The Love From Vengeance

341: HOLDING ON

ARIEL’S POV

Janice furrowed her brows, concern etched across her features. “Mom, you shouldn’t be pushing yourself like this. You’re hurt.”

“I know, sweetheart,” I sighed, wincing as I adjusted myself on the bed. “But I had to make sure your dad

was okay.”

“But the doctors are taking care of him, right?”

“Yes, they are.” I nodded, reaching out to gently stroke her hair. “But I just needed to see him for myself, you know?”

Janice nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. “I get it, Mom. But please, promise me you’ll take it easy. You need to focus on getting better too.”

“I promise,” I replied, offering her a weak smile. “Now, how about we both try to get some rest? We could

use it.”

Janice nodded, leaning against my shoulder. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

As we settled into the quiet room, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude wash over me. Together, we would confront numerous challenges, yet our unwavering unity would be the only thing that mattered.

L

Storms could come and chaos might unfold, but with my blood by my side, those terrors would be so

bootless,

work out.

savor each

ONE MONTH LATER

seemed endless, each step echoing the cacophony

a constant

hooked up to machines that whispered tales of his suffering

there, so still and pale, was a dagger to my soul. His once vibrant eyes dulled, mirroring the agony I felt within. I reached out to hold his hand, the touch so familiar yet foreign, as if he were

doctors came and went, their faces a mask of professionalism that did little to assuage my growing terror. Words like “critical–condition” and “uncertain prognosis hung in the air like a curse, a constant

a flicker of light that guided me through the long and torturous nights: 1 whispered words of encouragement and promises of better days to come, knowing deep down that I was grasping at straws, trying to hold onto a reality

no other. It seeps into your bones, twists your insides, and leaves you gasping for breath in a world that suddenly seems devoid of color

holding onto the hope that They would be sufficient to rescue

nights were the hardest, long and lonely stretches of darkness that seemed to stretch into eternity.

and watching the rise and fall of his chest, willing him

and fight just a little longer. The tears that fell were a silent testament

so raw and consuming that at times I felt it would

future we might never share 1 would tell him of the dreams we had woven together and the plans we had made, hoping that somewhere in the recesses of his unconscious mind, he would hear me and find the strength to hold on

souls bound by a love that had weathered the storm and emerged

fight, but also ours. The pain of watching him suffer had forged a bond

that was unbreakable, a bond that would carry us through

brightest of days

soon we would walk hand in hand into the light

our love was a force to be reckoned

uncertainty and pain