The room was quiet, almost unnervingly so. Only the faint hum of the ventilator, the occasional beep from the monitor, and the slow ticking of the wall clock kept time alive. My body lay half-trapped in this wheelchair, my muscles stiff, my left leg slightly obedient while the right remained a frozen relic. My hands— once capable of creating, holding, protecting— were now weak, trembling.
I stared at the ceiling, a million thoughts converging into one crushing weight.
I will never recover fully. I can't walk, I can't lift, I can't even move properly. And Ann… she's young, she's vibrant, she's brilliant. She deserves a life filled with happiness, not pain, not struggle, not sacrifice.
My chest tightened. The thought of her spending her days caring for a broken man, adjusting her life around mine, chasing dreams she might give up for me… it made me ache.
I can't let her live like that. She deserves more than me.
The next afternoon, I called Jacob to my room. He was the only one I could trust, the one who had stood beside me since childhood, who knew my fears and failures without judgment.
"Jacob… sit," I muttered as he entered.
He sank into the chair beside me, frowning immediately at my dark expression. "Dennis… you look… exhausted. How's therapy today?"
I let out a bitter laugh. "Therapy… it's a reminder of what I've lost. What I'll never get back. Every attempt… every day, I fight… and get nothing."
Jacob frowned, placing a hand on mine. "Dennis… you're making progress. Slowly, yes, but you're alive, you're improving. And Ann…"
I shook my head violently. "Don't talk about her! Don't try to sugarcoat anything. She… she doesn't deserve this life. She'll be chained to me forever if I don't stop her, if I don't… if I don't make the right decision."
Jacob tilted his head, confused. "Dennis… what are you saying?"
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. "I'm saying… I have to let her go. She can't live with me. She'll struggle, she'll suffer, she'll miss out on everything she deserves… because of me."
Jacob's brow furrowed. "Let her go? Dennis… you're talking like you're throwing away your life with her."
"I am!" I barked, the anger and frustration boiling over. "I love her, Jacob, more than I've ever loved anything. But my love… it's poisonous. I can't walk. I can't lift. I can't even feed myself without help. And every day she stays with me, she sacrifices. She gives up her life— her career, her joy, her freedom— for a man who… who is half a shadow of what he used to be. Can't you see that?"
Jacob's eyes softened, but he shook his head. "Dennis… she's chosen you. Every day, she stays because she wants to. She's not here out of duty or obligation. She's here because of love."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Love… or pity? I don't know anymore. I don't even know if I deserve her love. I've become a burden. Every day, I see her adjusting, bending, sacrificing… and I can't take it anymore. Jacob… I want her to have a normal life, a happy life, without me in the way."
Jacob leaned back, frowning deeply. "Dennis… are you thinking of calling off the wedding?"
I didn't answer immediately. My heart thumped painfully. Every beat seemed like a verdict against me. "I… I think… it's the only way. She deserves a chance at happiness, not… a life chained to a broken man."
Jacob reached forward, gripping my hand firmly. "Dennis… listen to me. Happiness isn't about avoiding struggle. It's about facing it together. You think she'll suffer if she stays with you… but leaving her… leaving her is the real suffering. She's made her choice. You can't decide her happiness for her."
Jacob's words echoed, but the heaviness in my chest didn't lift. I stared at my hands, trembling, weak, useless.
How can I ask her to live like this with me? I thought. I can't give her the life she deserves. I can't even give her the man she fell in love with. And yet… leaving her would break me… destroy me…
I pressed my face into my hands, tears escaping despite myself. "Jacob… I'm trapped. I can't give her a future. I'm broken. And maybe… maybe the only way she can be happy is if I'm not there at all."
Jacob sighed, frustrated but patient. "Dennis… you're looking at this all wrong. She's not here because she has to be. She's here because she wants to be. And she's strong. You've underestimated her strength, as well as your own."
I looked up, voice breaking. "Maybe… maybe I've always underestimated everything."
Later, lying back in bed, I whispered into the quiet room, the weight of guilt suffocating me.
I'm afraid, Jacob… so afraid. Afraid that I'll make her life miserable, that I'll take everything from her. Afraid that she'll wake up one day and regret staying. And yet… I can't let her go. I can't. I love her too much to do that.
The truth was undeniable: my love for her had become a double-edged sword. It gave me purpose, but it also brought pain, frustration, and guilt that clawed at me daily.
I closed my eyes, trembling. "I'm broken… and I don't know if I can fix myself in time for her."
Jacob's POV
I sat beside him, gripping his shoulder. "Dennis… listen. You think you're protecting her by stepping away, by breaking the wedding off. But all you're doing is punishing yourself and possibly destroying the life you both want. You don't decide her happiness— she does. Let her choose, Dennis. Let her stay with you if that's what she wants. And then… fight. Fight to get better, fight for her, fight for yourself."
He stayed silent, tears spilling down his cheeks. His chest heaved with a mixture of guilt, fear, and love too heavy to carry.
"I… I don't know if I can," he whispered finally.
"You can," I said firmly. "Because you're not alone. And because she's not going anywhere. If you let her in, Dennis, and trust her… maybe you'll find the strength you think is gone."
He looked at me, searching my face for a lifeline, some proof that hope still existed. I gave him a nod, steady, unwavering.
"Just… let her fight with you, Dennis. Let her love you through this. You're not a burden. You're the man she loves."
I wanted to believe it, but the fear in my heart didn't disappear.
What if my love is a cage for her? I thought. What if my weakness chains her life?
And yet… even in that fear, there was a flicker of something new: maybe, just maybe, together, we could survive it all.
That night, Dennis lay awake, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts spun endlessly— about his paralysis, about the wedding, about Ann's life, about whether he could ever be enough.
Jacob's words replayed in his mind, a mixture of challenge and hope. But the fear didn't fade. The guilt didn't fade.
I love her too much to let her suffer… but what if my love is exactly what makes her suffer?
The room was dark, quiet, and heavy. And Dennis… trapped in his body, trapped in his fear, wondered if love alone could ever be enough to survive a life broken in half.