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"Sunshine?"

"Oh, Vox..."

➳

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓. Vox's stay at the hospital had only been a few hours, enough time for you to be filled in by the nurse whose name, you learned, was Clara; an old friend of yours in the living world.

She had watched your child, Viette, after you and Vox had died along with delivering her. A few days after Clara died of old age, there had been word Viette wanted to commit suicide as her father did. And, at the moment neither of you was sure where Viette was at all.

You were positioned at the steering wheel, drumming your fingers anxiously against the leather─taking cautious turns through the sunny afternoon.

"So let me set this straight," you finally say, tilting your head whilst one hand carelessly guides the two of you over the pavement. "We were married, we had a kid, then I died in a car crash? How much of my memory did I lose?"

"You lost memory of our wedding... and everything after it. Including Vi," he swallows a lump in his throat.

The car is silent as you make a left turn.

You didn't know how to feel. You felt like you should be more upset—to cry, even. But how were you supposed to mourn a life that you couldn't even remember?

Vox clears his throat. "How... how much do you remember? What's your last memory?"

You think for a moment, letting out slow breaths. "Um... well, I remember us in the coffee shop. We were dancing together... and everyone else began joining in." You smile at the memory. It was the last thing you could remember of your life as a human.

He smiles a little. "I remember that," Vox says. "We loved each other, y'know." He assures you, resting a claw on your arm.

Your face heats up a bit, and you keep your eyes on the road. But it was undeniable—you believed him. "I did love you, Vox. Not just in the human world."

Vox's smile falls a bit into a more saddened expression. "I... I know, (Y/N). But...did you ever understand how much you meant to me?" he asks, wearing a hopeful expression.

"Well...you said... You loved me. A lot. I think that says enough, right? I mean, it's a big deal to be in love with someone. It's not something that happens to everyone," you pause. "I mean, loved you too, Vox."

His lip quivers, and it goes unnoticed under your gaze, which is fixated on the busy traffic ahead.

"Do you still love me?"

You are silent. "I... Yeah. I like you─"

"No, (Y/N). Love me," Vox says.

You begin to slow the car as you pull into the Vee Tower, finally hitting the brakes. "We're here."

"Come with me." And it's not a question. It doesn't seem like something you can say no to, either. Yet you remain scared to think of what will occur inside. The last thing you needed was another fight with him.

"Okay," you say quietly, stepping out of the car.

The time up the walkway is quiet, but not completely. Whilst your mouths are quietly content; many unspoken promises and vows linger in the small space between—all of which have failed to spill out.

Vox leads you up the elevator, his finger sinking into the button that elevates you to the top floor. There is—to your gratitude—no annoying elevator music to heighten the awkwardness.

He leads you to his office, just as Vox-coded as you recalled it to be. The walls are a navy blue, to match his theme, and the desk is illuminated by the fair glow of newly installed LEDs. And, of course, the annoyingly long aisle over his chic bottomless pit.

"I want to show you something."

"Okay..."

Vox crouches down to pull out a locked drawer in his desk, retrieving a small cardboard box. With delicate hands, he carefully lifts the withered flaps. You peek over his shoulder to see what's inside, yet his monitor head blocks your view.

You don't have to wait long, because Vox holds up a picture frame to your face. It was you and him in the human world. Your hair was styled in a way that made you look like a princess, and you wore a simple, but beautiful white dress. Vox's hair was combed back slickly with hair gel, a deep scar cutting over his eye. He held your bridal style in his arms, your face peppered with a thousand loving kisses, each a courtesy from your newly wedded husband.

You are left speechless, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You could tell how happy you were that day—and you didn't even remember it. You never would.

The sadness in your heart begins to deepen once Vox shows you a picture of Viette. In this photo, she's a small baby. Her skin is wrinkled from crying—but she has your (E/C) eyes, and Vox's hair.

She was beautiful.

Life, to you, at that moment, seemed to be so full in ways it hadn't filled you up before. It was more of a fantasy novel rather than your reality that could capture how in awe you were. It was incredible that your child was something created purely out of love between you and Vox. She was a child of love—your love for Vox, and his love for you.

It's clearer to see now; Vox had been left alone for years with his love stripped of her memory of her love for Vox. Their child was forgotten, and on the other side to be left alone. And Vox had no one to share his grief with. It doesn't take a genius to see why he was so persistent as he was when you had left him to what seems as so...heartless now.

"Sunshine?"

"Oh, Vox..."

And without a second thought, you threw your arms around his neck, pressing a—finally—loving kiss to his lips. And this time, it finally felt right.

Vox smiled against your lips, tears spilling from his eyes as he let out a sob into your kiss. "(Y/N)..."

You pull back, a smile tugging at your lips as your thumb brushes away the tears from his face. Now, there'll be no need for him to cry anymore. No, not anymore. Not that you're finally here. And...

"I love you," you whisper, pressing your forehead against his. "I didn't know how to say it before, but I love you. I always have."

Vox wears a shaky smile, pulling one last thing from his pocket. "Our wedding rings."

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—Angie 🥂