"It's not as simple as that," Nina gently but firmly corrected him. "By actively undergoing treatment, even if a full recovery isn't possible, it'll at least ease the pain and extend your life. You know enough about medicine to understand this, don't you?" She had a good guess about what was really holding him back and got straight to the point. "Is it because you think chemo will make you lose your hair and look different, so you don't want to go through it?"

Pharaoh nodded. He wanted to leave this world with dignity, not as a shadow of his former self that might scare the kids.

"Oh, come on," Nina said, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're not a young guy anymore. What's with the vanity? A little hair loss isn't the end of the world. When people get older, they naturally lose hair! Look at all the grandpas out there. They're healthy as an ox, but barely a strand left on their heads."

"Losing some hair and going completely bald are two very different things," Pharaoh grumbled, instinctively touching his thinning scalp.

He had already lost quite a bit of hair, and the thought of going completely bald felt unbearable. And chemo would bring more than just hair loss. His body would face all sorts of side effects.

Nina pressed on, trying to reach him. "Are you really okay with the kids losing their grandpa? They don't have the love of a big extended family like most kids, with grandparents on both sides. It's just you and us. You've seen how much they adore you. If you were gone, what would they do?"

She continued earnestly, "I want you to keep fighting to live, even if it just buys us another year or two. Every day counts."

Pharaoh looked up at her, his gaze softening. "You really want me to keep going?" he asked quietly.

The person he had wronged the most in his life was Nina, yet here she was, wanting him to stay. Hearing it felt like a blessing he never thought he had receive.

Nina continued, "I noticed something

I

was off from the moment we talked on the phone. If I didn't care, I could have ignored it all. But I didn't

because I don't want to lose you. I'm a mom now, but I'm still your

daughter, and I'm not ready to lose

my dad."

He fell silent. He had made peace with letting go, but truly, who wanted to leave if they didn't have to? And with everything Nina had said, his resolve was beginning to shift.

"If chemo leaves me looking older and worn, will you still bring the kids to see me?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Of course we'd still come. The kids and I visit you not because of how you look but because you're my dad and their grandpa. We're family, and you've been so good to us. Chemo can't change that," Nina said, holding his hand firmly. "Please, for me, for Micah and Freya. Their baby will be born soon, and whether it's a grandson or granddaughter, you have to be there to see them.”

Her words struck a deep chord with him. If he gave up now, it would be over for him, but for his family, it would be a loss they had carry forever.

“Alright,” he said at last, a sense of

resolve growing in his voice. "I promise, I'll cooperate with the treatment. I'll even aim to be that

miracle patient who outlives all the odds."

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