But because I wasn’t ready to let him go.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly after a moment, his fingers gently lifting my chin so I would look at him. “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
My vision blurred again as I met his eyes.
“I’m trying to deal with this the best way I know how to,” he added.
A sob escaped me before I could stop it. I leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close.
I could feel the steadiness in his embrace, even now, even when everything was falling apart.
This wasn’t my choice.
I wasn’t the one going through it.
I couldn’t feel what he was feeling.
This wasn’t about me.
It was about him.
About what was best for him.
About the choices he had left.
And no matter how much it hurt, I couldn’t take that away from him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered finally, my voice trembling.
“I’m sorry too,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss against my temple. “I’m sorry too.”
46
COLE
“Are you okay, Dad?” Lucas asked me. “What did the doctor say?”
I looked at him as I pulled out a chair and sat down beside him at the dining table. I forced myself to stay composed, even though everything inside me was collapsing.
“It’s not good news, buddy,” I said quietly. “I’m… sick.”
Milo padded quietly toward me as if he sensed the shift in the room, his soft whine barely audible as he rested his head gently against my knee. Oreo lingered a step behind Lucas, his tail low, watching us with unusual stillness.
“Dada sad?” Emma asked from her highchair, her little voice soft and unsure.
I felt a piercing pang in my chest.
Jiya nodded gently and picked her up, settling her on her lap. Emma’s small hands wrapped around her as if she could sense something was wrong.
I glanced at her and felt a bittersweet warmth rise inside me.
I loved hearing her call meDada.Every single time.I still remembered the first time she had said it, the way Jiya’s eyes had widened in surprise, and the way my heart had swelled.Being a father again had given me a second chance at a life I thought I had lost forever.
“What do you have?” Lucas asked, his voice more serious now.
I took a slow breath.“Remember I told you about how my parents died?”
He nodded.
