Planning a Wedding for My Husband and His Old Flame

I was sick.
The doctor frowned, shaking his head as he looked over the test results.
If there are any loose ends you need to tie up, you should do it soon. It's only a matter of days now.
I stared blankly at the pale white wall, lost in thought.
Handed a death sentence, what did I want to do most?
What I wanted most was probably to help my husband, Lucas, find the woman hed never stopped thinking about, his old flame, and throw them a huge wedding.
Let them live happily ever after once I was gone, forever together.
Bang!
The examination room door flew open. Lucas stormed in and immediately punched the doctor.
"You quack! Do you even know how to read results?! What the hell are you talking about? I oughta beat the crap out of you!"
I sighed, rubbing my temples. The noise was giving me a headache. I waved my assistant forward to pull the flailing Lucas away, apologized to the doctor as he left, and the room fell silent.
"How old are you, still starting fights like this? Think you're still twenty-something, taking on three guys at once?"
I pulled out a tissue to wipe the blood from the corner of Lucass mouth. "Dr. Miller knows how to handle himself, you know. If he hadn't cut you some slack because of me, youd be short a few teeth right now."
Lucass eyes turned red, his dimples deep enough to drown in. "He had it coming, running his mouth like that! What kind of illness hits that fast? No time for treatment even? He was basically cursing you! I swear, I wont feel better until I teach him a lesson!"
Lucas stood up to leave again, but I held him back tightly. Still, being sick, I didn't have much strength. After a few tugs, I started gasping for air, coughing violently. The tissue in my hand instantly bloomed red. Only then did Lucas start to believe it might be real.
He helped me into a chair, and I caught my breath, finally able to speak in broken sentences after a long pause. "Honey, this sickness... it didn't just start. I started coughing up blood a month ago, but we were both so busy then. Too busy to even notice what was happening to our own bodies. Thinking back now, I guess we brought this on ourselves."
Fat tears rolled down Lucass cheeks. He squeezed my hand, his eyes filled with pain and reluctance to let go. "There has to be a way! There has to be! We'll go abroad. The medical care overseas is so much better, they can definitely..."
I placed my hand over his mouth. "It's no use, honey. I already consulted specialists abroad. Even if we sell the company, spend every penny we have, it would only buy me maybe another month. Is that worth it?"
Faced with my question, Lucass loving gaze filled with hesitation.
Risking the empire wed built over fifteen years on someone who was definitely going to die that wasnt a good deal.
But in front of the assistants, Lucas couldn't admit that money mattered more than my life. Besides, we were always seen as the perfect, devoted couple. Even if he didnt want to spend the money, he couldn't be the one to say, "Let's stop treatment."
Those words had to come from me.
2
"Lucas, honey, I know you love me. But I can't bear to watch everything we built crumble. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to rest in peace."
Lucas's tears fell like broken strands of pearls onto my hand. He just shook his head, crying, not saying anything. I had to keep going.
"Honestly, I've made peace with it. Everyone dies eventually, it's just a matter of when. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. We've had fourteen years together. What more could I regret?"
Hearing this, Lucas looked up. "Evelyn, don't talk like that. I won't let you."
I looked at his tear-streaked face and managed a small smile. "Lucas, saying I have no regrets is a lie. There is actually one thing you could help me fix."
Lucas's tears stopped instantly. A flash of panic crossed his eyes. He was afraid I'd bring up money. I gently patted his head to soothe him. I wouldn't. I didn't want to talk about money right now. I only wanted to talk about feelings.
"I'm worried that after I'm gone, there won't be anyone to take care of you the way I do. I can't stand the thought of you being alone for the rest of your life. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to close my eyes, even in death." I dabbed my eyes with a tissue, catching Lucass reaction out of the corner of my eye. He was wary, suspicious of every word coming out of my mouth.
My hands slid from his head to his face. Lucas flinched like a startled puppy.
"Take me to find Olivia Vance."
Lucas turned pale, but he forced a smile, pretending ignorance. "Olivia... Olivia Vance? Who's that? A friend of yours?"
I tapped his forehead playfully. "Isn't she the one you could never forget?"
"A week ago, you got drunk. You said her name all night long. I figure this girl must be someone I can trust."
"Putting you in her hands, I can rest easy."
My cold hand slid to Lucass neck. He swallowed hard, his lips trembling as he tried to explain. "I... I don't... remember that? You must have misheard... yeah, misheard... You were my first love, Evelyn. How could I have some old flame? Impossible... theres no one..."
I cupped his face, offering what I hoped was my kindest smile.
"Why are you so flustered, honey? Don't be scared. I don't mean any harm."
"Honestly, when I first heard you had someone else in your heart, I couldn't handle it. I even thought about just... ending you in the middle of the night." My cold hand tightened instinctively. Lucas shivered.
"But when I actually had the chance, holding the knife over you, I couldn't go through with it. Because I love you, you know?"
Lucas nodded quickly. I stared straight into his eyes. "So now, I've let it go. Since I love you, I want you to be happy. Having a woman you love you for the rest of your life, taking care of you for me... I should be thanking her. Why would I do anything to hurt her?"
"Lucas, they say people speak truthfully when they're dying. I'll arrange everything for the handover between me and Olivia. You won't have to lift a finger. You'll come out of this looking like the perfect, loving husband. You won't be hurt at all."
"Can you just grant me this last wish?"
Lucas nodded. I beamed, my smile as bright as a flower.
3
"Go now? Isn't that too soon? Maybe you should rest tonight, let me prepare."
Lucas started panicking again when he saw me calling my assistant to bring the car around.
"You heard the doctor, I don't have much time. In a few days, it's the anniversary of when you first told me you loved me. That day means the world to me. So, fourteen years later, on that same day, I want to hand you over to the woman you love. Then I can die without regrets."
Lucas fidgeted with the ring on his finger, mumbling, "Evelyn, stop talking about dying all the time. It's bad luck."
Am I really in a position to care about bad luck anymore?
Lucas said he'd arrange the car, told me to wait a bit. I sat calmly in the hospital's VIP lounge and ordered something super spicy to eat, giving Lucas plenty of time to make his arrangements.
I hoped he could come up with a good plan.
I ate until I was so full I could barely move. Finally, Lucas ran back in. He frowned looking at the fiery red sauce in my takeout container. "Isn't that too spicy for your stomach?"
Lucas doesn't eat spicy food, so I never did either.
"Compared to the virus inside me, what's a little spice?"
"Does just seeing peppers upset your stomach?"
Lucas quickly moved his hand away from his stomach. He'd had stomach problems for years.
"Let's go, the car's ready."
Lucas took my hand and helped me into a warm RV. The hand I'd held for fourteen years felt as familiar and unexciting as holding my own. It's funny I only realized that recently.
Lying down in the RV, the exhaustion of the past few days finally caught up with me, and I fell asleep. I don't know how long passed before the RV stopped, and Lucas gently shook me awake.
"Evelyn, we're here. Wake up, wake up."
I decided to scare him. I waited until he put his fingers under my nose to check my breathing, then suddenly snapped my eyes open, staring straight at him. "Don't worry. I won't let myself die until this is done."
Lucas awkwardly grabbed a coat and draped it over my shoulders. "It's cold out, wear more."
He was always so considerate. That thoughtfulness and patience were part of why I chose him back then. Chose to start a business with him right after graduation, chose to live in a tiny $300-a-month basement apartment, chose to eat instant ramen for a year until I threw up just looking at it, chose to hide out sleeping in the car to dodge creditors over the holidays, chose to mortgage my parents' house to help him rebuild...
It was all my choice.
I took his arm as I got out of the RV. The view that greeted me was genuinely shocking. "This... this is a cemetery?"
4
I looked at Lucas, confused. His eyes were red again, his voice choked with sobs.
"Evelyn, I'm sorry. I did lie to you about this. Before you, I was involved with Olivia. But once I got together with you, we broke it off completely."
"The night I got drunk and called out her name... it was because she had passed away. I heard the news, and it hit me hard. She was so young, and we did love each other once. So... so I misspoke..."
"I swear! I never thought of her as the one that got away! You're the only one for me, Evelyn!"
In the dark cemetery, Lucas raised his right hand, swearing an oath. He wasn't afraid of getting struck by lightning, but I was. I let go of his arm and walked over to the gravestone engraved with the name OLIVIA VANCE, studying it closely.
There was no photo on the headstone. No "daughter of," no "wife of." Just a solitary name. The ground around it was covered with fresh sod, sprinkled with old, dry dirt, but even so, you could tell the grave was new.
This was what Lucas prepared during the time it took me to eat?
I turned back to look at him. He had that same honest, almost naive look on his face he always wore.
He never talked much, was polite to everyone. At thirty-four, he kept himself in good shape; put him in sweats, and he could pass for a college kid.
He always told me where he was going when he went out for work dinners. He cooked for me, not just on anniversaries but regularly. He bought my parents a house back home. He was generous to my friends.
He doted on me, so much so that everyone said how lucky I was to find such a great husband.
But now, regarding my dying wish, he was lying to me.
I didn't know if he was scared of hurting me or worried that I, with nothing left to lose, would try to take his precious Olivia down with me.
"Lucas, have I ever lied to you?"
I bent down slightly to look him in the eye. "It's been a while now. The doctors you consulted must have gotten back to you."
His hand was clenched in his pocket around the phone he kept checking.
"Am I lying?"
"If you still don't believe me, I can announce to all our relatives that we're parting ways amicably. Clear the path for your legitimate relationship with Olivia."
Lucas opened his mouth, still hesitating.
"After you introduce her to me, I will publicly announce at the next company meeting that I'm transferring my thirty percent stake to you."
"This is the last thing I can leave you. I just want to witness you two getting together. Can't you even grant me that?" My body trembled, my voice cracking with tears as I pleaded.
I had never begged him for anything. This was the first and last time.
Lucas finally nodded, but his brow remained furrowed, his hand clutching his stomach, which was clearly bothering him again.
I didn't want to watch. I pretended to faint.
5
When I opened my eyes again, it was to Lucas's surprise.
Family members from both sides were gathered around the bed, watching me intently.
"Evelyn, just like you asked, I've called everyone here."
I managed a weak smile, patting Lucas's head, praising him for handling things well.
True, in all our years together, Lucas had always done what I asked. Whatever I told him to do, he did. So all our friends and family knew I called the shots in our house. Which meant any blame would also fall on me.
I pushed myself up in bed. "Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncles... Lucas must have told you about my illness. Over the years, Lucas and I went through a lot, suffered quite a bit, but thankfully, things turned around, and we achieved some success." I lowered my head, chuckling softly. "I guess it's just my bad luck. Just when things got good, I get sick like this. It doesn't matter if I die, but I can't stop worrying about Lucas. He'll go crazy without someone by his side."
"So, I found someone to take my place. From now on, Ms. Olivia Vance will replace me as Lucas's new wife. I will bless them always, hoping they stay together forever, happily ever after."
"Evie! How could you do this?!" My parents couldn't believe their ears. Their daughter wasn't even dead yet, and she was already arranging a new wife for her husband? What kind of crazy talk was this?!
But Lucas's parents looked pleased. "Folks, this is between the kids. We're old now. We can't help them much, so let's not meddle too much."
"What do you mean 'meddle too much'? Your son gets his happy ending after all the hardship, carefree and set up. Our daughter is so unlucky, hasn't enjoyed any of the good life, and still has to worry about finding him a wife? Does the Thorne family get all the luck in the world?!"
My dad couldn't take it. He grabbed the back of Lucas's neck, demanding an explanation. Lucas didn't resist, just hung his head, crying silently, not saying a word.
"Dad... Dad..." I struggled to get up, grabbing my dad's arm. "It's all my decision. I love Lucas. I want him to be happy."
"How can you be so foolish?" Dad let go, supporting my mom, who was close to fainting from crying. They knew I was stubborn; they could only let me have my way.
"Lucas, everyone understands now. Aren't you going to bring Olivia out to say hello?"
Another blood-stained tissue dropped to the floor. Lucas looked around; only his family remained. He cautiously stepped out and brought in the long-awaited old flame.

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