“Here’s the whole truth about your fiancée,” his father said flatly, handing Edward a USB drive.
Edward kept glancing at his watch. Hed booked a table at The White Rose, the most exclusive restaurant in Manchester. Emily was already ten minutes late, and that always put him in a foul mood. Punctuality was one of the qualities he valued most in people.
With a sigh, he flipped through the menu again, though he already knew what hed order. The fatigue from work and the argument with his father earlier had left his thoughts tangled. Just as he reached for his phone, the restaurant door swung open.
“Darling! So sorry Im late!” Emily swept toward him like a whirlwind in a pale blue dress that accentuated her slender frame. She leaned down and kissed him lightly. The scent of spring flowers and something familiar washed over him, dissolving his irritation.
“You know how I hate waiting,” he tried to keep his tone stern, but his lips curled into a smile. It was impossible to stay mad at her.
“But I,” she teased, batting her eyelashes, “love seeing such a handsome man waiting for me in a restaurant. Traffic was awfulsome elderly lady took forever to cross the road!”
Edward laughed. “You spent half an hour on your makeup, didnt you?”
“Twenty-five minutes,” she corrected with mock indignation.
He couldnt take his eyes off herchestnut waves cascading over her shoulders, blue eyes sparkling, dimples making her smile irresistible. Every time he looked at her, he couldnt believe his luck. Two years since theyd met, eighteen months together, and now engaged.
“To us?” He raised his champagne flute.
“To us,” she smiled, but there was something in her eyes that made his stomach twist.
They placed their orders and chatted easily. Emily, as always, animatedly recounted her day at the clinican amusing incident with a young patient, how the head doctor called her his “golden nurse.”
“Hows work? Still pushing the project with your father?” she asked, taking a bite of salmon.
“Fine,” Edward shrugged. “On schedule, but deadlines are tight.”
She nodded, then casually asked, “Speaking of deadlines when are we finally setting a wedding date?”
He froze. Here it was again.
“Emily, weve talked about this. Once Dad and I wrap up the project”
“Yes, yes, I know.” She waved impatiently. “But its been six months! Edward, I dont want to wait anymore. Weve been engaged a year. Whats the hold-up?”
“Im not delaying. Its just not the right time.”
“And when will it be? When Im fifty? I want to be your wife, not just your fiancée!”
“Emily, Im swamped with work”
“Oh, please! As if youd need to do more than show up!”
“Its not about that.” His voice sharpened. “I want everything perfect.”
“So do I!” she exclaimed. “And you know whats perfect? A wedding on an island! Weve talked about this. Ive even looked at brochures. The Maldives, Bali, the Seychellestake your pick!”
“Again with the island wedding!” he snapped. “Is it the glamour you want? Or just bragging rights?”
She shoved her plate away. “So thats what you think? That Im with you for money? That all I care about is a fancy wedding?”
“Isnt it?” The words slipped out before he could stop them. “All you talk about is the wedding, the trips, what you want to seenever just being with me!”
“Youre impossible!” Tears welled in her eyes. “I just want to be your wife! But you keep making excuses! If you dont want to marry me, just say so!”
“Im not making excuses!” He raised his voice, drawing glances. “Why do you keep pressuring me?”
“Because I love you, you idiot! But you dont get itor maybe you just dont care!”
He stood abruptly, tossing a wad of cash onto the table. “You know what? Im not doing this here. Call me when youve calmed down.”
He strode out, ignoring the waiters confused look and Emilys muffled sobs.
***
Edward sped through the city, his latest-model BMW gliding around corners. He blasted music to drown his thoughts, but it didnt help.
Why had things with Emily gotten so complicated? He remembered their first meetingat his fathers clinic, where she worked as a nurse. Unlike the socialites and gold-diggers hed dated, she was real. His mother adored her. His father, though, always had that odd look when they spoke of marriage.
That night, he found his father in the living room, whiskey in hand.
“Waiting for you,” Dr. William Hartley said. “Your mother called Emily. She was in tears. What happened?”
“We fought.”
“About?”
“Not now, Dad.”
His father handed him a whiskey. “When I met your mother, my parents disapproved. Thought she was too plain for a rising surgeon.”
“What did you do?”
“I ignored them. Best decision of my life.”
They sat in silence. Then his father asked bluntly, “Was it about the wedding?”
Edward exhaled. “She keeps pushing. Wants some extravagant island ceremony. Makes me wonder if its just about the spectacle.”
“Are you sure?”
“No.” Edward hesitated. “You always act strange when I mention marrying her. Like youre hiding something.”
His father stood abruptly. “Wait here.”
Minutes later, he returned with a USB drive. “The truth about Emily.”
Edwards hands trembled as he plugged it in. Medical reports filled the screen.
Congenital heart defect. Progressive deterioration. Critical condition.
“This this is Emily?”
His father nodded. “Shes been my patient for five years. She didnt want you to know.”
“Why?”
“She thought youd stay out of pity.”
Edward grabbed his keys. “Im going to her.”
***
Emily opened her door, tear-streaked and confused. He pulled her into a crushing embrace.
“Why didnt you tell me?”
She tensed. “About what?”
“Your heart.” He cupped her face. “I love younot your health, not your body. You.”
“But Ill die, Edward,” she whispered. “A year, maybe five after surgery. I cant ask you to”
“Marry me. Next week. On whatever island you want.”
Tears spilled. “You dont understand.”
“I understand perfectly. I dont care how long we haveI want every minute with you.”
She smiled through her tears. “Yes. Ill marry you.”
They talked all nightabout her condition, the wedding, their future, however brief. She fell asleep against his shoulder.
At dawn, he realized something was wrong. She was too still.
“Emily?”
No response.
Her skin was cold.
Paramedics arrived too late. Shed passed peacefully in her sleep.
His father arrived, gripping his shoulder. “She knew the risks. Her last tests”
Edward knelt beside her, clutching her hand. That serene smile still graced her lips.
She never saw the ocean. But perhaps, wherever she was now, the waters stretched far beyond any earthly horizon.
Sometimes, love isnt about the time youre givenbut what you make of the time you have.
