Tragic Bond

1

The hospital was blanketed in a soft, pristine layer of snow, transforming its surroundings into a winter wonderland. As she stepped outside, the cold air embraced her, and she could see her breath forming frosty clouds.

The trees stood tall, adorned with glistening icicles, and the ground beneath her feet crunched with each step. The snowflakes gently fell from the sky, creating a mesmerizing dance as they settled on her coat.

The world seemed quieter, as if the snow had muffled all the noises, providing a peaceful atmosphere. Despite the chill, there was a sense of beauty and calmness that enveloped her during that snowy winter at the hospital.

"Beep... beep... beep... Sorry the subscriber you dial is busy now. Please dial later."

"He still not picking up." She thought while crumbling a piece of paper she was holding on since she step out on the hospital and threw it on the garbage beside her.

As Luna stepped inside the crowded bus, she felt her heart pounding with worry. Her eyes darted around, searching for a vacant seat. As she again dialed her husband's number, hoping for a reassuring voice on the other end.

With each ring that went unanswered, her anxiety grew. She tried again, hoping it was just a bad signal, but the result was the same. Her mind raced with various scenarios, trying to come up with reasons for his unresponsiveness but then it answered unexpectedly.

"It's snowing today. Winter has arrived." Her voice trembling with emotion, clutched her phone tightly to her ear as she tried to hold back her sobs. Outside, the first snowflakes of winter gently fell, adding an eerie quietness to the scene. "Is there anything you need? I am currently working overtime." Her husband said on the other side.

"Are you coming home for dinner tonight? You haven't been home for a long time." Her voice cracked as she questioned that, only to receive vague excuses about being busy with "work." "Is there something wrong?" Her husband asked.

"... Are you coming home tonight? We should have dumplings for a snowy day. I can make you some." She spoke, unbeknownst to her, her husband's attention wavered as he glanced over at the other woman beside him, tangled in the bedsheets.

"Don't wait. I won't go back today." He struggled to find words that could alleviate the pain he knew he was causing, but his heart was torn between his obligations and the love he once shared with his wife. "And no need to make dumplings yourself. I will get Ryan to order take-away for you. I gotta go. I am so busy." He hanged up after.

"I would allow you to do whatever you want to make you happy, but you wouldn't come home even once. I don't know if I can have dumplings with you. In the first snowy night next year..."

Flashback...

“Ma'am, I brought you some dumplings." Someone said as she get familiarize with the face of her husband's assistant. "You can just focus on you work with the office. You don't need to run errands for Sebastian." She smiled. "That's what an assistant should do, Mrs. Montgomery. Anything else I can do for you?” Ryan smiles as he gave a small box which contains a dumplings.

"I am good, thank you." She smiles. "Then I'll get going back to work." He bid a good bye and then left. As she sat down while opening the box of dumplings something wavers into her mind.

“Sebastian! Why did you take my dumplings?" She laughed. "No, I didn't." He munched while looking at her with full desire of love on his eyes. "Give it back." She tried to stop him from munching it. "Too late I already ate it." He hums while holding two of her arms in order to stop her.

"I miss those times. It's no wonder that I would get an illness like this. Didn't I offer all my luck to you?"

She says as her nose bleed. Outside the window, the snow continued to fall, symbolizing the fresh start of winter, yet mirroring the icy walls that had grown between the couple. The contrast between the warmth of the Luna's desperation and the coldness in her husband's actions was palpable.

In this heart-wrenching scene, the emotions were raw, the pain was real, and the arrival of winter served as a stark reminder of the coldness that had crept into their once warm and loving marriage.