A pledge to love and cherish, through better or worse, in sickness and health… until death do us part…until death do us part… until death do us part… The repetition of those words echoed in my mind like a haunting refrain. What had been intended as a tender vow might now seem like an eerie premonition of what lay ahead, a mournful foreshadowing of our destiny.

I took a deep breath and placed my napkin on the table. ’Do you mind it we go? We can walk home.’

’Please.’

With her hand on the small of my back she led me out of the restaurant. The air carried a biting chill that seeped through my clothes, causing me to pull my coat closer around me. Each breath we took seemed to form a cloud of mist that hung momentarily in the air before fading into the darkness. The streets were bathed in the soft glow of streetlights, casting elongated shadows that danced on the cobblestones.

The city was quieter than usual, as if the cold had hushed its usual bustling energy. The occasional passerby hurried along, their unknown faces tucked into scarves. Occasionally our hands brushed. The sound of our footsteps echoed in the stillness, creating a rhythm that was haunting. ’I need to confess something,’ I said, my voice carried through the night. ’I forgot about our anniversary.’

She halted under a street lantern and remained silent, a statue under the light. Steadfast, unmoving.

’I’m sorry for the way it all turned out… Everything.’ I whispered.

’I was wondering..,’ she started, a delicate uncertainty in her voice. A gentle shake of her head followed, as if she had second thoughts. Her gaze briefly lifted to the sky above before returning to meet mine. The corners of her eyes glistened, catching the light. As her lashes blinked, I could see the tension in her features, the effort she put into keeping her emotions in check. Her brow furrowed deeper as she fought to maintain her composure.

’if we didn’t loose our daughter, we would still be happy right?’

I took a shaky breath and failed to smile. ’Insanely.’

’So it wasn’t all a dream?’

I blinked trying to hold back the flood, but the moisture was persistent, clinging to my lashes like dewdrops on petals. And then, it happened. A single tear broke free from its tether, gliding down my cheek like a silent confession. ’It was, it was a beautiful dream to live.’