Stephanie tiptoed down the stairs. Why wasn't Matthew in bed? He wasn't using their private bathroom. As the woman crawled through the house at the wee hours of the morning, she heard the faint noises. Scratching. A pen on paper. A hum. A distant light. On.
Turning through their building, she found him. There he was again. Working on something. Another letter. Stephanie was tired and exhausted. "Matthew, come back to sleep," she softly complained, walking up behind him.
"I have an early meeting out of town," he explained back, turning back to her. Stephanie walked up to him and brushed her hand against his face.
"It's still dark outside," she stated, a bit confused. Steph leaned into his touch as he held her cheek. She reached up and took his arm in her hands.
"I know," he quickly confirmed. "I just need to write something down." Matt slowly turned back to the table. However, Steph pulled on his arm and dragged him from his work once more.
"Why do you write like you're running out of time?" she pressured, sliding up close to him. She looked into his dimly shadowed eyes. They were tired. Stressed. Afraid.
MatPat slid down to his knee and placed a finger over her mouth. "Shh," he calmed. His finger drifted down, tugging at her bottom lip a bit, before falling off her face.
"Come back to bed," she encouraged, her best puppy dog eyes on display, "that would be enough." She rubbed the top of his hand.
Matt was conflicted. It visibly rolled across his face. He wanted to go to bed with his wife, but something was holding him back. "I'll be back before you know I'm gone."
"Come back to sleep," Stephanie pleaded once more, hoping to break him. She gave his hand a quick squeeze
"This meeting's at dawn," he bartered, unfazed. He slid back up to his chair.
"Well I'm going back to sleep," she stated quietly, standing up. She turned around and began walking away, hoping to force him away.
Matthew stared at his death note lying on the table. His mind screamed for him to not leave his wife like this. "Hey," he softly called, standing up.
Stephanie turned around in time to receive a gentle peck on the lips. He stared down at her, his eyes sparkling in the little light there was. "Best of wives," he admitted, "best of women." Matthew held her head in his hands for a moment before dropping them completely.
Steph blushed and smiled as she walked away. Matt gazed on his wife as she glided away. When the last of her figure disappeared behind a corner, his heart broke. It would be the last time he saw her, and deep down, he knew that.
