Noor's POV
Noor curled up in the corner of her room, sobbing uncontrollably. The only sound in the room was her own ragged breaths and muffled cries. Her nose was red, her eyes swollen, and though exhaustion weighed heavily on her, the tears refused to stop. Her world had shattered in the blink of an eye. She couldn't imagine a life without her beloved papa.
Flashback
Abir sat in the dimly lit living room, his fingers lightly tracing the rim of the untouched cup of tea before him. The steam had long since faded, much like the strength in his body. The clock on the wall ticked away, each second a cruel reminder of the time he no longer had. His heart ached, not because of the illness ravaging his body, but because of what he was about to do-break the heart of the one person he loved the most.
Noor, his beautiful, bright-eyed daughter, entered the room with her usual energy, a soft smile on her face as she plopped onto the couch beside him. "Papa, you called me? Is everything okay?"
Her voice was so full of life, of innocence. Abir clenched his fists, trying to muster the courage to speak. How did a father tell his daughter he was dying? How did he shatter the only world she had ever known?
He inhaled deeply, forcing himself to meet her gaze. "Come here, beta," he said, his voice softer than usual. Noor scooted closer, resting her head against his shoulder.
"You know you can tell me anything, right, Papa?" she said, sensing the heaviness in the air.
Abir swallowed hard. His throat felt dry, as if every word was lodged somewhere deep, refusing to come out. But he had no choice. This was the truth he had to face, no matter how much it hurt.
"Noor..." he began, gently taking her hands in his. They were small, warm-so full of life. A stark contrast to the cold truth he was about to deliver. "There's something I need to tell you."
She sat up, her smile faltering. "What is it?"
There was no easy way to say it. He wished he could sugarcoat it, but there was no point in hiding the inevitable. She deserved to know.
"I'm sick, beta," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Very sick."
Noor frowned, shaking her head. "Then we'll go to the doctor. They'll fix you up like they always do." She squeezed his hand reassuringly, as if her belief alone could will him back to health.
Abir forced a smile. If only it were that simple. "Not this time, Noor."
The weight of his words sank in slowly. Noor's fingers twitched in his grasp, her breath hitching. "What do you mean? You'll be fine, Papa. You always are."
He hesitated for a long moment before finally whispering, "I have brain cancer, beta. It's in the final stage. The doctors say I don't have much time left."
Noor let out a shaky laugh. "This is a joke, right? A prank? If it is, it's a terrible one."
Silence. A long, agonizing silence.
She shook her head, as if trying to erase the words from existence. "No... No, that's not true. You can't-" her voice broke, and for the first time, tears welled in her wide, disbelieving eyes. "You can't leave me."
Abir felt his own composure slipping. He reached out, cupping her face in his trembling hands, wiping away the tears before they could fully fall. "I wish I could stay, my love. More than anything in this world, I wish I could stay with you."
Noor let out a choked sob, shaking her head violently. "You're lying. You have to be. People don't just..." She covered her mouth with both hands, as if trying to hold back the screams building inside her. "There has to be a way. Maybe another doctor, another hospital. There has to be something they can do."
Abir closed his eyes for a brief moment before looking at her again. "We tried everything, beta. There's nothing left to do."
A sob tore through her as she clutched his shirt, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "No, Papa, please. I need you. You can't go."
Abir pulled her into his arms, holding her as tightly as he could, though he could already feel his strength fading. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his own tears finally spilling over. "I know, Noor. I know."
The world around Noor faded, and then-darkness.
Flashback ends
There is soft knock on the door , She looked up and saw her father standing there
"Papa..." she whispered weakly.
Her stomach twisted. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Because I didn't want to worry you."
Anger and grief battled within her. "And you thought I wouldn't be worried when you're-" Her voice broke. "When you're dying?"
She struggled to breathe through her sobs. "When did you find out?"
"A couple of months ago," he admitted. "It started as a mild headache, but it kept getting worse. I ignored it at first... but when the pain became unbearable, I went to the hospital. That's when they diagnosed me."
Noor shook her head, tears falling freely.
"I was already in the final stage," he continued. "I didn't have the courage to tell you. Even last month, when I said I was on a business trip... I was actually undergoing treatment. But it was too late." He let out a bitter chuckle. "It was worthless."
Noor clenched her fists. "Papa... am I so worthless to you that you couldn't even tell me? That you went through this alone?"
Tears streamed down his face as he held her close. "no princess don't talk like this please , I'm sorry, i failed as a father ."
She sobbed into his chest. She felt betrayed, helpless, and heartbroken.
"I'm scared," she whispered, her voice so small, so fragile.
Abir stroked her hair gently. "I am too, beta. But I need you to be strong."
She shook her head against him. "I don't want to be strong. I just want you."
After a long silence, he spoke again. "I need you to promise me something.
"What is it, Papa?" she whispered.
"I don't want to spend my last days as a patient. I want to live happily-with my daughter.
Noor sniffled, pulling back to look at him. "How? How can I be happy when every second is just reminding me that I'm losing you?"
Abir cupped her face gently, his tired eyes holding hers with a quiet strength. "Because, beta, love is not measured in time-it's measured in moments. And I want to fill whatever time we have left with the kind of moments you'll remember with a smile, not just tears."
Noor's lips quivered as she tried to hold back another sob. "But I don't want memories, Papa," she whispered, shaking her head. "I want you. I want more time with you."
He smiled, a soft, bittersweet curve of his lips. "If I could bargain for more time, Noor, I would. But we don't get to decide how long we have... only how we use it." He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Promise me, beta, that you won't let sadness steal our time together. That you'll be my Noor-the light of my life-until the very end."
Noor clutched his hand, her grip desperate, as if holding onto him tighter could stop the inevitable. "I promise, Papa," she choked out. "I'll try... for you."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering there as if memorizing the feel of her warmth. "That's my girl."
A heavy silence wrapped around them like a thick fog. Then, after a long moment, Noor straightened, wiping her tears. "So what do we do now, Papa?"
A mischievous glint flickered in Abir's eyes, one Noor hadn't seen in months. "I was thinking... ice cream for dinner sounds good, don't you?"
Noor let out a breathless laugh through her tears. "Papa, you're impossible."
He grinned. "That's the point, beta. Let's be impossible together."
And for that night, just for that night, they chose to live as if time were endless.
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there are more in this story , in next chapter i will introduce our handsome hunk AARAV SINGH
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