***

A point comes in life when you sail in middle of the ocean, trapped on contemplating whether to turn back to the never ending darkness or to chase the stars, and reach the far away place an oasis in darkness a heaven of happiness, yet it felt surreal to the imagination itself.

A time when the simple air within stills in a pausing manner leaving your breathing sparse. The sun that once shines brightly hid behind the gloomy dark clouds, the waves that once crashed on the rocky edges of the shore stop, the stars fall down from their crown of a sky. Spreading emptiness in the loop of darkness in each corner. Everything around him is in ruins, and all he can do was stand there. Numb to do anything.

Silence played in each corner.

Sitting in the almost empty hallway of the corridor. The man stared at the cream wall ahead. A storm was burning in him that plays across the tides.

Lost in its own thoughts, unaware of the storms ahead. Like the silence before the deadly storm. Waiting for the right moment to clutch against his soul and prevail its horror.

Heavy steps echoed, as if on instinct his eyes landed on the doctor, gulping down the lump of his emotions. Alex stood up, dashing to the doctor. His eyes begging to hear of her well-being. "How's she?"

The doctor breathed sharply. "Your wife is an asthmatic patient Mr. Blade and now she's suffering from severe Chronic lower respiratory disease."

A heavy silence engulfed them. Filling in each corner. Whispering and tempting a tale of its own deceit. As Alex stared at the doctor, his mind numb. Nothing made sense, nothing was as it was. Everything was twisting and turning and all he could do was look at the doctor.

"Her lungs are seventy percent damaged. A normal asthmatic patient never ends in such a fatal stage. I don't know if your wife's is a smoker or addict as it highly depends on the lifestyle and surroundings because that situation ends in her stage." The doctor sighed as he continued to deliver the information.

"You should have brought her here in the earlier years during the first symptoms. I don't want to hide anything from you Mr. Blade. But your wife won't be able to survive it." The doctor spoke professionally with a hint of sadness.

Like a growling man Alex clasped his hands on doctor's collar pulling him forward. "You're a doctor dammit! Fucking save my wife or I'll not hesitate to put my bullet through your skull."

The doctor was trembling in fear as passing people came forward to help the doctor out of his grasp. The doctor coughed before rasping.

"You can only pray Mr. Blade cause this disease is not curable."

Hundreds of emotions ran through his mind. Each one bringing him to the knees. Each one weakening him. Like the shooting star ready to fall away. With a loud thud the man fell to his knees. It was as if all the air within him had been sucked, leaving him breathless.

His doings are killing her!

The first time he forcefully made her smoke flashed in front of his eyes followed by the time he would force her to sit in the same room where he spoke, intentionally drawling the puffs on her face.

He was cruel towards her. Awfully cruel. Tears found its way out of his eyes.

She never told him she's asthmatic but then again how can she when he was a total bastard towards her.

Doctor's words rang in his head like a mantra. The silence played around. Small sounds of his breathing became tornado, holding the weights of the mountains.

She's dying!

Everything around him was washing away in a blur. Lost among the oblivion of time.

Two days passed with her on the hospital bed, breathing heavily with a wheezing sounds coming out of her chest, like the simple task of breathing was excruciatingly painful for her.

He stayed there by her side like a shadow, his heart pierced with trillions of needles when she wheezed in breathing.

How desperately he wanted to take her pain away was beyond his will.

His life was fading away slowly and slowly. Right in front of his eyes, and yet he was helpless in front of the fate.

For the first time in his life, he prayed to the one she believed with her heart. He prayed to him for mercy.

Mercy!

He never showed her mercy then why he wanted it now? Why?

Unable to hold it back. In his mind he screamed, yelled for help, to save his wife from all this pain but yet no one came.

Just at night she had a Respiratory attack, her body started trembling like a leaf as her face became blue.

She wasn't breathing!

He yelled for the doctors as they rushed to her aid, injecting syringes and what not, as within minutes her body sagged.

They had told the disheveled crying man that his wife just had a respiratory arrest, and they had given her a bronchodilator, which will keep her steady for few hours.

The look in the doctor eyes said it all!

***

I am awake!

She knew she was awake, the wheezing sounds of her breathing said it all, yet at the same time she was dying. Her heart has shattered a long while ago, and life was escaping away as well bit by bit, and all she could do was stare.

Laying against the soft mattress, the girl started at the off-white color ceiling ahead. Emptiness surrounds her.

She knew this day would come, yet here she thought she had a week left.

Death is inevitable!

These were the words that she craved in her mind in last three years. The very words that held her a prisoner in her own mind.

She's going to die!

She hadn't ever wished for death, yet here she is ready to embrace it wholeheartedly. She had done enough. She was breathing but not living.

Maybe she's already dead. Because, she was barely breathing all this time not living. Having no happiness surging into her life. No sources of light.

It is as though the pain itself cried at her gates as it kissed upon her fate, and all that around her was nothing but darkness and despair.

She was done being selfless for the ones she loved. Her life had crumbled no matter how much she tried. Now she only wants to be free.

What was it truly like to be free. To feel happiness all around or to fade away in the freedom beneath the ground.

Everyone yearned to be free yet holding dark secrets deep within. Caging it away in the darkest loop , too afraid for the world to see. Scared to pull their masks off of fake happiness, not wanting the world to dance in glory of their misery.

She dream to be free. To see the sun dying everyday just to let moon breath. To see the stars playing hide-and-seek with snowy form of blushing clouds.

The haunting reality settled upon her. When she felt scared to be in the grave all alone by herself in the darkest place, yet again she's still in darkness but physically not as it say.

***

Looking at all the sad faces of her loved one's give her no happiness. Her mom was whimpering near her bed as her father's tears was stained on face. Ali was trying to control himself but his heart was melting away.

"Y-you must t-take care of our p-arents and y-yourself. P-promise me." She cracked holding Ali's hand.

Pained expression covered his face as the boy nodded in yes. Making her sister smile lightly.

"Don't talk like that princess. You'll be fine Isha Allah." Her father's sad voice reached her ears.

They stayed with their daughter for two hours trying to cheer the girl up but didn't know, Hope was long gone away from her. Smiling the girl urged them to rest, not wanting to leave they stayed, but after her constant insisting they left.

As soon as they left Mia, Jack, Lucas ,Issac, Muskan and Yasir came followed by disheveled Alex.

Tears filled their eyes looking at the girl who was once their shine lays helpless on the bed. Muskan and Mia came beside her as tears poured out of their eyes. They couldn't control their tears seeing the wheezing Alizey on bed. It was such a heart wrenching sight for them.

"You will be fine Zee. You have to be. We have to continue our gym sessions after all." Jack murmured wiping away the fallen tears, smiling lightly.

Alizey just smiled at the man as it was painful for her to breath. Feeling intense gaze on her.

"I'm sorry for everything Miss. Snarky. Please get better so we can quarrel again." Issac mumbled with trembling lips and teary eyes.

The girl felt like crying, never she thought that Issac would be this soft towards her. Smiling at the man, she felt Mia squeeze her hand lightly.

"I will tell you all the gossips of last three years when you'll get better and you won't trust me Zee. Issac here was dating a hot chick who in real left him for the rich guy saying he should literally get a new face cause this one sucks." Mia chortled, Alizey couldn't help but smile recalling the memory as Issac scratched his neck shyly.

"Let her rest already, get all strong cupcake." Lucas the wrestler spoke with thick sad emotions sweeping his eyes. He couldn't bare to look at the innocent soul in so much pain as he came forward and kissed her forehead lightly, passing her a smile, wrestler left with Issac following behind not before waving at her.

Yasir came beside Muskan, holding the crying woman. "C-come home soon Alizey. Asad misses you. And I'm already inviting you for dinner at my place as soon as you get out of this bed girl." Muskan croaked controlling her tears as Yasir gave Alizey a warm smile before they left the room.

Jack came forward as he kissed the top of her hand lightly. "I will come back in the morning Zee. Stay strong." Giving her a warm smile the man clasped Mia's hand as she waved Alizey bye before disappearing to the other side of the door.

Silence played against the wall leaving the heavy droplets of water falling on the window a sign of a cry as tears poured out from the sky.

The loud thundering of the clouds remained an ally, an only source of life through such darkness. The man slowly moved as he sat on the chair beside her bed.

The clouds looked dark and grey as hearts were broken and dreams were shattered. The waves have sailed and fates were played with.

The man slowly holds her small pale hand in his large one. It was as tho burning the girl snatched her hand away staring at window not looking his way.

"I will not let anything happen to you Corazon." He whispered softly. The girl slightly scoffed as she shook her head in negative.

"Y-you let t-this h-happen to me." She croaked while removing the oxygen mask away from her face with her shaky hands.

Pained expression marveled his face as he insisted on keeping the mask on, but she dodged his hand away.

The shaking of her hands moved towards her blue shirt as she pulled it up revealing the line of her trousers, she didn't stop there as she continued to pull the cloth up till her ribs. Revealing his name printed on her skin with a beautiful red roses embedding his name. Her soft fingers caressed the ink as she glared at the man.

"H-here! You w-wanted to see this a l-long t-time ago. T-thought y-you s-should s-see y-your c-calligraphy b-before it goes t-to w-waste." She croaked coughing lightly.

The ink on her pale skin looked exquisite much more beautiful than his imagination. Alex looked away feeling like a boulder has been placed on his chest, feeling ashamed the man looked away. Millions of emotions swarming his eyes with pain being the dominant one. "I'm sorry baby pl-"

His words left in mid as she struggled to sit, immediately he stood to stop her, but she slapped his hand away.

Feeling pain at the places where needles was inserted. Grunting the girl sat, her back facing him as she slowly opened the first two buttons as she loosened her shirt making her back bare to him.

The man intake a sharp breath. Feeling millions of knives slashing his chest. Her back was littered with long brutal lash marks they were slightly faded but was still there. "T-this c-calligraphy is a pi-ece of a-art eh!" She croaked, composing herself with difficulty as life was fading away from her.

Closing his eyes the man slumped down to his seat, as tears of utter regret filled his eyes. He did this to her. How brutal he can be to hurt such a precious flower like her.

Her beautiful pale skin marveled with his atrocities, his cruelty.

"I hate myself for doing this to you Alizey. I'm so s-sorry." The man breathed. His voice thick with emotions as tears caressed his cheeks.

The girl adjusted her clothes as she stared back at the man, wheezing loudly now, her heartbeat getting way to fast on the monitor screen as she spoke.

"Y-you t-took e-everything a-away from m-me but still y-you've not quenched your l-lust y-yet. I'm s-sure y-you w-wanna h-have m-me o-once, before I d-die r-remembering a-all the t-times y-you tried t-to f-force y-yourself o-on m-me-" Her croaking voice was stopped by his loud yell, before she could reach to pull off her shirt.

"GOD! ALIZEY stop please." He begged, closing his eyes as he felt utter hatred and shame towards himself.

"I agree it was pure lust at first but t-trust me Corazon. I fell in love with you a long time ago without me even knowing. Please baby I'm so fucking s-sorry." He sobbed controlling his raw emotions which were flowing like a broken dam.

"But I d-don't fucking d-deserve to l-love Alexander!" She hissed repeating the same words that he has spatted on her face when he brought that blond at home. Not a single tear was there on her face as she looked emotionless.

Alexander closed his eyes in complete despair, his soul was leaving his body bit by bit as he faced his reality.

"Tell m-me d-did you f-feel content a-after s-sleeping with that b-blond. A-after b-breaking m-my p-pride. A-after shattering m-me to p-pieces." She snickered coughing badly.

Alex's eyes widened at her words. She didn't know. He never slept with that blond. He couldn't get himself to do that, ending up in yelling at the blond to get the fuck out of his house that night. "I didn't sleep with her."

Alex mumbled wiping his tears as he rubbed his hand on his face. The girl glared at him, her eyes spitting fire. "Huh! Y-you w-want to believe y-you." She croaked with extreme wheezing as her eyes were getting heavy and body was getting lighter.

"Please don't talk baby. It's not good for you. I promise I never slept with her. I didn't cheat on you. I - wait there's a camera outside the main door. I'll show you the CCTV footage but believe me Corazon I couldn't bring myself to do that. I love you so fucking much just give me one chance I'll bring the universe at your feet's baby." He begged kneeling near her bed as his hands clasped together in a begging position.

The girl looked away not able to see anymore. "Y-you b-broke m-me A-Alex-ander. B-but t-this h-here-" She groggily pointed to her heart as she croaked with extreme difficulty. "L-loved y-you i-in y-your d-darkest."

Coughing she continued "C-chance? If o-only-"

Her chest started heaving up and down heavily as the monitor indicated disturbances in her heartbeat followed by slow beeping sounds simultaneously coming and going.

Alexander shot to his feet as he yelled for doctors. His beard was glistened in tears as the man felt fear. Before he could leave to yell for the doctors the girl grasped his hand. He tried to put the oxygen mask back.

The girl smiled angelic as a single precious tear fell from her eye and disappeared into her hairline.

Squeezing his hand one last time the girl croaked. "H-app-y m-marriage a-aniversary A-lexan-der...."

Today is 19th December!

Her wrist that holds the 19th December written in black ink, fell on the bed from his hold.

Those were her last words as she inhaled a sharp breath, closing her eyes before her body sagged and the line on the monitor went straight.

*beep...........*

"NO!!!!" His agonizing screams shook the walls as the thunder roared loudly and the rain poured heavily as if crying in pain.

Mourning....