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,

think of the things ahead and how everything was going to work out. Luke being there to hold me tight, and Janice

savor each

ONE MONTH LATER

corridors seemed endless, each step echoing the cacophony of emotions raging within me.

carry. The sterile smell permeated the air, a constant reminder of the stark reality that awaited me behind those white

to machines that

felt within. I reached out to hold his hand, the touch so familiar yet foreign, as if he were slipping away with each passing moment. The beeping of the machines was a cruel

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 reminder

light that guided me through the long and torturous nights:

your insides, and leaves you gasping for breath in a world that suddenly seems devoid of color and joy. The quiet hum of machines replaced the laughter that once filled our home, and whispered prayers escaped my

I clung to those moments like a drowning soul to a life raft, holding onto the hope that They would be sufficient to rescue her from the abyss. But deep down, I knew that love

long and lonely stretches of

sit by his bedside, holding his hand and watching the rise and fall

that fell were a silent

so raw and consuming that at times I felt it would swallow

a future we might never share 1 would tell him of the

to each other–two souls bound by a

his battle to fight, but also ours. The pain of watching him

carry us through the darkest of times and

brightest of days

day soon we would walk hand in hand

knew that our love was a force to be reckoned with, a beacon

uncertainty and pain