Your Fate
1441 Words
Juliet sat quietly in the wheelchair, her frail hands resting on her lap while a young nurse guided her through the dim hospital corridor.
The wheels rolled across the polished floor with soft repetitive sounds— steady, cold, emotionless. Every hallway blended into the next until the entire hospital felt less like a building and more like an endless maze she could never leave.
At some point, Juliet had stopped feeling sorry for herself.
That phase had disappeared long ago.
Now, this was simply her reality.
Weak.
Fragile.
Too sick to even walk herself to the restroom without assistance. Too exhausted to make decisions without someone stepping in first.
The nurse stopped outside her ward and carefully pushed the door open.
“Easy there, ma’am,” she said gently.
Juliet gave a faint nod. “I’m alright.” She said, even though she wasn’t. But admitting it changed nothing.
The moment she entered the room, she saw Katie sitting in the familiar chair beside her bed.
Somehow, Katie’s presence had become routine, almost like she belonged there more than anyone else did.
“Are you okay?” There it was again.
That same question.
Once, Juliet had found comfort in it.
Now, though… it sounded different.
It felt less like concern and more like someone quietly checking whether something had finally happened.
“Mm.” Juliet nodded faintly while struggling back onto the bed.
“I know this must be hard on you,” Katie said softly. “But don’t let it consume you. You’ll survive this. I believe you will.”
Something about those words unsettled Juliet, not enough to fully alarm her... just enough to feel wrong.
She slowly nodded without knowing what to say.
Survive?
The doctors had already given their answer months ago.
Six to ten months left.
That was it.
No miracle.
No recovery.
So what exactly was she supposed to survive?
Her mind drifted unwillingly to her wedding day. Back then, she’d smiled so brightly while promising till death do us part.
If only she had realized death had already been waiting for her from the very beginning.
Lurking quietly beside her marriage.
Preparing to claim her only six years later.
If she had known how easily her husband and his family would cast her aside, maybe she wouldn’t have spent so many years desperately trying to earn their approval.
“Other women take care of their mother-in-law properly, but you? Completely useless.”
Her husband’s mother never missed a chance to criticize her.
Nothing Juliet did was ever enough.
Not for her husband.
And certainly not for his family.
The sound of Katie’s phone suddenly pulled her from her thoughts.
Juliet almost flinched when Katie quickly answered it.
Even though she had moved closer to the doorway, she still lowered her voice to a near whisper.
A few moments later, Katie returned to her bedside. “I have to head out,” she said apologetically. “Something important came up. I’ll visit you tomorrow, okay?”
Juliet nodded quietly, but she didn’t miss the brief excitement in Katie’s expression before she left.
That was the strange thing.
The only times Katie ever seemed genuinely emotional were when she was leaving.
“Must be going to see her boyfriend,” the elderly man in the other bed commented after the door shut.
Juliet gave a small tired smile. “Katie? She’s single.” Then after a pause, she added, “It's probably work.”
Even she didn’t fully believe that answer.
“Your sister?” the old man asked.
“No,” Juliet replied softly. “She’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since college.” She wasn’t in the mood to talk, but being rude felt unnecessary.
The old man smiled strangely. “Friendships that last that long are rare.”
Something about the way he kept smiling unsettled her, almost like he found the situation amusing somehow.
“You must feel lucky having someone stay by your side like that,” he continued.
“I… suppose.”
Only then did Juliet realize something odd.
Had this man even been here yesterday?
She had no memory of noticing him before now, yet somehow her mind simply accepted that they’d been sharing a room this entire time.
She opened her mouth to ask—
But the ward door suddenly opened again.
A nurse stepped inside holding a clipboard.
“Ms. Collins,” she began carefully, “regarding your payment… we’ve tried to be patient with you and your husband, but you mentioned he would come yesterday and he never did. If the payment isn’t settled today, we’ll have to discontinue treatment.”
Juliet went silent.
For a moment, the words barely registered, as if her mind refused to process them properly. “Discontinue… treatment?” she repeated quietly.
The nurse nodded uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Hospital policy.”
Juliet let out a weak breath that almost sounded like laughter.
Of course.
Even now, everything still revolved around money.
She looked away slowly. “I understand.”
The nurse hesitated as if she wanted to say something more, but eventually left without another word.
The silence afterward felt unbearable.
Immediately, Juliet grabbed her phone and called her husband again.
It rang endlessly.
No answer.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every attempt felt more meaningless than the last, yet she couldn’t stop herself.
Then she switched contacts and started to call Katie instead.
One call.
Two calls.
Nothing.
Slowly, Juliet lowered the phone.
Something felt wrong. She wasn't panicking, but she just felt like something was wrong. It was just a quiet unease creeping deeper beneath her skin.
Despite how weak she was, she suddenly decided she needed to go home herself and find out what was happening.
She pushed herself upright with visible effort. Her body felt unnaturally heavy, almost as if it resisted the idea of moving at all.
The elderly man watched her carefully. “Are you certain you want to leave?” he asked.
Juliet paused, then answered before she could properly think about it. “It’s my husband we're talking about,” she said quietly. “I need to see it myself.”
Immediately she said that, she froze.
See what?
Almost as though he had heard the unfinished thought, the old man smiled faintly. “See what exactly?” he asked.
Juliet frowned slightly.
Truthfully, she didn’t know. She grabbed a jacket and slipped it over the thin hospital gown.
The old man leaned back against his pillow.
“Well,” he murmured, “I suppose this is your fate.”
He paused briefly before repeating in a strangely amused tone, “Yes… definitely your fate.”
Juliet frowned deeper.
“Most people spend their entire lives accepting whatever fate throws at them,” the old man continued. “They never question it. Never resist it.”
His smile widened faintly.
“Some become so convinced they’re making choices… when really, they’re only following a path already laid out for them.”
“And you?” Juliet asked quietly.
The old man chuckled. “I think fate is cruel,” he admitted.
Then after a pause, he added more softly, “But sometimes… it gives people a chance to return and correct what should never have happened.”
Juliet narrowed her eyes slightly. “What does that even mean?”
The old man’s gaze drifted somewhere distant. “People rarely realize they’ve already reached the end of the wrong road.”
For a second, Juliet had the strange feeling he wasn’t speaking directly to her anymore. Like he was speaking to something else entirely.
She shook her head lightly. “You’re not making any sense.”
The old man only smiled again, as though he expected that answer.
Juliet slowly stood to her feet despite the weakness in her body. “I need to go.”
The old man reached beneath his pillow and pulled out a single rose petal. He held it toward her.
Juliet stared at it in confusion. “What is that supposed to mean?”
His expression softened. “You still have another path available to you,” he said quietly. “That is life’s final kindness to you.”
Juliet hesitated.
Part of her wanted to ignore him completely, yet slowly, she accepted the petal.
It felt ordinary.
Far too ordinary.
And somehow, that made it feel important.
Her fingers closed around it lightly. “…I don’t have time for riddles,” she muttered.
Still, she slipped the petal into her pocket before turning away.
- Writer
