E C H O E | h.s. Fanfiction

*Chapter Eight*

Submerged beneath the water in the tub, all I could hear was the beating of my own heart, each pulse pounding in my ears like it was struggling to hold me together against this unbearable pain. My body felt heavy, as if every tear that fell took a piece of me along with it, leaving me emptier.

Memories so relentless surged forward, each one cutting through me like a blade, tearing away any remnants of strength I had left.

How am I supposed to accept that I'll never see him again? How do I wrap my mind around the fact that the one person who was my entire world, who filled every empty part of me, is just... gone?

The truth is crushing, pressing on me.

I was so sure that we'd survive anything, that no matter what came our way, we'd always find each other again in the end.

And now I'm here, alone, refusing to accept the brutal reality. My grief is like a dark, endless void, and each breath is a knot that won't unravel. I want to cry until there's nothing left, to expel this agony from me, but there's nothing that could ever ease this wound.

I'm mourning for myself, for the dreams we had that will never be, for the life we'll never live.

As if he were right there in front of me, I reached out, feeling the emptiness, trying to grasp something, of him that might linger. My fingers found only the cold, silent water, and the ache inside me deepened. I could almost see his face so familiar, his smile that once chased away every shadow. How many times had I held his hand, feeling its warmth, so sure it would be there forever? Now, the cold is all that answers me back.

I close my eyes, hoping that if I keep them shut long enough, I'll feel him beside me, like he's just out of reach, to pull me close and tell me this is all a nightmare. I can almost hear his voice, that low, comforting murmur he'd use whenever I felt lost, telling me everything would be alright.

The silence is brutal, deafening in its finality.

I whisper his name, and it feels like the sound itself shatters. There are so many things I still needed to say to him, words I thought I'd always have time for. I wanted to tell him again how he was the center of everything. I wanted him to know that, no matter how chaotic things got, he was my peace.

The water ripples as I sit, still clinging to the impossible hope that he'll appear, that he'll pull me from this darkness.

Lying on Harry's bed, wrapped in his robe, I felt like a ghost haunting my own life. I closed my eyes, wishing I could feel his warmth next to me.

"Who did this to you?" I whispered, my heart aching with the weight of unanswered questions. "Who took you from me?"

The silence screamed back, each second stretching into eternity. "We were supposed to have forever," I murmured, the tears flowing as I buried my face in the pillow. "You were my everything."

Memories hit me like waves—the laughter, the late-night secrets, the dreams we painted together. "Why?" I cried, the pain bubbling over."How am I supposed to live without you?" I gasped, clutching the robe tighter.

"Come back," I whispered into the silence.

The dawn broke when I finally decided to emerge from my darkness. It was still too early, yet I couldn't find peace within me. I realized the tears had found me through the night. It was oddly comforting, though, since I hadn't been able to find the calm I desperately needed to grieve in silence.

Still in my pajamas and robe, I chose to take a walk around the villa's gardens. I was so numb that I didn't care how I looked or if I might scare a security guard or anyone else who happened to be around.