Jared knelt so we were eye level. He took my hand, held it gently, and pressed a tender kiss to the back.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he said softly. “There is nobody stronger than you. I love you, Delilah.”
“I love you more, Jared,” I responded.
He grinned and shook his head, saying no with a subtle eye roll.
“Not possible,” he said softly.
Despite everything, we both managed a small chuckle. Tears filled our eyes, and I hesitated for a moment.
“I can’t bring myself to say goodbye to you,” I sobbed, my voice shaky and frail. It was the truth. Saying farewell felt like accepting the possibility that I might never see him again, and the thought was so overwhelming I could not bring myself to say the words.
“Then don’t say goodbye,” he replied. “Just say until next time.”
Large tears spilled onto my arm and lap, a mixture of mine and his.
“Okay then. Until next time, my love,” I said, choking on the words.
He squeezed my hand firmly before letting go, and then I was rolled down the corridor toward the elevator.
The nurses and staff took me to a room where I was prepped for surgery, which included shaving a small patch of hair from the back of my head. I had forgotten about that part. I lay on the table, not really feeling much of anything. My emotions were so vast they left me numb, like a computer that shuts down when it is overloaded.
I had accepted my fate. Whatever happened next was out of my control. A quiet sense of peace washed over me as I realized that some people go their entire lives without ever finding true love. I was lucky enough to have found it, not once, but twice.
I am eternally grateful for the love this life has given me. I held that thought close to my heart, like a teddy bear meant for comfort.
The room was bright and mostly white, rectangular in shape, with equipment and machines lining the sterile walls. The surgeon explained in a calm voice that anesthesia was being administered and instructed me to count backward from ten. I took a deep breath and did as I was told.
“Ten… nine… eight… seven…” Then my vision faded, and everything went black.
CHAPTER 3
Nevaehun
DELILAH
Iawoke to the faint sound of music that stopped the moment I opened my eyes. I winced at the blinding light. I came to slowly, disoriented, as though I had just stepped out of a
strange dream. My eyes blinked open, adjusting to the brightness. Above me stretched a canopy of brilliant leaves, shimmering in gold, opal, and emerald hues. I was in a forest, but not an ordinary one. It was the most otherworldly and beautiful place I had ever seen.
Was this a dream, or had I died and gone to heaven? The air was impossibly fresh, tinged with the scent of blooming lilies and clean rain. The colors were more vibrant than anything I had ever known. The spectrum felt so vast, filled with hues I had never seen before, as if I had lived my entire life in black and white.
Okay… breathe. Either I’m dead, dreaming, or hallucinating—no big deal. Towering trees rose around me like cathedral spires, their smooth bark catching the light like polished marble.
Petals drifted through the air with no wind to carry them, glowing faintly as they floated past my face. Wherever I was, the beauty of it all sank into my chest and settled there, warm, and steady. It filled my soul with a deep, comforting peace.
As I took it all in, I realized my pain was gone. My body felt powerful and energized, an unfamiliar sensation. I could not remember the last time I had felt so strong.
So, this is what healthy feels like?
It felt as though gravity itself had loosened its hold, leaving me nearly weightless. A wave of profound relief washed over me, and overcome with emotion, I began to cry tears of pure joy.
I was not in pain anymore. I was no longer bracing myself for hurt or ache. I simply existed in this moment, in this place, wherever I was.
But then, a whiplash of guilt set in. How could I feel this happy when the love of my life was not here? Jared’s face filled my mind. I remembered his laugh, the way his hand fit into mine, and the quiet moments that stitched our lives together. Parting from Jared, knowing I was no longer a burden to him and that one day he might find love again, just as I had, brought me a bittersweet sense of comfort.
Jared deserved a better life, one where he truly lived instead of existing for my sake. A small part of me feared this was nothing more than a dream born of anesthesia, and that I would wake up to pain and to Jared’s suffering. Now that I knew what freedom from it felt like, I was not sure if I would return willingly.
