Part 23: The Diagnosis
Edward Harrington had always seemed invincible.
He worked long hours, traveled constantly, and maintained the kind of disciplined health regimen expected of a man in his position. So when he collapsed during a board meeting, the entire company went into shock.
The diagnosis came two days later: early-stage pancreatic cancer.
The same disease that had taken Lin Chen.
When Edward told Maya, they were sitting in the sunroom of the Harrington estate. Vivienne sat beside him, holding his hand.
Edward
“I wanted you to hear it from me first.”
Maya stared at him. For several seconds, she couldn’t speak.
Maya
“How bad is it?”
Edward
“They caught it early. Surgery is an option. The doctors are optimistic.”
Maya looked down at her hands.
Maya
“My mother wasn’t lucky like that.”
Edward nodded slowly.
Edward
“I know.”
The silence stretched between them.
Then Maya asked the question she had been afraid to voice.
Maya
“Are you scared?”
Edward didn’t lie.
Edward
“Yes.”
Maya looked at him for a long time. Then she reached across the table and took his other hand.
Maya
“I’m not going anywhere. Whatever happens, I’m here.”
Edward’s eyes filled with tears. He squeezed her hand tightly.
Edward
“I don’t deserve that.”
Maya
“Maybe not. But you have it anyway.”
May you like
Vivienne watched them quietly, tears running down her face without a sound.
That night, Maya went home and cried harder than she had in years — not just for Edward, but for the mother she had already lost to the same disease, and for the terrifying possibility of losing her father too.
