Outside Work We... •[TNN One-shots]•

Heartbreaks •|| WINTUMN ||•

Prompt: Winter and Autumn have a fight.

The argument was small, insignificant. Yet, like a spark in a dry forest, it erupted into something far bigger than it should have.

“You never listen to me!” Autumn’s voice trembled, equal parts anger and desperation.

“And you never stop!” Winter shot back, his words a knife aimed at her heart. “You expect me to be perfect all the time, Autumn, but guess what? I’m not!”

Her breath hitched, her fists clenching at her sides. “If I’m so unbearable, why are you even here?!”

The silence that followed was deafening. Winter stared at her, his brown eyes dark with pain. He grabbed his coat, his movements sharp and angry. “Maybe I shouldn’t be.”

Before she could respond, he stormed out, the slam of the door shaking the walls.

Autumn stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to run after him, to grab his hand and beg him to stay. But the words wouldn’t come.

°•°•°--**--°•°•°

The rain came down in sheets as Winter drove, the windshield wipers working furiously to keep up. His grip on the steering wheel was white-knuckled, his jaw set. His mind replayed the argument, every word twisting like a knife in his chest.

He loved her. God, he loved her. But sometimes, the weight of their shared pain—their losses, their grief—was too much.

The headlights of the truck appeared suddenly, cutting through the storm like a blade. Winter’s eyes widened as he swerved, the tires losing traction on the slick road.

The last thing he thought of was her.

°•°•°--**--°•°•°

The knock on the door came hours later, jolting Autumn from the haze of guilt and anger she’d been drowning in. She opened it to find a police officer, his face grave, his hat held tightly in his hands.

“Mrs. Fortune-Knight?”

Her stomach dropped. “Yes?”

“There’s been an accident. I’m so sorry, ma’am. Your husband… he didn’t make it.”

The world tilted, her vision blurring as his words sank in. She stumbled back, clutching the doorframe for support.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, he—he’s fine. He just left. He’ll come back.”

The officer’s eyes were heavy with sympathy. “I’m so sorry.”

°•°•°--**--°•°•°

The funeral was quiet, the rain mirroring her tears as she stood by his grave. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to see his body, afraid that the reality would shatter her completely.

Autumn clutched the folded flag they’d handed her, her hands trembling. Every moment since that night replayed in her head, each memory a fresh wound.

The last thing she’d said to him was in anger. The last thing he’d heard from her was her telling him to leave.

She knelt by the grave, pressing her forehead to the cold stone. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean any of it. Please… please come back.”

But there was no answer, only the steady patter of rain.

Autumn stayed there until the cemetery was empty, until the cold seeped into her bones. When she finally rose, she left a single white lily on the grave, her promise to never let him be forgotten.

She carried the weight of her guilt every day, her only solace the memory of his smile. Winter had been her warmth, her light in the dark, and now she had to learn to navigate a world without him.

She whispered one final goodbye as she walked away, the rain washing away her tears.

“I’ll love you forever.”