All eyes turned to me.
I took a slow breath.“I’m not sure how much longer I have left,” I said, my chest tightening with every word, “but I wanted to tell you… the most important people in my life… how thankful I am that you are all here today.”I glanced down for a second, gathering myself, before looking back up at them.“Thank you for everything… and for always being there for me.”I felt the sting of tears building, but I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall.“Please make sure to look after each other… and to check up on Jiya…” I added, a small smile tugging at my lips despite everything, “even though my superwoman might say she doesn’t need help.”
Laughter broke out around the table.
For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed.
Liam stood up and came over, kneeling beside me as he took my hand in his.“I got your back and hers,” he said firmly. “Don’t worry at all.”He squeezed my hand.“Please take care of yourself. Your health is what matters most.”
I nodded, unable to say anything more.
The evening carried on with games, conversations, and laughter.
I watched them all—memorizing their faces, their voices, the way they interacted with each other.
I held onto it.
All of it.
Every second.
Because something inside me told me this day mattered more than the others.
And as the night came to an end, as the house slowly quieted and the last of the laughter faded into the walls…
I didn’t know it yet.
But this…this was my last weekend.
51
JIYA
In the early hours of Tuesday morning on May 26, I woke to the sound I had been dreading for days.
Cole was struggling to breathe.
I shot upright, my heart slamming wildly against my ribs as I reached for the nightlight and switched it on. The soft glow flooded the room, and I turned to him, my voice wavering.
“Cole… are you okay?”
My hands trembled as I grabbed the pulse oximeter from the nightstand and clipped it onto his finger, holding my breath as the numbers flickered before settling.
120 beats per minute.
His breathing was rapid, uneven. His skin felt cool and damp under my touch.
Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to stay calm for him. My chest tightened, my heart racing wildly as a tingling sensation spread through my body.
I had heard that sound before—the gurgling, uneven breaths that had started the night before.
The death rattle.
I had read about it.
I had prepared for it.
But not from him.
