Chapter 217

“I don’t want to be without you, Dee.” Yemi’s voice was barely above a whisper, and I felt the weight of his words settle into my chest like a heavy stone.

I stared at him, the sterile hospital room blurring around me. His face was pale, his eyes tired and sunken, but there was something in the way he looked at me that made everything else fade into the background. Something raw, something honest.

I hadn’t expected him to say those words—not when the doctors had just finished their tests, not when they were still unsure of what had caused his sudden decline, not when he was still fighting whatever this was. But Yemi had never been one for pretense. He had always been blunt, always told me exactly what he felt, even when it was difficult.

“You don’t have to say that,” I replied, my voice trembling despite my efforts to steady it. I reached for his hand, squeezing it tight. “We’re in this together, Yemi. We always have been.”

He gave a faint smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I know. But I need you to know. I need to make sure you understand, just in case…”

His words trailed off, and I knew what he was implying. Just in case things didn’t get better. Just in case I was left to face a life without him.

I couldn’t breathe.

The thought of losing him—the man who had stood by my side through everything, the man who had become my everything—was unbearable. It was as if my heart had stopped beating altogether, as if the world had suddenly turned cold.

I had been so focused on the doctors, on the tests, on what was going wrong with his body that I hadn’t fully processed the possibility that I might lose him. It had always seemed too far-fetched, too unlikely to even entertain. Yemi was invincible, or so I had thought. But now, faced with the terrifying reality of his illness, the possibility of a future without him seemed all too real.

“Don’t talk like that,” I said, my voice breaking as I tried to push away the fear that threatened to consume me. “You’re going to be fine. We’re going to make it through this.”

He closed his eyes, his grip on my hand tightening. “I don’t want to leave you, Dee. Not like this. I… I’ve been so focused on my career, on everything else, that I forgot what really matters.”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t too late, that we still had time to figure everything out, to cherish every moment we had left. But the truth was, I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. I didn’t know if he would pull through or if I would have to learn to live without him.

But I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t say the words that might shatter the fragile thread of hope that still connected us.

“You’ve never forgotten what matters,” I said softly, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “You’ve always loved me, Yemi. You’ve always fought for us. And you’re going to fight through this too. I know you will.”

He looked at me then, his eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite place. A mixture of gratitude and fear. “I’ve been so focused on everything else. On building our future, on making sure everything was perfect. But I forgot to appreciate the small moments. The ones that really count.”

I nodded, the lump in my throat growing larger. I wanted to hold him, to kiss him, to tell him that everything would be okay, but I couldn’t make any promises. I didn’t have that kind of certainty. All I had was the hope that somehow, we would find a way through this together.

“It’s never too late,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “We’ll make it through this, Yemi. I’ll be with you every step of the way. We’ll fight this together, and we’ll come out stronger on the other side.”

For a moment, we just stared at each other, the weight of his words hanging between us. Neither of us knew what the future held. Neither of us knew if we would make it through this—or if we would be forced to face a future apart.

But one thing was certain: I wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.

The door to the hospital room opened, interrupting the fragile silence between us. A doctor stepped in, his face as impassive as ever, but there was something in his eyes that immediately set off alarm bells in my mind.

“Mrs. Alabi,” the doctor began, his voice measured but urgent. “We need to talk.”

I looked up at him, my heart hammering in my chest. “What’s happening? Is he okay? What did the tests show?”

The doctor took a deep breath, his gaze flicking to Yemi before settling on me. “There are some complications with Mr. Alabi’s condition. The initial tests point to a viral infection, but it’s affecting his organs more severely than we anticipated. We’ll need to run more tests to determine the full extent of the damage.”

“What do you mean? Is he going to be okay?” My voice cracked, my worst fears rushing to the surface.

The doctor didn’t immediately answer, and I could see the hesitation in his eyes. “We’re doing everything we can, but at this stage, it’s hard to say. The next 24 hours are critical. We’re doing all we can to stabilize him, but…”

“But what?” I pressed, panic rising in my chest.

“But we need to prepare for the possibility that things may not improve as we hope.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I staggered backward, my vision swimming. I had been so sure that everything would be fine. That Yemi would get better. But now, I was staring down the reality that I might lose him. I might lose the man I loved more than anything.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, you can’t say that. You’re wrong. He’s going to be fine.”

But even as the words left my mouth, I knew they were empty. I knew that the doctors were doing everything they could, but sometimes, even that wasn’t enough.

Yemi squeezed my hand, his voice barely audible. “Dee, I’m so sorry… I never wanted to leave you with this. I never wanted to leave you with all the things unsaid.”

Tears blurred my vision as I leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Don’t you dare talk like that, Yemi. We’re going to make it through this. We have so much more to say, so many more memories to make.”

But deep down, a voice inside me was whispering that time was running out.

The doctor nodded gravely, then turned to leave. “We’ll keep you updated. Please, stay close. We’re doing everything we can.”

As the door clicked shut behind him, I looked back at Yemi, my heart breaking.

Suddenly, the beeping of the machines beside him began to slow. My breath caught in my throat as the rhythmic sound faltered.

“Yemi?”

There was no response.