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,

and how everything was going to work out. Luke being there

would savor each moment.

ONE MONTH LATER

echoing the cacophony of emotions raging within

I could barely carry. The sterile smell permeated the air, a constant reminder of the stark reality

to machines that whispered tales of his suffering

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

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

struggled, his spirit unbowed despite the ravages of pain and illness. His resilience was a beacon in the darkness 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

watching 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

shared and in the love that bound us together through the trials and tribulations of life. 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 alone was not always a match for the cruel hand fate had dealt us.

and lonely stretches of darkness that seemed to stretch into eternity. I

holding his hand and watching the rise and fall of his chest,

and fight just a little longer. The tears that fell were a silent testament to the pain that gnawed

so raw and consuming that at times I felt it

the rest of the world slept and the only sound was the steady beep of the machines, I would whisper words of love and devotion, promises of a future we might never share 1 would tell him of the dreams we had woven together and the

clinging to each other–two souls bound by a love that had weathered the storm and emerged stronger

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

that would carry us through the darkest of times and the

brightest of days

being optimistic, that any day soon we would walk hand

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

uncertainty and pain