They were best friends for years, sharing every secret except one. When Felix finally confesses his feelings, Josephine lets him down with a gentle lie: she's not interested in men. Heartbroken but determined to keep their friendship, Felix tries to...
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——— Josephine's world was splintering, fractured beyond repair as the doctor's words echoed in her mind. "Ryan passed away." The simple, final words shattered her, their weight crushing her beneath an avalanche of disbelief and pain. The sterile hospital air seemed to thicken, pressing in on her until it was difficult to breathe, difficult to think. She stared at the doctor, her face drained of color, her vision blurred by tears she couldn't contain. Her voice, fragile and broken, trembled as she whispered, "But... but his vitals were fine. They were okay when I left to get food."
Her hands shook uncontrollably as her mind raced, grasping for any possible explanation, any fragment of reason that could help her make sense of the unfathomable. Ryan had quickly become her best friend, her confidant, her constant. They had been laughing yesterday, making plans, talking about the future. Going to work together and everything. And now—now he was gone, a void left in his place, echoing with all the words they'd never say and all the moments they'd never share.
The doctor's face softened, a deep sadness darkening his eyes as he looked at her. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Josephine," he murmured gently, his tone weighed with the kind of sympathy that only made the pain sharper. "We're not exactly sure what happened. His blood pressure spiked unexpectedly, and then he just... he flatlined." The words slipped from him cautiously, as if he knew each syllable was a fresh wound. "We did everything we could, but the damage was extensive to his lungs and his heart. His body just... couldn't recover."
The doctor's voice trailed off, leaving Josephine with a few precious seconds of silence to try to absorb this new, horrifying reality. She felt as though her mind had short-circuited, each of his words pounding at her like waves against a fragile, crumbling wall. She wanted to scream, to claw at the words and rip them from existence, to make them untrue. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, that there must have been a mistake, that this couldn't possibly be happening. She wanted to beg him to rewind time, to undo whatever had gone wrong while she'd been away. But no amount of pleading or wishing would bring Ryan back, and that knowledge tore at her insides.
A gentle touch brought her out of her spiral. She felt Larisa's hand on her shoulder, grounding her, holding her in the here and now just enough to keep her from collapsing entirely. Larisa had been there for her, had stayed by her side through the seemingly endless hours of waiting, had held her hand when she couldn't stop trembling. But even that comfort felt hollow, unable to penetrate the cold, empty ache spreading inside her. She glanced over at Larisa, seeing the reflection of her own heartbreak in her friend's tear-streaked face.
"Josephine, honey," Larisa said softly and looked at her phone, her voice thick with emotion, each word laced with sorrow and compassion. "I have to go....my mom got surgery a few days ago and I need to visit her." She sounded hesitant, as if the very thought of leaving Josephine here in this moment of despair tore at her own heart. Josephine managed a weak, understanding nod through her tears, knowing that she couldn't keep Larisa here, that she had her own life, her own obligations. She couldn't expect her friend to stay, even if she felt like she couldn't bear to face this darkness alone.
