AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Doomed?”Myface was streaked with tears, shoulders slumped forward in despair. “Howcould you say that?Howcould you push me away like this?”
“BecauseIwant you to have everything,Piya, butI’malso human.Ican’t watch the womanIlove with another man.”
Likea sinner,Isank onto the floor next to the sofa, sitting at the feet of my altar and begging for forgiveness.Itturned outJayhad known aboutAxelall along.Hetracked down theDJfromMilan’swedding in casePoppyneeded an organ or such.Hewasn’t immune to the search engine history in the home, either, and was privy to my obsessiveGooglingof the sameDJ.
Jayhad been perfectly suited for me from the beginning, even in this.Heknew what it was like to love two people simultaneously.He’dalso had a great love of his life, butInever worried about his love for me.Throughoutour marriage,Jayhad showered me with affection.Hislove shone in his eyes and in every one of his actions.IknewKatwas to him whatAxelwas to me.Afantasy.
Jaybelieved the same… until he sawAxelcharging toward me at that party.Suddenlythe fantasy had become a reality.Hedid whatKathad once done for him.Jayknew he was doomed, and he wanted to die knowing thatI’dhave whatIwanted the most in life.
Love.
Accordingto him,Istill had a shot at having another baby and another family.ALScould take years to deteriorate, and he didn’t want me to spend them sitting by his bedside.Pushingme away was easier.
Pragmaticas always, instead of worrying about his mortality,Jaydid a deep dive into everything he needed to accomplish before death.Hispriority was to givePoppyand me what we wanted the most.Hestarted working endlessly on collecting clients, swaying board members, and finding a way to leave his number two in charge.Jayhad planned everything perfectly.Hisnumber two was trustworthy but old, so by the timePoppygraduated college and had spent a few years learning the ropes,Jay’snumber two would be ready to retire and happily hand over the reins toPoppy.
Afterlearning aboutJay’sdiagnosis,Iimmediately called my mom.Iasked her to pickPoppyup from herNottAcademyand fly toChicago.Sheneeded to be with her father.
Imust’ve dozed off by the time they arrived.WhenIopened my eyes next,Ifound the same brown eyes as mine staring back.
Inthe silence of the room,Icould hear the faint sound of air rushing in and out ofJay’slungs as he slept.Hisright arm was hooked around my neck while my head rested on his chest.Poppywas also resting her head onJay’schest across from me.Hisleft arm had subconsciously wrapped around her shoulders, andIknew that even in sleep, he wouldn’t let go on the off-chance she’d fall off the couch.
Poppyhadn’t displayed affection, such as cuddling, in years.Itcould only mean one thing.
“Didyou know?”Iwhispered so that we wouldn’t wakeJay.
Acurt nod.
Mybreath caught, eyes closing for a moment. “How?”
Hereyes perused mine for a moment. “Papastopped seeing his personal trainer.So,Isearched the downtown office to double-check his last test results.”
Poppyfrequented the office for various company events.Inever visited the location in downtown, so it made sense thatJayhad hidden the documents there.
“Whendid you find it?”
“Lastyear.”
Myheart shattered as the pieces fell into place.Lastyear was whenPoppy’srebellious phase started, along with her intense ambitions and behavioral issues.
Wasshe acting out because she found out that her papa was dying?
Wereher accelerated ambitions an after-effect of trying to achieve the dreamJayandPoppyshared?
“Helied to us,”Poppysaid in a small voice, breaking my heart.Herface seemed pale and drawn, not stoic like at other times.Sheseemed like a little girl, surrounded by a darkness that was pulling her down.
“Whydidn’t you tell me?”
Poppywas quiet for several moments before she replied. “Tomarkharap lagto,” she spoke inBengali, a language passed down toPoppybyJay’smom.
Poppywas just as close to her dadi asIhad been to mine.AlthoughneitherJaynorIspokeBengali,Poppyhad picked upMayaAmbani’snative tongue.Knowingwe couldn’t understand her,Poppyused the language as an emotional shield whenever she felt vulnerable and needed a way to fortify her walls.
However,IunderstoodPoppyperfectly well today from the fewBengaliwordsIhad picked up over the years.“Youwould have felt sad.”
Mysweet, sweet girl.Ireached over and started covering my daughter’s temple with numerous kisses.
Iknew then thatDr.Stevensonwas entirely wrong about someone likePoppybeing incapable of love.Sheloved her papa so damn much that she was devastated over the loss and had been drowning in grief.
Present
