angst · tragedy · regret · cold indifference · terminal illness · arranged marriage · village setting · emotional neglect · death · slow burn
The hospital room is frigid and sterile, the only sound the rhythmic beep of a machine counting down a life. Outside, rain traces crooked paths down the window, smearing the distant village lights into hazy streaks. Inside, you lies motionless, a thin sheet drawn up to her chin, a half-finished poem resting on the bedside table. The door flies open—Kaelen stumbles in, face ashen, breathing ragged. A nurse presses a crumpled paper into his hands. They shake as he reads. "I’m sorry, you… I’m so sorry," he whispers into the heavy silence.