At first, he dismissed the symptoms.

Fatigue.

Shortness of breath.

Loss of appetite.

He insisted it was simply age.

Then came the tests.

Then the specialists.

Then the conversation nobody wants to have.

Daniel had a serious illness.

The doctors explained that treatment might help manage his condition, but his future was uncertain.

When Eleanor heard the news, she sat beside him.

Neither spoke for several minutes.

Finally, Daniel said:

"I found you again just in time to lose you."

Eleanor squeezed his hand.

"Don't talk like that."

"I'm being realistic."

"You're being dramatic."

He smiled faintly.

"That hasn't changed either."

But the smile didn't last.

The Proposal

A few weeks later, Daniel asked Eleanor to marry him.

She thought he was joking.

He wasn't.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I loved you when we were young."

She looked away.

"And now?"

"Now I know what that love was worth."

Eleanor began to cry.

"Daniel, we're seventy-three."

"I know."

"We don't have decades."

"I know."

"I can't promise you forever."

He smiled.

"Neither can anyone else."

That sentence stayed with her.

Eventually, Eleanor said yes.

Not because she wanted to deny reality.

Because she wanted to embrace whatever time remained.

A Wedding Without Pretending

Their wedding was small.

No extravagant venue.

No enormous guest list.

Just family and a few close friends.

Eleanor wore a simple dress.

Daniel wore a dark suit.

Their grandchildren decorated the room with photographs from their youth.