Six years or less...
1007 Words
~Zayn's pov~
Two weeks.
That was how long it had been since Mom was discharged from the hospital.
Fourteen days, yet the doctor's words still clung to me like a stain I couldn't wash away.
"She may have six years... perhaps less. Keep her on her medications. Let her avoid stress. She'll need emotional support now more than ever."
That was the doctor's words. Six years or less…..
To anyone else, it probably sounded like a long time, but to me, it sounded like someone had already started counting down the days until I'd lose the only parent who had ever truly loved me.
Since that day, I had become impossible to deal with.
The office had turned into a place to pour out. I snapped over the smallest mistakes, meetings ended with people walking out in silence. Reports were thrown back across tables before anyone could finish explaining themselves, four employees had already been dismissed because they couldn't meet my standards.
Victor called it grief, I called it incompetence, or maybe we were both right, because no matter how much work I buried myself under, the silence always caught up with me.
And when it did...
I heard Mom's voice.
"Now that my time is numbered... I just want you to grant me one wish before I'm gone."
Even before she became ill, she'd worried about my personal life more than I ever did.
"You're too cold, Zayn."
"Stop living like you're made of stone."
"One day you'll meet someone who'll soften that heart of yours and get married."
She never stopped saying it.
But the truth was… I stopped believing in love a long time ago.
My father made sure of that.
I grew up watching him reduce marriage to something ugly. He cheated without shame, drank without limits, and treated every woman around him like they existed for his pleasure. The day Mom found out he'd forced himself on one of our family's friend was the day she finally walked away.
She never looked back, neither did I, and watching her rebuild herself after that taught me one lesson.
Love is never real—And true love doesn't exist.
It gave people permission to tamper with your heart and feelings.
So I stayed away from women; no dates, no relationships, no empty promises.
It was easier that way.
Except...There was that one night, again, at that hotel bar.
And all that could crawl to my mind was pieces, a pair of tired eyes, a trembling smile that never quite reached them.
She looked like someone carrying the weight of the world alone.
Something about her drew me in before either of us spoke.
One drink had been a conversation, and that conversation became a night I still couldn't explain. Didn't know where she'd gone.
I never even saw her again.
Yet somehow...
She still crossed my mind more often than she should, even in my dreams, over and over again.
That morning, I found Mom in the kitchen before leaving for work.
She stood by the counter arranging homemade snacks into small containers.
She looked... peaceful.
If someone walked in, they'd never believe she'd recently been told her life had an expiry date.
She noticed me watching.
"What?" she laughed softly.
I shook my head.
"Nothing."
"You've barely touched your breakfast."
"I'm not hungry."
"You're always not hungry these days."
She walked over and adjusted my tie the same way she'd done since I was a teenager.
"You work too much."
I looked down at her hands.
They'd become thinner. The veins were more visible now.
When had that happened? A strange ache settled in my chest.
And one day...Those hands wouldn't be here to straighten my tie.
One day, this kitchen would be quiet.
The thought alone stole the air from my lungs.
"I'm leaving," I muttered.
She smiled anyway, and threw me my snack pack.
"Have a good day."
I nodded once before walking out because if I stayed another second, I wasn't sure I'd be able to hide what was sitting in my throat.
"Morning, boss."
Victor barely looked up from his laptop as I entered his office.
I dropped into the chair opposite him without returning the greeting, tugging my tie loose.
He studied me for a moment before closing the laptop.
"You look terrible."
"I feel worse."
"I figured."
He slid a file across the desk.
"You've scared half the company this week."
I opened it, skimmed the first page without seeing a single word, then dropped it back onto the desk.
"I think I should get married."
Victor stared.
"...What?"
"My mom wants a grandchild."
"And because she said that, you're ready to marry the next woman you see?"
"I gave her my word."
He leaned back slowly.
"Zayn... marriage isn't something you rush because you're scared."
"I'm not scared."
"Liar."
His answer came so quickly it irritated me.
"You are."
I looked away, maybe I was.
Silence settled between us. Then a knock sounded at the door.
"Sir?" a female employee called from outside. "Please i need your permission to leave for an urgent meeting with my lawyer. I have some documents to sign."
"No," I answered immediately. "Go back to work."
Before she could respond, Victor spoke over me.
"You can go. Just return once you're done."
"Thank you, sir."
Her footsteps disappeared.
I turned slowly.
"You just undermined me."
"I just saved an innocent employee from becoming your fifth victim."
I glared at him. He only chuckled and reached across the desk, lightly kicking my shoe with his.
"Ease up."
I exhaled sharply, saying nothing.
Just as I rose from the chair, Victor suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Hold on."
I looked back.
"What?"
A slow grin spread across his face.
"I think I just found a way to grant your mother's wish..."
He paused, clearly enjoying the suspense.
"...without you having to fall in love first.”
I stared at him for a second, my brows furrowed, what way could this Victor really figure out?.
- Writer
