when you left and stole my son’s man, I wanted to hunt you and kill you. God knows I searched for you and I never stopped.” She said, rubbing sexily on her temple. “My son was left heartbroken. I used to watch him cry each day and it was because of you. Do you know what that reminded me of?”

She got closer and leaned slightly, staring into his eyes. Ben couldn’t help but groan in fear.

“It reminded me of what that whore did to me 19 years ago.” She seethed, shaking her fist in his face. “It killed me inside knowing that there was a bastard growing in her womb and it was my husband’s. God knows I tried everything to kill you before you were born but you still survived but here we are. You became a villain in my son’s love, a thorn.”

Ben slightly closed his eyes for fear of what she was gonna do to him.

“But like they say, villains do not get their happy endings.” She laughed, crossing her arms. “My son finally got to be the one happy after all. He’s getting married, did you know that? He’s getting married to the man he deserves, someone that loves him and someone that’s gonna make him happy. Isn’t this the perfect ending to any story.”

Ben opened his eyes and looked at her. “Is that what you came to tell me? You came to tell me that I am dying while he’s gonna get his happy ending? It must be the happiest day of your life. But please… just leave before David comes back here.”

“Oh, David!” She gasped, chirping at him. “I actually have a letter from him right here.” She held out a small paper, smiling like a villain from a Disney movie. “He’s also part of the reason why I am here. I had to be a good person and deliver the message myself.”

“What?” Ben gasped, shaking his head.

“Don’t waste your energy. I will read it for you.”

She cleared her throat and put on a very beautiful smile. She was gonna read it to him nice and slow.

“Ben, I wrote to inform you that I want to end our relationship and I don’t want anything to do with you anymore.”

To say Ben was shocked would be an understatement. His eyes abruptly moved to look at her, wondering what she was up to. He frowned and clenched his fists. He couldn’t believe she would stoop to that level. There was no way David would write that to him.

“It is important that…”

“Stop it!” Ben snapped, feeling his headache intensify. “Until when will you stop trying to hurt me? Do you think I am stupid? I know that David did not…”

“Oh come on,” Elena threw her hand, raising her eyebrow. “We’re just getting to the interesting part. So… shhh…” She whispered as her eyes landed on the piece of paper again. “…it is important that you know the truth. I do not love you and I do not think I ever loved you before. What I felt was infatuation and it started fading some months ago while we’re together. I was merely pretending to love you.”

Although Ben knew that the letter was a fake, it was still painful. Tears built in his eyes and he didn’t even bother hiding them. He kept staring at her.

“After the news I got about your health, I couldn’t take it anymore.” She continued. “I didn’t bargain for this and that’s why I left. I went back to the boy I truly love, Jim. I cannot watch him suffer because it is hurting me too. He’s the one I love and not you. I love Jim so much and I wish you all the best in your life. David!”

She folded the paper and just stared at him.

“That is not true!” Ben shook his head as a single tear rolled down his cheek. “David would never say that to me. He loves me so much and he said he was gonna be with me to the very end.”

“You don’t wanna believe it?” She gasped, holding her chest. “You want some proof?”

She her bag from the chair and got out some pictures that she threw at him. Ben sighed and slowly took the pictures. Once his eyes landed on the pictures, he felt something go through his body, something really cold and painful. His heart broke to pieces right there and he began trembling, his breaths becoming harsher by the second.

The pictures were all heartbreaking and he didn’t wanna believe what he was seeing. The picture he was looking at, David and Jim were facing each other, their foreheads pressed against each other. David had his hand on Jim’s cheek and they seemed really happy.

He looked at another and David was behind Jim with his arms wrapped around him tightly while Jim looked slightly backwards. There was something in the way they looked at each other, something that broke Ben’s heart to shreds. He didn’t even know if his heart was beating anymore.

When he looked at another, his entire strength left him. They were kissing and he couldn’t see anymore. Hopeless, he let go of the pictures and they dropped to the floor.

Elena could hear him silently screaming, suffocating with each breath he took.

“You poor, poor boy…” She chirped, running her fingers through his hair. “…it must hurt knowing that everything you believed in was all a lie.”

“No!” He sobbed uncontrollably, chocking on his air. “No! You’re lying. David cannot do this. He loves me so much.”

“Really?” She laughed. “Then where is he? Why hasn’t he been here the last three days? Why hasn’t he called you? I will tell you.” She called closer. “That’s because he doesn’t love you. Right now, he is with the love of his life, my son. Those pictures were taken on their engagement that happened two days ago.”

“No!” Ben shook his head. “There is no truth to what you’re saying. You’re just toying with me.”

“Oh!” She gasped. “Even when the truth is right in front of you, you still choose to deny it?”

She took an envelope from her bag and threw it to him.

“That’s the invitation to David and my son’s wedding.” She said with so much excitement. “They are getting married today and I am sure right now, they’re on their way to the chapel. You should see them, so happy and being lovey dovey. They are just so cute together, aren’t they?”

Ben opened the envelope and looked at the invitation card. Once that first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream. He let out a gut-wrenching wail, his tears due to sorrow falling like rain as he tried to get up.

“You know, I want to feel pity for you but honestly, I enjoy seeing you suffer.” She said slowly and sweetly. “I am sorry to say but only the heavens show pity. And sad to say, I only look the part but I am no goddess. But look on the brighter side, you’re gonna die in a few days and you won’t feel the pain anymore. You’ll be reunited with that whore. So, this is a blessing in disguise.”

Electrifying pain coursed through him, contorting his body. Every heartbeat sent a surge of pain, as if his chest was being torn apart. He couldn’t think properly… he couldn’t talk, except for the tears wetting his face that were able to speak for him.

“I would have loved to stay but…” She paused and laughed, picking up her handbag. “…I have a flight to catch. Wouldn’t wanna keep my son waiting. Like David said, have a nice life or rather, death.”

With a wink, she left the room. He could hear her laugh outside.

No. He couldn’t be gone. Not when he promised him he’d fight for them, Ben thought. The pain that was coursing through his body was from out of his world. He forced himself to get up from the bed although he was very weak. He pulled out the cannulas on his body and hissed a breath through the clenched teeth. But the strength left him, even as he attempted to stand.

His throat held back something between a sob and a shout. He had to see him. With so much difficulty, he managed to change from the hospital robe into his clothes. Through the blur of motion and color, he got out of the room and managed to get out of the hospital.

It didn’t take him long before he found a taxi that had to take him to the capital. He still had the card so he was gonna confirm if it was true or not. He had about 2 hours to go but he told the driver to hurry it up. He knew that Elena had been lying to him because there was no way David would hurt him like that.

***

The huge chapel was decorated with expensive flowers at every corner, gold and diamond decors hang in the ceiling, making the whole place lively. People, the high and mighty were seated, watching the union of the two handsome men. Elena was in the front, watching the whole thing with her husband who was equally very happy.

On the other row was Claudia who was dressed in a white expensive gown that made her look like a goddess. She was seated with her daughter who although dressed like a princess wasn’t happy at all.

And here they were, the two grooms that stole the spotlight. David wore a black designer suit that made him look like a prince with a white shirt inside and a black bowtie and black shoes. His hair was made into a pompadour that showed off his handsome face. He was facing Jim and God knows he didn’t know what he felt, he wasn’t even sure if his heart was beating at all. He had tears in his eyes and the only thing that was in his mind was Ben.

Jim on the other hand was in ecstasy, staring at his husband to be with so much love. He looked yummy in a white designer suit with a white shirt and white shoes. There was a long train that made him look like a beautiful royal bride. He had his hair tied in a bun with his face graced with makeup. No one could deny that he looked gorgeous with a golden crown on his head. He couldn’t believe the day he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“Do you take David Paola to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The officiating minister asked.

“Yes!” Jim answered without a second thought.

“And do you, David, take Jim Henandez to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

A cold wave embalmed David as the hairs rose on the back of his neck and his mouth ran dry. A feeling of dread crept up from the pit of his stomach. He had never been so scared before or experienced such pain in his entire life. Images of his life with Ben began playing at the back of his mind and his pain intensified.

‘You know I love you so much. No one has ever showed me so much love. I love you so much, David.’

Meanwhile, outside the chapel, Ben’s taxi arrived and before it even parked properly, he opened the door and let himself out. He began running up the steps but collapsed as all his energy seemed to have diminished. He struggled back to his feet, but almost immediately fell over.

With so much difficulty, he managed to get to the top and once he reached the entrance, his face became pale. He felt light-headed and a bit disoriented. His mind began buzzing with the voices that he couldn’t recognize. His David was standing at the altar with Jim, staring at each other. What she had said at the hospital was true. David was getting married.

His body didn’t know how to react, it just shut down. He froze to a point where he was hardly breathing. He could feel a searing pain in his heart. He didn’t even realize that there were tears rolling down his face. His body weakly and robotically moved slowly, getting closer to them.

“Do you take Jim Henandez to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The minister repeated.

David was so lost he didn’t know what to do. Beads of sweat were rolling down his temples as he thought hard. Claudia and Elena glanced at each other, wondering what was going on.

“I…. I….”

But before he could answer, he caught a glimpse of someone and his eyes suddenly moved. He got so scared that his hands began shaking when his eyes locked with the boy’s. In his terrified mind, every breath of wind was as loud as blood curdling stream. His heart began to hammer against his chest and his eyes widened.

Everyone wondered what could have made him look that terrified and their eyes moved in the direction he was staring. They saw the boy that looked so hurt and so sick at the same time. He had lost weight in just five days and his face was terribly wet.

“Ben!” Amber gasped, trying to get up.

Claudia painfully gripped her arm and made her sit down. Amber couldn’t control her tears but she couldn’t do anything. Her heart broke but she felt so helpless. She wished she was holding him.

Jim on the other hand smiled at Ben, enjoying the pain on his face.

“Do you take Jim to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Jim took David’s hand and squeezed it sweetly, smiling when David looked at him. He moved his hand and caressed his cheek.

“Come on, baby, everyone is waiting.”

David took a harsh breath, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

“Yes, I do.” Those words felt like a death sentence.

Even when people began clapping, he felt like he had done something so terrible. He couldn’t even imagine the pain Ben was going through. He just wished he had been there to witness the whole thing. It would have been much easier.

“By the power vested in me, I now declare you husbands.” The minister announced. “You may kiss.”

Davide hesitated for an agonizing second. Then his head tilted towards Jim. The soft of his skin of his lips pressed against his, and before Jim could even register it, the man was kissing him. It was welcomed by a loud applause.

Ben collapsed on the floor, dejected, swollen with emotions and the realization of his fate. He felt like his heart had been ripped out. He cried so hard that his body shook. His hand robotically moved to the bracelet David had given him and gripped it.

‘This represents our love. It is half our hearts and just know that wherever you are, you have my heart as do I yours.’

He pulled on it hard and it broke. With a groan, he got up from the floor and used his remaining strength to run away from there. Just as he was getting out, he was welcomed by a very sharp pain in his tummy. It hurt so bad that he could hardly see anything that strobed in and out of focus all around. Pain sheeted through him with a terrible intensity and he felt something warm strolling down his leg.

He didn’t stop. He just kept on going. He was about to go down the steps when he felt so dizzy and missed his step. Before he knew it, he was rolling down the stairs so fast that when he was reaching down, he had already lost consciousness.

***

Ben slowly opened his eyes and his vision blurred for a minute. He didn’t know where he was but he could tell that he was in a bed covered. He scanned the room but it was bright and he thought he was dead. Maybe he was in heaven but why was he experiencing so much pain.

His vision began clearing and he realized that he was in a hospital bed with cannulas back on his hand. He couldn’t recognize anything so it might have been a different hospital. He had a bandage around his head because he had hurt himself from the fall. There he was, sitting alone in the room, thinking about everything that recently happened to him. It had left quite a mark on his psyche.

“You’re finally awake.” An excited voice spoke.

He moved his eyes to the direction of the voice and saw a beautiful woman with blonde hair and brown eyes staring at him with a smile. He guessed she was a nurse since she was wearing the uniform.

“How did I get here?” His voice was hoarse.

“Oh! You were brought here by a doctor. They followed you when you ran away from the hospital.” She said as she got closer, taking his hand in his. “How are you doing? Oh, pardon my manners. My name is Grace and I am going to be your nurse. I have been assigned to you.”

“You shouldn’t have brought me here.” He said, trying to get up.

“Don’t!” The nurse said, putting him back on the bed. “You still have no strength. Now that you’re awake, perhaps you should eat something. What would you like to eat? I’ll buy it for you.”

Ben sobbed as tears raced down his face. “What is food if it’s tasteless? What is water if it can’t even quench your thirst?”

“I don’t know what you’ve been through, but all I can tell is that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.” She assured.

“It doesn’t matter.” He said harshly. “I am dying in a few days anyway.”

Before Grace could answer, the doctor came inside. When he saw Ben awake, he couldn’t help but be happy. It was the same doctor that had been taking care of him.

“Hey, you’re finally awake. How are you feeling?”

Ben just looked at him and didn’t even answer.

“Anyways, better cheer up.” The doctor smiled. “I’ve got some very good news for you.” He sat on the edge of the bed and gazed at him. “The specialist is arriving here tomorrow and after a few tests, we’re gonna be able to perform surgery .”

Ben’s eyes welled up when he heard the news. He kept staring at the doctor without saying a word to him or even show any expression on his face. He was too hurt to respond.

“Are you not happy?” Grace said excitedly. “This is very good news.”

“How?” His voice was cracking. “I thought you said…”

“Yeah, but there is someone sponsoring your treatment.” The doctor hollered. He couldn’t contain his happiness. “When your husband told me he couldn’t raise the money, I made a few calls and we were able to find a sponsor. Having cancer at such a young age is very rare and shouldn’t be seen at all.”

Ben felt a huge lump in his throat.

“I don’t want any surgery.”

Grace and the doctor looked at themselves in shock.

“What?” Grace gasped. “Why? I thought this was gonna make you happy.”

“Nothing will make me happy.” He sighed. “I have lost every reason to live. I have decided to accept my fate and let the cancer take me. There’s a reason why I was given this cancer and I see it now.”

“But…”

“Respect my decision.”

He moved to the other side and showed his back to them. There was nothing left of his happiness. Everything was gone. He didn’t feel anything at all, except for the pain that was slowly eating him from the inside. He could hardly keep himself together. He was shaking.

True to his word, Ben refused to undergo any treatment for the cancer. He had wanted to leave but the doctor couldn’t allow him no matter what he did. The next day, he spent his entire day in the hospital chapel, just seated there with nothing but his pain. His eyes were puffy from crying. He was dehydrated, and his entire body was become sore. Even when his mother died, he didn’t cry as much as he did at that time. He couldn’t understand how the pain he was feeling was much more than the treasured memories of his mother.

Hours turned to days and Ben was becoming worse. His pain was getting worser and worser and he was losing a lot of blood. He was vomiting a lot. He became very pale and thin and he knew that his end of days was coming. It was only a matter of time. He could feel it.

He wanted to spend his last days in the chapel, staring at the Lord Jesus. But just as things had gotten worse, Ben got the surprise of his life when one day he had lost consciousness. But when he regained consciousness, he was feeling much better. That day he experienced mild pain.

The coming days, he started feeling much better. He was no longer bleeding and the pain was getting dull. The only thing that was frequent was the vomiting. Days turned to weeks and he was getting much better, except for the mild pain in his lower abdomen.

Ben knew he still had the cancer because he could feel the growth in him. Weeks began turning into months and his bleeding was spotty, his pain dull. He was supposed to be getting worse, the cancer had grown so much that he could see it. His tummy was getting bigger by the day but his symptoms were going away. He couldn’t understand it. All he knew was that the pain that David had caused him was getting worser.

***

“What?” Ben gasped, looking at the doctor like he’d grown another head. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You don’t have cancer!” The doctor said with a sorry face. “I don’t know what happened when we first diagnosed you. All the imaging we did showed that you had cancer and it was growing at a fast rate. That was why you were bleeding. But the recent test that we did shows us that you don’t have cancer.”

Ben’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as he tried to gather his thoughts. “I still don’t understand anything. IF I don’t have cancer, then what do I have?”

The doctor took a deep sigh. “You have persistent mullerian duct syndrome.”

Ben was now more than confused now. He came looking at the doctor like he was speaking a language he couldn’t understand.

“What?” He frowned.

The doctor was hesitant. “It means that you… you…” He paused and took a deep breath. “…you have female reproductive inside of you. You have a functioning uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.”

A sudden chill swept through Ben, as if cold wind cut through. He heard a sound like a bird flapping its wings in a panic. Maybe it was his heart, for all he knew. He looked at the doctor, wide-eyed, mouth agape, face frozen in expectant fear.

The doctor exposed his growing tummy and squirted some gel there before he placed an array there and started moving it. He did a couple of movements before a focused image projected on the screen. Ben couldn’t understand what was going on.

“I wasn’t sure at first so I couldn’t tell you anything, but what you see on the screen is a baby growing inside of your womb.”

There was a delicious moment when Ben’s face washed blank with confusion, like his brain cogs couldn’t turn fast enough to take in the information from his wide eyes. Then a sound started playing, a sound that he wasn’t familiar with but soon his mind told him that was his baby’s heart.

“You have a live fetus growing inside of you, Ben.” The doctor continued. “We don’t know how this happened but no one with this condition has ever gotten pregnant. At first, your body was trying to reject the pregnancy and hence why you were feeling the pain and why you were bleeding. Your uterus wasn’t designed to carry a baby but it seems it adapted. You’re pregnant, Ben.”

Ben couldn’t believe what he was hearing or understand how it was possible. His hand slowly moved to his tummy and once he touched it, he could have sworn that the baby kicked. How could he have not felt it before, he thought as tears rolled down his face.

For perhaps a split second, his grief was suspended, the surprise protecting him.

“How’s that possible?”

Grace held his arm and smiled. “A miracle.” She said happily. “You said you didn’t have a reason to live any more. I guess God has given you a very good reason for you to live. This is very good news if you ask me.”

Ben sobbed as he passed his hands around his tummy. He didn’t know if it was from the surprise or the pain that David had left him a reminder of his betrayal. Why was this happening to him, he thought? He had gotten ready to die and only to discover he was pregnant, maybe the first guy to get pregnant. Was he a freak?

“I know this is good news to you but it’s also going to be very dangerous for you. As the pregnancy grows, you’re at a risk of rupture or even worse, death. You already know what it did to you when it was still very small. I’d suggest we perform surgery as soon as possible to remove it.”

But how could he? Feeling his child moving, hearing its heartbeat brought a whole new feeling to him. There was no way he was gonna kill his child.

“No!” He hollered. “Whatever the outcome is gonna be, I am ready for it.”

Ben had made his decision and there was no going back.

Why was fate playing tricks on him? Why now did this happen after all the pain he was going through?

***

“Here you go, baby.” Elena said as she handed her husband a glass of wine.

“Why? Thank you very much.”

They kissed and sat arm in arm, staring at each other like the first day they had met. Jerome’s emotions were running wild and he wanted to have so much. It had been so long he had made love to his wife and he was dying to.

“So… I was thinking…” He said as his hands grasped the back of her head. “…with our son married and everything, we have the whole house to ourselves. Why don’t we make use of it?”

Elena blushed, biting her lip. “What does my dear husband mean?”

“You know what I mean.” He winked. “I don’t have to explain anything but maybe I can show you.”

Elena felt like she was set ablaze and she got in the mood right away. “Of course, something tells me that I am going to enjoy your little demonstration. And once you’re done, something also tells me that I am gonna make you scream in pleasure.”

“Oooh!” Jerome moaned, getting the wine glass away from her. “Then perhaps let me start now.”

Putting the glasses away, his head tilted and he went in straight for the kiss. But before he could even reach her, they heard the entrance door open with a bang. Both of them gasped and moved in the direction of the door.

There was a very beautiful woman who was rushing towards them and boy did she seem pissed. She wore a black jumpsuit that showed off her curves with black heels on her feet. Her hair was made in a sleeked back ponytail, revealing her gorgeous face with piercing blue eyes. Her fists were clenched and she couldn’t mask the annoyance on her face when she saw them.

“You son of bitch!” She yelled, shaking her head at him. “I always knew you were a good for nothing man but never in my life did I think you could stoop so low.”

Elena rose from the couch like she’d been possessed.

“How dare you, Alejandra.” She snapped. “Who the hell gave you permission to badge into my home like that? And how dare you speak to my husband like that.”

“When I need you to speak, Elena, I will give you permission.” Alejandra barked, raising her finger at Elena. “If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut. This is between me and this excuse of a man.”

To say Jerome was surprised would be an understatement.

“Did you come back just to insult me?”

“Believe me, when and if I insult you, you’re gonna know.” She chuckled bitterly. “I called you a few weeks ago asking about Ben and you refused to talk to me about him. And something told me I shouldn’t be worried because you love him. And then I discover that Ben has been missing from this house for months and you didn’t even bother to tell me? What kind of sick man are you?”

“Hey, don’t insult me!” Jerome snapped, pointing angrily at her. “You don’t have the right to judge me as a father. Ben became a whore and I can’t have a son like that. He chose his path when he followed David and he ceased to be my son that day. I gave him everything a father could give his child and what did he do, he went sleeping around with men including my business partners.”

“Oh!” She chuckled, furiously wiping the tear that came out. “Ben is the unluckiest son on this planet for having a father like you. A boy that has done nothing but love you and pleased you his entire life. You couldn’t even spare a few minutes to appreciate him.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. You’ve never had a child before so you wouldn’t understand.”

Elena was laughing on the inside. She enjoyed the scene before her.

“It’s better to be childless than bringing a child into this world whom you abandon.” She got closer and stared into his eyes. “If you’re such a great father, how come you didn’t know what was going in your son’s life. Did you know how Ben met David? Did you know the torture that he went through trying to stay away from him.”

“You are so clueless.” Jerome laughed. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh really?” She nodded. “Well, we’re gonna see who is clueless and who’s not. A few months ago, Ben called me crying that he had lost his virginity to a stranger. Do you know the events that led to that?” She raised her finger and pointed angrily at Elena. “This woman was the cause of that.”

“Excuse me!” Elena yelled. “What the hell are you talking about? You’re delusional. I forced Ben to seduce David?”

Alejandra didn’t even pay attention to Elena. She was busy fuming at her brother.

“All Ben ever asked for was for you to perform a ritual with him on his mother’s memorial. But you left him in the hands of this woman that burned every memory he had of his mother.”

Alejandra began narrating the events that led to the passionate night Ben had spent with David. Elena on the other hand felt her pulse race as she struggled to control her quivering palms, her eyes wide with panic.

“It was so hard for him and where was his father?” She laughed. “Obviously busy making millions and forgetting he has a son. Despite all the pain he had gone through in the hands of this evil woman, he still cared so much about you and didn’t tell you about it. He fell in love with David but decided to keep it to himself because he was protecting your legitimate son’s feelings.”

Jerome felt something in him, something that he couldn’t explain. He stared at his sister like she’d grown another head.

“Even when he was almost raped by the man that this woman had sent him to, he still kept quiet.” She said with tears following. “So, tell me, have you been a good father? Have you cared so much about your son? Have you showed him enough that he can come to you when he’s in trouble and you are gonna help him? No!” She shook her head. “Ben has always felt like a stranger in this house and in your life. He’s always been alone without any support. He’s always felt like he owes this family a favor and that’s why he’s been sacrificing everything.”

Tears made their way to Jerome’s face as the pain slowly started reminding him that what Alejandra had said about him being a lousy father was true.

“I am so disappointed in you, Jerome. Ben left this house and you didn’t even bother to look for him because you finally got the family you wanted. If I hadn’t seen his awful state in the video that’s circulating on social media when your son was getting married, I wouldn’t have known anything.” She sniveled, rubbing her face. Then her face got fierce. “But you don’t have to worry. I will relieve you of your duties and you can have the family you deserve. I will do everything to find my son and once I do, I do not wanna see you anywhere near him because so help me God…” She swore, raising her hand to the heavens. “…I will do something to you that you’ll regret having a sister.

From now on, you can forget that you ever had a sister.” She said with so much pain. She glanced at Elena who looked like she wanted to kill her. “You two disgust me.” She spat on the floor. “You deserve each other. You’ve been so unfair to that boy and always remember that as you sow, you shall leap.”

With those words, she furiously turned and stormed out of the house. Jerome remained standing there like a statue, feeling like someone had just stabbed him in the heart. He didn’t know why he felt so much pain. Ben wasn’t innocent, was he? Alejandra just spoke that way because she was angry, right?

“Honey, don’t mind that woman.” Elena got closer and cupped his cheek. “She’s saying that because she’s bitter. Don’t let her ruin our mood. Now…”

“Is it true?” Jerome’s voice was thick, filled with so much anger. “Is what she said true?”

“What?” Elena gasped, surprised that her husband would ask her such a question. “Why would you ask me that? What are you gonna believe? Your delusional sister’s lies or the truth that you saw for yourself? She’s obviously using this opportunity to drive us apart. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben sent her here because he knows that David is no longer under his control.”

Jerome raised his finger, getting closer to her.

“You presented that evidence to me. You showed me the pictures of Ben in a disgusting position with different men. You showed me those pictures with David.” He let a shaky breath. “You presented all the evidence that made me hate Ben.”

“Because it was the truth.” She argued.

“If I find out that what she just said is true, I will not spare you, Elena.” He warned. “Pray that it was all lies because… because…” He groaned, clenching his fist. “…just pray.”

He stormed out of the living room and went upstairs.

“Fuck!” Elena yelled, stamping her foot on the floor., She was so much. “You stupid, dumb bitch. You ruined everything.”

She took a glass of wine and emptied it all in her mouth.

“I will not let you find out the truth, Jerome.” She vowed. “You won’t know what happened. I swear!”

***

Ben didn’t know what to feel with the news that he had gotten. On one hand, he knew that the baby was gonna keep reminding him of David and the love they had once shared. It was the most painful thing he’d ever experienced and he wanted to let it go. But he couldn’t. Wherever he looked, he saw David. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw and even when he went to sleep. He was doing through torture and there was never gonna be an ending to it.

Days were passing so fast and Ben found himself developing so much love for his child. Each day, his tummy grew big and each day, his love for the child became so intense that he just started thinking about its birth. He would sing songs, tell it stories and sometimes just watch the baby moving inside of him.

It wasn’t easy but nurse Grace was an angel. She helped him exercise, brought fruits for him and kept him company. The doctor assured him that his pregnancy was gonna be a secret and due to that, he was moved to a very private room where it was just the nurse and the doctor coming him to see him. His strength was back… he was able to eat again for his child. But he noticed that there were some changes. His nipples got a little bigger and he noticed he developed some hips.

Months were going and his pregnancy was becoming difficulty. The pain was slowly coming back and there were times he’d bleed. But overall, he knew he was fine.

8 months later, Ben felt the worst physical pain he had ever experienced. He knew his child wasn’t due so he couldn’t understand why that was happening. He was lying in bed, the pain was clear on his face. He screamed every 5 seconds. He tried breathing exercises like Grace had suggested, yet, still, the contractions continued to wear him down.

“Help me!” Ben cried out as he tried to rub his waist. “It hurts.”

“You’re gonna be fine!” Grace assured. “Just take deep breaths like I told. The doctor is already on his way and everything is prepared.”

“Ow!” Ben screamed, assuming fetal position.

He was in so much pain that he felt like he had been to hell and back, though the fire continued to burn. He had thought the moment was gonna be sweet and memorable but boy was he wrong. He wanted the agony to end, right there. The baby wanted out but it had no way out.

“Help!” Ben shouted, feeling like he was losing his life.

He began bleeding and Grace panicked. She rushed to get the doctor and he remained alone. He kept on breathing and chanting but nothing was happening. He began to feel drowsy and the room began spinning. BY the time the doctor arrived, he had already passed out.

***

Ben slowly opened his eyes and was welcome by a pounding headache, probably the effect of the anesthesia. It took a while before his vision became clear and he started scanning the whole room. When he looked at his tummy, he realized that it wasn’t big anymore.

He quickly moved his eyes to his side and that was when he saw it, a crib beside him. His heart began racing when he realized that his baby was in there. In excitement, he put his hand to his head which was throbbing and slowly rose.

Crawling out of the bed, he walked to the crib and when he saw that baby sleeping there like an angel, carefully covered, his heart leapt with joy and for the first time, a genuine smile popped up on his face. He couldn’t see his eyes but it was the most beautiful baby Ben had ever set his eyes on. And it was his, his baby.

Ben slowly moved his shaky hands and got the baby out of the crib together with the blanket. It moved and oh, the joy he felt was from out of this world. He slid his pink into the baby’s hand and watched as it curled around it. She felt its soft breath on the back of his hand.

He kept staring at the baby, his heart filling with so much love.

Ten seconds passed, then 20 and then 2 minutes. Ben realized that the finger he thought his child had been holding was not even in the baby’s hand. The baby wasn’t breathing at the back of his hand. It was very cold, pale and stiff.

Ben felt an extremely cold chill along his back and his neck. He began crying, his hands trembling in fear. He laid the baby on the bed, uncovered it and saw that it was a girl. He began touching the baby but it was stiff and cold.

“No!”

He began doing chest compressions, not even caring if he was doing the right thing.

“Get up!” He cried. “Please, get up. I beg you.”

Ben’s heart sank to his feet. His daughter wasn’t breathing or moving or doing anything. She couldn’t be dead, he thought as he felt a shadow fly over him. The hurt in his heart escalated from a dull throb to burning, glaring pain- faster than a lightning bolt.

“My child!” He wailed, shaking the baby. “Save my baby. She’s not breathing.”

But there was no response. No one came to his aid. He cried like he was going insane, feeling like his life had been destroyed right there with the baby. He didn’t stop trying to resuscitate her although she didn’t move any movement.

What was happening?

***

Ben was walking like a zombie in church, staring at the statue that was in front of him. Tears came thick and fast, as the images of his daughter played in his head, taking away whatever strength he had left. His eyes were swollen with saturated grief.

He had always dreamt of holding his child and singing to her and how that it happened, the child was gone. Deep realization swept through him in sharp waves of pain, and his heart pounded in his chest. Slowly, his legs began to tremble and he fell to his knees, hands on the floor and eyes fixed on the statue. This was so hard, so painful. There was no way out, he didn’t know anymore. Everyone close to him was gone, he had nobody and he wished with his remaining strength that he had died instead of his child.

“I can’t understand why you’re doing this to me.” He struggled to breath, letting out a series of hiccups. “What wrong did I do to deserve this?” His chin trembled. “My one wish in life is simple. To have a family. But what did you do? You took my baby away from me.” He sobbed uncontrollably, feeling like someone was squeezing his heart, trying to pull it out.

“You gave me so much hope after my heart was broken.” He yelled, hitting the floor with his hands. “And now you turn your back on me after filling my heart with so much hope? Now you’re going to give me more pain than I ever experienced?” He wailed, his bottom lip quivering.

“Why am I still living? What do you want from me?” He sighed heavily, letting his head drop. “My mother is gone. The love of my life is gone. And now my baby too. Why are you doing this to me? Answer me.”

He got on all falls and cried like never before, hunched over with a sense of loss so powerful that his muscles wouldn’t respond to commands. His tearstained face was puffy and swollen with grief. He couldn’t see himself moving on after this loss.

After what felt like hours, Ben felt a hand on his shoulder…

“My child…” The priest spoke softly. “…the Lord has heard your cries and he wants to tell you that he has not abandoned you.”

Ben couldn’t even respond but mourned.

“The pain only hurts at first.” He continued. “But everything will be alright, eventually.”

He took Ben’s arms and slowly helped him up. The boy was so miserable he couldn’t even stand on his own. He sobbed uncontrollably, shaking his head.

“Everything is gonna be alright.” The priest smiled. “You need to be strong. Everything will be fine.”

Ben shook his head. “I didn’t ask this from Him. I was happy with my life then.” He wailed. “I was going to have a family. It pains me a lot. I don’t know why this has happened to me, why I lost the only thing that was to bring me happiness. I have no idea why he is keeping me alive.” He couldn’t control himself. “I don’t know if I even feel anything anymore. I don’t know where my hear is anymore. It has died with my daughter today and He better just take me so I can be reunited with her.”

“That time is not now.” The priest patted on his shoulder. “Even I cannot answer your questions but God has not abandoned you. You will find your happiness again.”

Ben shook his head and continued crying. He slowly turned and limped his way out of the chapel. He was walking so slowly, not even aware of his environment. When he got out, he started walking on the road, barefooted. He was so lost that he didn’t see the speeding car making a turn towards him.

Everything happened so fast. First there was a loud screeching sound and the next thing Ben was flying in the air for a few seconds before he eventually fell to the ground. His head made contact with the cement ground not a moment later. There was a lot of blood coming out of her head.

Things moved so fast and Ben didn’t know if it was his mind playing tricks on him but he saw his mother standing on the side of the road holding his baby and smiling at him. A small smile registered on his face even as he struggled to breathing.

“I… am… coming…”

He felt his eyes close slowly and he gave away to the darkness.

Goodbye, Ben!

The end…