A Christmas to Remember

Christmas had always been Elena’s favorite time of year. The sparkling lights, the scent of pine and cinnamon filling the air, and the warmth of the season wrapped her in a familiar comfort. For as long as she could remember, Christmas had meant family, love, and new beginnings. But this year, with the cold winter winds sweeping through the streets, Elena couldn’t shake the feeling that the magic of the season had slipped through her fingers. She had hoped this Christmas would be different. After five long years of trying to start a family with her husband, Tom, she felt this season might finally bring her the good news she so desperately desired. Maybe this year, her Christmas miracle would come in the form of a positive pregnancy test. But as she sat on the examination table, the bright fluorescent lights above her seemed to mock her. The warmth and joy of Christmas, so present in the world outside, felt miles away. Elena fidgeted with the hem of her sweater, her fingers trembling with anticipation and anxiety. She had been to this doctor before, seeking answers, but today felt different. Today, she was hoping for something she could hold onto, something to make her remember the season with happiness. Her heart pounded as the doctor entered, his face unreadable. He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. He walked straight to the desk, glancing at the test results on his screen. “Elena,” he began, his voice soft, “I’m afraid you’re not pregnant.” She froze. The words cut through her, sharper than she expected. She had been expecting this, but hearing it out loud felt like a betrayal. She swallowed, trying to steady her breath, but it was as though the world had stopped spinning. All her hopes, her dreams of motherhood, seemed to crash down around her in that instant. But she had symptoms to make her believe she could be pregnant. A throbbing headache and feeling of nausea? What were the cause of those symptoms then? “There’s something else,” the doctor continued cutting her out of her thoughts, his voice now more serious. “You have a growth in your brain—a tumor.” The words landed like bricks on her chest. Tumor. Cancer. The weight of them threatened to crush her, and she felt her knees go weak. The room began to blur around her, the bright white lights distorting as she fought to hold it together. She had come here expecting joy, expecting a life-changing announcement, but instead, her worst nightmare was unfolding before her. She could feel the tears welling up, but she held them back, afraid that if she started, she wouldn’t stop. "The body scan we conducted indicated you have a tumor growing in your brain." the doctor informed. Elena swallowed. Her heart breaking, and her throat closing up. Five years. Five good years trying so hard to get pregnant, and now she was going to die after all her struggles without even becoming a mother. "Mrs. Stratford, are you with me?" She looked straight at the doctor, dumbfounded. "Mrs. Stratford, I understand that this result may be frightening for you. But with the right treatment we can try to overcome it. Please come with your husband for consultation, so we can talk in-depth about your health and the best way to treat it as soon as possible." ---- Elena left the doctor’s office in a daze, her feet unsteady as she walked down the hallway. Her mind was a whirlwind of disbelief, a confusing mess of emotions. She had come here for answers, and now, she was leaving with questions—questions about her future, about her body, and about what she had done to deserve this. Her mind kept returning to the words “brain tumor,” echoing in her ears. She didn’t know what to do with this new information. The holidays were meant to be a time of cheer, but for her, they felt like an endless reminder of everything slipping away. Outside, the wind howled, biting at her skin as she quickly entered her car and made her way toward her husband’s office. As she drove, her thoughts shifted to her husband, Tom. He was the only surviving son and heir to the Stratford empire. His parents were already on him for a grandson. How was she going to tell him that instead of a pregnancy, she had a tumor? She entered the office building with shaky hands, taking a deep breath before she pushed open the door to the reception area. The quiet murmur of voices caught her attention, and she froze in the doorway. It wasn’t Tom’s voice she heard first—it was the soft, intimate voice of a woman. Her heart skipped a beat as she peeked through the cracked door to the office. There, in the middle of the room, was her husband, his trouser pooled around his ankle, his arms wrapped around his secretary, and their lips locked in a kiss, as he pounded into her. Her breath caught in her throat as the scene unfolded before her eyes. The betrayal was instant, devastating. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. It was as though her body was frozen in place, unable to process the image in front of her. Tom, the man she had given her heart to, the man she had thought was her rock, was in another woman’s arms. Her knees went weak, but she forced herself to step forward, unable to hold back the wave of betrayal crashing over her. Tom looked up, his eyes widening in shock as he pulled up his trouser. The woman quickly pulled away from him, her face flushing with embarrassment, but Tom’s expression remained cold. “Elena, what the hell are you doing here?” Tom snapped, his tone sharp, dismissive. “This isn’t the time for a scene.” Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she refused to let them fall. “How long?” she managed to choke out, her voice trembling with hurt. “How long has this been going on?” Tom stood up, his gaze flicking to the woman beside him before returning to Elena. “That’s none of your business,” he said coldly, his voice flat. “I don’t have time for this right now. We’ll talk about this later.” Elena’s heart shattered as he turned away, signaling to the woman to leave. The coldness in his voice, the way he dismissed her, cut deeper than any words could. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. The world seemed to tilt on its axis, the Christmas decorations outside the office windows mocking her pain. Tom’s voice pierced through her haze. “Elena, you need to leave. I have work to do.” The words hit her like a slap. With shaking hands, sh stumbled out of the office, her world falling apart with every step. She couldn’t stay there any longer. She couldn’t face him. She couldn’t face the reality that everything she had trusted and believed in was a lie.