My sister was away from home, my brother-in-law was sick, and suddenly called me into a private room to ask for a delicate matter. At that moment, I just wanted to run away as fast as possible after he said this…but then again.
My brother-in-law, Arjun, suffered a stroke after a work accident two years ago. From a healthy, agile, and talented man, he is now paralyzed, half of his body paralyzed, his mouth crooked, and he has difficulty speaking. The house that used to be filled with laughter, now only has the sound of the ventilator and the sound of my sister – Priya – sighing every night.

In the past, Arjun was the dream man of many girls. Tall, gentle, loving his wife, and taking care of their children. Priya married him, and the couple only had a small house. They worked hard but always held hands and went to the market, laughing and talking loudly. I still remember, when I was a student, Arjun always saved me some spare change:

“You study well, when you have a stable job, I am happy for you.”

However, fate was so cruel that the man now lay motionless, his eyes always sad and distant.

That Rainy Night

That night, it was pouring rain, Priya went to the night market to sell goods, and I stayed home to look after Arjun. While I was struggling to get water from the bathroom to wash his face, he called softly:

“You… come here, I need you to do something personal…”

His voice was trembling, his breathing was weak. I paused for a moment, because he normally rarely talked, and had never called me privately like that.

I walked over, my heart beating fast, feeling confused for no reason. Arjun looked at me for a long time. His eyes were tired but deep, as if containing something he had kept in his heart for too long. He tried to move one of his arms that was not completely paralyzed, signaling me to come closer. Since he got sick, today was the first time he called me into his private room, my whole body was weak.

He whispered:

“I know… you love your sister very much. But if… if one day I am no longer here… can you promise me something?”

I was confused: “Just say it.”

He swallowed hard, his voice broken:

“Please advise your sister… to remarry. I don’t want her to live alone all her life. She is very good, she deserves to be loved again, not to bury herself in the past like me.”

I was stunned. My heart clenched. At that moment, all doubts, fears, and confusion disappeared. I only saw a man – disabled, but still loved his wife to the point of heartache.

He continued, his voice choked:

“I lie here, listening to my sister cry every night, it hurts more than death. I can do nothing for her except send her a message… If I leave, don’t let her close her heart to the world.”

My tears fell and wet his hands. I held his hand tightly, unable to say a word. Arjun – whose health had been taken away by life, was now afraid of taking away his wife’s happiness. I burst into tears:

“Don’t say that, I love you so much. I will never leave you.”

He smiled, tears streaming down his face:

“I know. But love must also have freedom. I don’t want you to keep yourself in pity forever.”

I didn’t want to hear anymore, I just wanted to run out of the room.

A Year Later

I left the room with red, swollen eyes. That night, I sat watching the rain fall on the porch, tears falling endlessly. I understood, there are loves that don’t need to be expressed in words, just looking at the eyes is enough to see a lifetime of sacrifice.

From that day on, I took care of him and Priya, even though I could only help a little. Many people said Priya was miserable, but I thought she was lucky – because she had a husband who, even though he was paralyzed, still thought of his wife first.

A year later, Arjun passed away. He left peacefully, his lips still smiling. In the letter he left for Priya, there was only one trembling line:

“If there is a next life, I will still choose you, even if I can only see you one more time.”

Priya burst into tears. As for me – the one who was scared when I was called into the room that day – now I understand that having “sensitive matters” is not something to be ashamed of, but the most beautiful message about love, tolerance and nobility of a man.