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 supporting the both of us. With smiles all around

would savor

ONE MONTH LATER

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

a constant reminder of the stark reality that awaited me behind those white doors. My

to machines that whispered tales

lying 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 slipping away with each passing moment. The beeping of the machines was a cruel symphony, and the rhythm of his heartbeat was a haunting melody

assuage my growing terror. Words like “critical–condition” and “uncertain prognosis hung in the air like

flicker of light that guided me through the long and torturous nights: 1 whispered words of encouragement and promises

someone you love suffer is like 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 and joy. The quiet hum of machines replaced the laughter that once filled our home, and whispered prayers escaped my lips

life. I clung to those moments like a drowning soul to a life raft, holding onto the hope that They would be sufficient to

hardest, long and lonely stretches of darkness that

holding his hand and watching the rise and fall of his chest, willing him to

fight just a little longer. The tears that fell were a

and consuming that at times

a 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

making I knew for a fact that we would go through it all, clinging to each other–two souls bound by a love that had weathered the storm and emerged stronger on the other side. The pain of these days and nights lingered like a scar, a reminder of the fragility

ours. The pain of watching him

bond that would carry us through the darkest of

brightest of days

that any day soon we would walk hand

was a force to be reckoned

uncertainty and pain