"You have been in every way all that anyone could be...If anyone could have saved me, it would have been you."

- J. N.

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Andrew slowly opened the door, entering the dimly lit hospital room. His footsteps were light, careful as he didn't want Anisha to wake up.

Gently, he placed the paper bag on the table beside her bed.

Blueberry muffins. Her favorite. Just as she liked them.

Last night had been hell for him. Neither Ryan nor Mira made a single sound on the way home. Surely, Mira must've known the truth by the time they'd gotten home. Especially considering the fact that he'd carried her, teary-eyed and whimpering to her room. And Ryan, he'd slammed his door shut the minute they'd gotten home.

It had just been one night. And the house, it already felt empty without Anisha.

It no longer felt like home.

And the night, it had seemed to drag on.

Sighing, he sat down the chair, instantly reaching for Anisha's hand. Her hand felt cold.

If anything, he'd fucked up he knew, but to have to sit there, begging for her to wake up, he'd thought life couldn't have hurt him anymore.

Over again, he could've never thought that life would fuck him again. That circumstance would ruin him, again and again.

This time, everything was on the life.

Because of everything he'd ever done in life, after the name he'd built for himself, after the mistake's he'd made to ruin his own and her life, after every little thing he'd fucked up, she'd always been there.

If it was one thing, then it was the fact that Anisha was the only one who hadn't given up on him. And them, she hadn't given up, on them.

"Anisha, I got you muffins." His voice was light. He reached out, gently brushing away the stray hairs from her face.

"Anisha?"

Standing up, he reached for her left hand, confusion clouding his sky-colored eyes. Frantically, he grabbed her right hand.

"No. No. No."

The IV wasn't there.

He looked around the room, staring at the blank monitor. Fear slowly highlighting him.

"We've been calling you for the past hour now."

Andrew turned around, desperately, staring at Sebastian as he walked into the room, tugging on his plaid tie before adjusting his white coat.

And for sure, there and then, the way Sebastian's eyes softened, almost a hint of sympathy, Andrew knew his broken heart would never heal.

Andrew turned back to Anisha, reaching for her hand again. "No. No. Fuck no. She...she." He pressed his fingers against her wrist. He pressed harder, begging to feel anything, just the smallest faint beat of a pulse.

And there was nothing.

"No. No." He slummed down into the chair, the world was spinning around him. A murmur escaped his lips as he let go of her hand. "Anisha?"

"I'm sorry." The words were a whisper, barely leaving Sebastian's lips.

But they were enough to destroy Andrew.

And for the first time since his sister died, he fell apart. Because that was all there was to him.

A man who was suffering, miserable and gray. Gray more than anything. Clouded by deception, lies and heartbreak.

He shook, uncontrollably, burying his face in his hands.

Never could've anything compared to the way he'd felt right now.

Because he'd lost her. Once and for all.

The only woman he'd ever loved, the only woman he'd ever cared about. Yet again, the only woman he'd ruined by loving. The only woman he'd hurt by claiming to care.

Pushing the chair back, angrily, he stood up. At first his voice was soft, filled with the cracks of a broken man. "You said she was going to be fine."

It was slowly starting to set in. Everything he'd suffered, endured. Everything he'd done, done wrong. This mistakes he'd made in his marriage, the lies and deceit he'd led her to believe. And in the end, he'd lost her.

Because Anisha was gone.

He turned to face Sebastian, swollen eyes and quivering lips. He clenched his fists, wishing it was all just a pathetic joke.

Because he'd do anything, anything just to see her bit down on her lip and smile at him. To see her shyly look down, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear as he teased her. He'd do anything, absolutely anything, just to hold her in his arms again.

Gritting his teeth, the words bitter. "I trusted you and the fucking hospital. You said that she could go home today."

His voice slowly fading out. "She...she was fine yesterday. I...I don't."

He didn't. He didn't understand it. It was hard for him to fathom the fact that he'd lost her.

That all of a sudden, it was all just over.

"She died less than hour ago. Last night, I stopped by. She was sleeping but you could tell she was hurting. I told the nurse to increase her oxycodone dosage and this morning, we...I checked ...she was no more."

Sebastian sighed, awkwardly playing with his tie. "She's not hurting anymore. She's free of the pain and that's all that matter. You can say whatever you want but you don't know how hard everyday was for her, you don't understand how much she suffered because of the cancer."

"I called you as soon as I could. Your son picked up the phone, said you'd left it at home. I figured you'd be here soon."

Sebastian stuffed his hands in the pockets of the black dress pants. His chest tightening as he stared at Anisha, at the only woman he'd ever truly loved.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Before Andrew could say another word, Sebastian turned around, rushing out of the room, leaving behind the memories of the woman who'd made love something worthwhile.

Andrew sat down on the chair, a sob, a cry, a pathetic beg for her to wake up. He scooted the chair closer to her, holding onto her lifeless hand.

His eyes were heavy, his heart even heavier.

"Anisha, I'm so sorry. Please, Anisha, wake up." Andrew looked down as a heavy drop fell onto her hand, splattering. He tightened his grasp on her hand, begging for her to wake up, to just open her eyes. He puckered his lips, a harsh noise escaping his lips as his throat tightened. "I promise I'll change. I promise please wake up. You can't leave us. The kids need you, Anisha. Mira and Ryan need you. I...I need you. Please wake up. I'm so sorry. Please Anisha, I love you. I know I always make the same mistakes but please, Anisha? I'm sorry."

He continued sobbing, everything falling apart for him. She was gone.

And he was all alone.

He'd lost the one thing that had ever mattered. And now, there was nothing left.

Nothing at all.

But broken strings.

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The End