Goodbye

where every goodbye carries the weight of a lifetime

Every day, he sat by her bedside, holding her hand as the machines hummed their endless rhythm. Laughter, whispered secrets, and dreams they would never chase filled the sterile room.

Every time he left the room for even a moment, she would whisper, “Goodbye… love you.”
He frowned gently. “Why do you always say goodbye?”
She smiled weakly, her eyes shining with love. “So I get to say goodbye to you… and at the same time, you’ll know I’ll always love you.”

One morning, the monitors stayed silent. Her hand slipped from his, and the world felt impossibly empty.

He kept her memory in photographs, in letters, in the quiet corners of his heart living with the echo of her love, the warmth of her smile, and the love that would never fade.

-Aerher