Chapter 26: A Future He Still Believed In

Even as his body betrayed him—
tumor spreading,
balance slipping,
days bleeding into each other—

Stephen still saw a future.

Not fantasy.
Not delusion.
But something possible.

He saw himself walking beside her again.
Maybe not strong like before.
Maybe a little slower.
But still upright—
still him.

He imagined her helping him across a muddy road,
grumbling softly,
but with that quiet affection only she could pull off:

“Come on na, Stephen. You’re not that old.”
“Don’t make me carry you.”

And they’d both laugh.
Because even then,
she was home.

He imagined setting up the Guimaras house.
Choosing paint colors.
Arguing about where to put the stove.
Fixing the roof while she yelled at him to come down.

Simple things.
Real things.

He didn’t dream of mansions or luxury.
He just wanted peace.
A porch.
The kids laughing in the background.
Her resting in the knowledge
that she was safe—finally.

He wanted her to go back to school,
maybe start a little business.
He wanted her to thrive,
not just survive.

And even if he didn’t make it that far—
he wanted her to live like he had.

With meaning.
With courage.
With love that refused to vanish,
even in silence.

Stephen didn’t believe in fairy tales.
But he did believe in restoration.
In second chances.
In the kind of healing
that only shows up after everything’s been broken.

And that’s what he prayed for her.

Even if she remarried someday
(though she swore she wouldn’t).

Even if she built a new life
far from the places they had shared—

He still believed the love they had
wasn’t wasted.

It was seed.
And someday,
it would bloom.