The Final Goodbye

Amara Akwarandu sat on the hard hospital bench, her back bent, her fingers squeezing the paper in her hand like life itself depended on it. Her eyes kept running over the words written there – BRAIN CANCER (PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA).The meaning refused to soften. The line stared back at her, bold, merciless. And under it, the note that broke her soul: few weeks to live.Her throat tightened as if someone was pressing it shut. She tried to breathe but air felt like hot stones in her chest. The paper shook in her hands. It was not only the sickness eating her away, it was the finality of those words. Her vision blurred. Before she knew it, hot tears had rolled down her cheeks.She reached for her phone with weak fingers, the device heavy as if it knew the burden she was about to drop. She scrolled quickly, pressed Alex Spencer’s number. He was her husband, her one person in the world or so everybody thought. The call connected.“Alex,” her voice cracked, low, shaking, “I just came fr

Amara walked down the lonely road with slow, tired steps. Her handbag hung loosely on her arm, but her eyes were fixed straight, seeing nothing, only emptiness. She felt like somebody moving without life inside her body.Four years ago, she had walked into marriage with Alex because her parents wanted it, not because her heart wanted it. She had hoped things would change, that maybe with time Alex would warm up to her. But instead, he gave her a heart filled with wounds. His heart had always belonged to another woman, one who had walked away from him to follow wealth. And since that day, Alex never forgave Amara. In his own mind, she was the reason he lost love.Four years. Four long years of marriage where she carried every weight alone. She was never wife to him; just somebody that filled space in his house. Today, at last, her eyes were open.And she was free finally of that prison of a marriage. But was she entirely free?She was diagnosed of brain cancer and had only few week

Alex sat in his garden, gulping the last glass from the whiskey bottle. The bitter taste burned down his throat, but it did nothing to calm the fire inside him. Cigarette butts littered the small side table beside him, the air thick with smoke. His eyes were bloodshot, restless, shifting from the dark sky to the empty glass in his hand. He wasn’t restless because he missed Amara. No, what ate him up was the thought of her daring to fool him, daring to walk out with divorce like she could command his life.The gate creaked open. A tall, well-built man stepped in, his stride calm but deliberate. It was James, Alex’s closest friend, the one he had asked earlier to trace Amara’s whereabouts. James stopped near the chair, his eyes quietly scanning the bottles, the ash, and the mess of a man before him.“You know, Alex,” James said slowly, “the way you’re drinking, the way you’re smoking yourself into pieces like this… it almost looks like heartbreak. Could it be you’re finally falling

“Deranged husband?” Alex repeated, his lips curling into a bitter scoff. “I’m not here for you, Adaobi. Go and get me my wife right now. This trick stops here, right now!”Adaobi let out a laugh that carried no joy, only pain. Her eyes glistened but her lips remained hard. “Did you just say your wife?” she asked, shaking her head before another sad laugh slipped out.Alex clenched his jaw and refused to answer. He knew where she was heading, but his pride stopped him from admitting it.Adaobi’s voice sharpened as she stepped closer. “While she was battling with brain cancer, she came to you at the hospital. Do you remember? What did you do? You shunned her and sent her away. What kind of doctor sees his own wife sick and doesn’t give a damn? What kind of husband treats his wife like trash?” Her tone cracked slightly but her eyes never left him. “Now she’s gone, and you show up here looking like a mad man, obviously regretting your actions, demanding to see her?”Her words pierced th

“Listen, Adaobi!” Alex’s voice thundered through the hall. It was fierce, raw, drenched in anger and grief.Adaobi stopped mid-step, turning slowly to face him. What she saw made her chest tighten. His nostrils flared, snot trailing down without shame, his face wet with tears that refused to stop. His whole frame shook, yet his voice came sharp, heavy with defiance.“If you think I will fall for this bullshit tricks you all are playing, then you don’t know me,” he barked, pointing a trembling finger at her. “I know my wife is alive, and I will find her!”His words echoed off the walls, ringing in the ears of everyone still standing around. Before Adaobi could answer, Alex turned abruptly, his shoulders squared like a man walking into battle. He stormed out, his shoes clapping loudly on the tiles. James followed behind, struggling to catch up with his long, angry strides.Outside, the sun threw a harsh glare on the sparkling body of Alex’s black SUV parked by the entrance. His driv