Chapter 1My Husband Started Dieting After I Got Cancer

My husband, Thomas Ford, is 39 years old, 5’9” tall, and weighs 230 pounds. Since seeing my adFordd liver cancer diagnosis, he suddenly became enthusiastic about fitness and weight loss. I advised him to act within his limits, but he said lovingly, “I need to get my body in shape so I’ll have the energy to take care of you.” Everyone praised him for his loyalty and foresight, and I, too, was moved to tears.

Until I inadvertently overheard his conversation with his best friend: “Maya said I have to lose 30 pounds before she’ll marry me.” Maya is his young assistant, Maya Thorne. It turned out they had already started planning their happy life after my death. And I was still fantasizing about a couple enduring hardships together.

Alright, weight loss, huh? 30 pounds isn’t enough. In the next few months, he might lose 227 pounds! After all, an urn only weighs about 3 pounds, doesn’t it?

* * *

That day, Thomas called to say he was having dinner with a few good friends and wouldn’t be home. I repeatedly warned him not to drink, and he promised he wouldn’t. But I was still worried, so I headed to the hotel. As I reached the private dining room, just as I was about to push the door open, I heard laughter and teasing from inside.

“Thomas, your weight loss efforts have been impressive lately! You’ve really shed some pounds!”

“Haha, can’t help it. Gotta lose it, even if it kills me! Maya said if I don’t lose thirty pounds, she won’t marry me!”

Maya is his assistant, Maya Thorne, only twenty-four, young, beautiful, and charmingly petite. Immediately, Maya’s sweet, cooing voice chimed in: “I don’t care! You absolutely have to lose thirty pounds, or else, when I wear my wedding dress and you’re wearing your suit, fat like a pig, my girlfriends will die laughing!”

Thomas’s voice, slurred with drink: “Alright, alright, whatever you say. We still have a few months, don’t we, darling? Don’t rush, I promise to get it done!”

“Come on, come on, let’s toast to Thomas! May he soon win the heart of his beauty!”

“Thomas, congratulations! An old bull chasing fresh grass, must be amazing!”

I stood frozen in place, my mind a blank! Thomas, had already hooked up with Maya Thorne?! He was counting down the days for me to die, for me to vacate my position, for him to marry his mistress? But what he didn’t know was that *he* was the one with liver cancer, and it was advanced stage!

A while ago, Thomas had a poor appetite and often complained of bloating. He thought it was indigestion and bought medicine to take himself. I was worried, so I coaxed him into getting a check-up with me, and also arranged a full body scan for him. To my shock, he had liver cancer, advanced stage!

The moment I received the diagnosis, it felt like a thunderbolt striking me! He was only thirty-seven, the father of my eight-year-old son, and the man I had defied my parents for, desperate to marry him! A year ago, he finally climbed to the position of company VP, with an annual salary of two million. Just as his career was soaring, he got liver cancer?

In the hospital office, tears streamed down my face. The hand holding the diagnosis shook slightly; I simply couldn’t accept this cruel reality. At that moment, only one thought echoed in my mind: *No, I can’t lose him. I’ll exhaust all our finances if I have to, to get him the best treatment!*

The doctor, seeing my determined gaze, sighed. “Prepare yourself mentally. In cases like this, treatment has little meaning. Life expectancy is probably within a year. If you insist on surgery, because the cancer cells have already metastasized, the success rate is very low, and you’ll need to wait three months until all his indicators are stable.”

A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. “Okay, I agree to the surgery.”

“During this time, the patient’s mental state must remain stable. We recommend keeping his condition a secret for now, to avoid causing severe emotional fluctuations.”

On the way home that day, I pondered how to hide this diagnosis so Thomas wouldn’t see it. Suddenly, a curious thought arose: if I were the one with cancer, how would Thomas react? He would surely be very sad, wouldn’t he? I wanted that feedback; I wanted his affection for me to be the last warm memory he gave me in his lifetime.

Leaving the print shop, the diagnosis had been changed to my name. Sure enough, when Thomas saw the diagnosis, he hugged me tightly, his throat choked with emotion. “Honey, let’s get it treated quickly; you’ll definitely get better!” My heart was a mix of joy and sorrow. Joy that his reaction was exactly as I had hoped, and sorrow that such a wonderful man might be gone forever.

Now, the most important thing was to get his body in prime condition for the surgery in three months. I started preparing nutritious meals for him daily, varying the dishes, and giving him his medication as prescribed. Of course, I lied and told him he only had a mild stomach ulcer that required medication. But he, from the very next day, suddenly started frequenting the gym, lifting weights to lose weight!

These past few years, he had been engrossed in socializing and drinking, his body steadily expanding from 140 pounds at our wedding to a formidable 230 pounds. I had repeatedly urged him to lose weight, but he always ignored me. Now, he was actively starting to lose weight?! I thought he must have deeply realized the importance of health through my cancer diagnosis.

For half a month straight, he went to the gym every day, posted check-ins on social media, showcasing his decreasing weight. He came home drenched in sweat, utterly exhausted, every single day. While the doctor had told me he needed to increase his exercise moderately for fat loss, his relentless effort seemed excessive.

When he returned from the gym once more, collapsing onto the sofa in exhaustion, I advised him that weight loss should be gradual, and exercise should be within one’s limits. But he, panting and wiping sweat, looked at me with deep affection and said, “Honey, I need to get my body in shape so I can take better care of you and accompany you through your treatment!”

That day, several relatives, upon hearing Thomas mention my illness, came to visit me. Hearing his words, they were greatly moved, praising his loyalty and profound foresight. I couldn’t help but wipe away my tears. *To have such a husband, what more could a woman ask for?!*