He is your husband now. But before, he was a soldier.

You were proud of him. He was strong, brave, and disciplined. But being far from each other was hard. Long-distance was painful. You both trusted each other, but deep inside, you just wanted him to be with you. You wanted a normal life, where he could come home to you every day.

One day, he made a decision. He left the military. Not because he was weak, but because he loved you. He chose you over everything. He gave up his dream just to stay by your side.

After that, you both started a new life together. You found jobs in a small company inside a shopping mall. He became the leader of the security guards. You became a floor manager on the third floor. Life was simple. The money was not much, but it was enough. You were happy because you were together.

Then you got pregnant. You gave birth to your first child. It was a beautiful moment. But it also made life harder. One day, your baby got sick. The doctor said it was dengue. You were scared. You rushed to the hospital. The bills were too expensive. The medicine cost a lot. And you had no savings because everything happened so suddenly.

Your mother helped you. She gave you money for the bills and medicine. But your husband felt ashamed. He couldn’t help, and that hurt him deeply. So, he decided to sell your motorcycle. That was the only thing you both had left. He sold it just to pay the hospital bills and buy medicine for your baby.

After that, your mother became angry. Maybe she was stressed. Maybe she was disappointed. One day, she visited your apartment. She looked around and saw your small kitchen and simple meals.

She looked at you and said, “Is that all Mikel feeds you? Dried fish?”

You felt embarrassed. You looked at your plate. It was a simple meal. But your husband worked hard for it. You wanted to speak. You wanted to tell her how much he sacrificed. That he chose you over his career. That he sold the only thing he had just to save your baby.

But you stayed quiet.

Then, your mother said some hurtful things to both of you. She was angry and disappointed. Before she left, she looked at you both and said, “You don’t deserve this hard life. You should come home with me. I will give you everything you need—for my granddaughter’s sake.”

She went to check on her granddaughter, who was resting peacefully in her crib. After a moment, she left the apartment.

Before she left, Mikel looked at you and said, “You should leave me and live with your mother. I can’t give you the future you want.”