THE DINNER BEFORE THE WEDDING
My older brother’s name is David Miller.
In our family, he was the pride of everyone. Tall, good-looking, well-educated, with a stable career at a financial firm in Boston, earning over $120,000 a year. From childhood to adulthood, David had always been the “perfect son”—never rebellious, never disobedient, always living up to our parents’ expectations.
My parents used to say that just looking at David was enough to see the future of our entire family.
That was exactly why the woman he chose to marry could never be just anyone.
And yet, the woman he brought home was Lily Carter.
THE FIRST MEETING
The first time David introduced Lily to our family was on a late autumn afternoon. She walked into the house wearing a beige knit dress, her figure so fragile it seemed a strong wind could knock her over. Her skin was pale, her lips almost colorless, and her smile looked as if it required effort to maintain.
My mother looked at Lily for exactly three seconds.
Those three seconds were enough for her to turn to me and frown slightly.
During dinner, my mother kept asking Lily questions that sounded caring but felt more like interrogation.
“What do you do for a living?”
“Do you eat properly?”
“Why are you so thin?”
Finally, my mother turned directly to David.
“Does this girl have some kind of illness?”
The air at the table froze.
David paused, while Lily lowered her head, her fingers gripping the hem of her dress. I could see her hands trembling.
“Mom, don’t say nonsense,” David replied, his voice firmer than I had ever heard. “Lily just has a weak constitution.”
My mother said nothing more, but her eyes said everything.
That night, she told me quietly,
“She’s not suitable. If he marries her, he’ll suffer.”
TWO YEARS OF DEFIANCE
David had never gone against our parents’ wishes.
Until he refused to break up with Lily.
My mother opposed the relationship. Relatives tried to persuade him. Even my father—who rarely interfered in our personal lives—hinted that Lily didn’t bring “good fortune.”
But David stood his ground.
Two years passed. Lily stayed by his side. She rarely appeared in front of our family, living quietly with David in a small apartment that cost $2,300 a month, nearly a third of his income.
Then one day, David announced,
“Lily is pregnant.”
That single sentence silenced all objections.
My mother sat quietly for a long time. She didn’t smile, nor did she scold him. Finally, she sighed.
“Well… the grandchild matters.”
The wedding was scheduled for three months later.
THE FATEFUL DINNER
Exactly two weeks before the wedding, my mother invited David and Lily home for dinner.
She said she wanted to “talk things through.”
That evening, everyone was present—my parents, David, Lily, and me.
Lily looked thinner than ever. Her belly was slightly rounded, but barely noticeable unless you looked closely. She ate very little, putting down her chopsticks after just a few bites.
My mother stared at her abdomen.
“How many months along are you?”
“Almost four,” Lily replied softly.
“Why is your belly so small?”
“Mom, please stop,” David interrupted.
The atmosphere grew tense once again.
We were still eating when Lily suddenly let out a faint groan.
“David…”
She clutched her stomach, her face turning ghostly pale. Seconds later, she collapsed from her chair onto the floor.
“Oh my God!” my mother screamed.
Lily writhed in pain, holding her abdomen, sweat pouring down her face. A dark liquid began to seep from her body, spreading across the white tile floor.
The moment my mother saw it, she let out a piercing scream and collapsed unconscious.
My hands shaking, I grabbed my phone and dialed 911.
“No!” David shouted, snatching the phone from my hand.
We all froze.
“Are you insane?” I yelled. “She could die!”
David stood there, motionless. His fists clenched tightly, his lips pressed together until they bled. His eyes were slowly turning red.
“There’s no need to go to the hospital…” he said, his voice breaking.
My father managed to rouse my mother. As soon as she opened her eyes, she screamed,
“Take her to the hospital right now!”
David turned to her.
“Mom… please. Don’t.”
For the first time in his life, he defied my mother.
THE TERRIFYING TRUTH
Lily suddenly opened her eyes.
She was crying.
“I’m sorry…”
She struggled to sit up, leaning against the wall. Her voice trembled, but every word was clear.
“I’m not pregnant.”
The room went deathly silent.
“I have terminal stomach cancer,” she continued. “Stage four.”
My mother clutched her chest, her face drained of color.
“The doctors said I only have a few months left…” Lily sobbed. “I was afraid… afraid David would leave me.”
She broke down completely.
“The belly… it’s from the tumor.”
My mother collapsed for the second time, this time losing consciousness completely.
The ambulance that arrived wasn’t for Lily.
It was for my mother.
AFTERMATH
My mother stayed in the hospital for seven days after suffering acute heart pain.
When she woke up, the first thing she did was cry.
“Why didn’t you let my son go when you knew you were dying?” she screamed at Lily during a visit.
Lily dropped to her knees.
“I’m sorry… I was selfish…”
David stepped in front of her.
“If you keep talking like this, I will never come home again.”
He meant it.
After my mother was discharged, David didn’t return home. He moved in permanently with Lily, taking unpaid leave from work to care for her.
The wedding was canceled.
The house that once echoed with laughter fell into silence.
My mother seemed to age overnight. Her hair turned gray so quickly I couldn’t bear to look at her for long.
She often sat alone, staring at an old photo of David as a child.
“He’s already over thirty…” she whispered. “Who will give him children now?”
No one could answer.
Because some tragedies…
have no right answer at all.
