His voice echoes off the walls. People turn, but I don’t care. He’s taken another step toward me. Unsteady. Furious. Alive.
Oh? Seems like I struck a nerve.
“You’re acting like a damn spoiled, selfish kid!” I spit, backing away with purpose. Daring him to follow.
His eyes narrow. “How dare you judge me?”
Another step. Closer.
“If you weren’t so damn stubborn, maybe you’d realize how much I love you. Maybe you’d understand that I don't want a life that doesn’t have you in it. So tell me, Nathan—do you really want me out of your life? Is that what you truly want?”
He stops. Breathing hard. His silence is louder than a scream.
“Yes, Isabel,” he finally says, voice low and hollow. He motions to the nurse. Weakness seeps into his words like ink in water.
But I don’t let her near him. I block her path with a raised hand. My mind races. What will shake him enough to fight again?
Then it sinks in. My heart clenches. I hate that I have to do this. But if there’s a single chance it’ll bring him back to life, I’ll take it.
“Then there’s no point in continuing,” I say, voice trembling. “I’ll love our baby enough for both of us.”
The room stills.
“What?”
I don’t answer. I move to my bag, pulling out my phone with practiced ease while pretending I didn’t just shatter his universe.
From the reflection in the mirror, I see the blood drain from his face.
“Isabel… wait.” His voice is pleading. Desperate. That strong, stubborn man—the one who fought wars and stood tall in storms—now’s trembling for me.
“No, Nate. I’m done.” My voice is quiet. Flat. “I don’t have the strength to keep fighting a battle I’ve already lost.”
He stumbles forward again, forgetting the pain in his legs, forgetting the fear. Just walking. Toward me.
“Izzy…” he whispers.
Oh God. The way he says my name…
I grip the doorknob. My eyes blur with tears, but I don’t turn around. I won’t let him see me broken.
I open the door and walk out.
The moment it closes behind me, I press my back against the cold wall and fall apart. Silent sobs wrack my body as I sink to the floor, my heart splitting wide open.
That was cruel. Too cruel. But maybe… maybe it’s the only thing that could reach the man buried under that bitterness. Maybe it’ll remind him who we are.
Because if he’s going to give up now…
Then maybe I was never enough to fight for in the first place.
When Nathan comes back to his room after physio, I sit in the hallway, far enough that he can pretend I’m not there but close enough to make sure he’s okay. Every wince, every sigh—I notice them all. My heart clenches every time he rubs his knee or adjusts the brace on his leg. I want to rush in, wrap my arms around him, kiss his frustration away. But I don't. I can’t. Not after I walked out that day.
He hasn’t asked for me.
He hasn’t said a single word.
He did call but I muted it and let it ring.
