Chapter 18
Two years later, Bella and Danny completed their volunteer assignment in the Caledon Volunteer Program.
They returned to the city and got engaged almost overnight.
Danny held her hand, his face lit with happiness.
“Good thing I joined that program,” he said with a grin. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found a wife this amazing.”
“We haven’t even had the wedding yet,” Bella replied, feigning irritation. “Who’s your wife?”
But Danny didn’t mind. He just tightened his fingers around hers and whispered in her ear, over and over, tenderly, “Wife.”
The wedding was grand. Every detail of the decor had been chosen according to her tastes.
They exchanged rings under the gaze of a crowd, and when someone yelled out for a kiss, they turned to each other and kissed.
At the banquet, Danny wrapped his arm around her and told their friends with quiet pride, “If you want someone to drink with, come to me. My wife’s stomach can’t handle alcohol.”
In that moment, Bella felt something full and warm in her chest.
—
So this was what happiness felt like to know you were worthy of love.
That night, they lay together in bed, exchanging quiet truths.
Danny’s eyes were full of gentle longing. “Finally,” he said. “You’re mine.”
Bella’s eyes shimmered. “I’m glad it’s you.”
After the wedding, they each returned to work. They came home at night, recharging each
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Chapter 18
other with shared silence, soft laughter, and warm embraces.
They adopted a black–and–white cat and settled into a quiet, blissful rhythm.
And as for Seth, he disappeared entirely from Bella’s life, as if he had never existed.
Until one day, while she was at work, Seth’s parents came to find her.
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They looked nothing like she remembered–all the color had drained from their faces. They
seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
They begged her to visit him at the hospital.
It was then that Bella learned Seth was sick. He had been in a vegetative state for a long
time, unable to move for the rest of his life.
She couldn’t hide her shock.
After a moment’s thought, she nodded.
No matter what, she had once been part of the Rogen family. Now that things had come to
this, she had no reason not to go see him, at least once.
In the
car,
been ill.
Seth’s parents told her more, and only then did she understand how long he had
She let out a soft sigh.
Life was full of unexpected turns.
When they arrived at the hospital, they led her into his room.
Seth lay on the bed, his eyes open, unmoving. A breathing tube looped under his nose. He looked so fragile. It hurt to see him in that state.
Bella stood frozen, unable to say a word.
She couldn’t help but think–to live like this was no different from being dead.
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Seth’s mother spoke gently, “Seth, look who’s here. Bella. Bella came to see you.”
After a pause, Bella stepped forward.
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She looked at him, her expression unreadable. “It’s been a while,” she said softly. “I came
to see you.”
No one expected any kind of response. But then—
A single tear rolled from the corner of Seth’s eye.
Inside, he was thinking, ‘It’s nice to see you again.‘
But the words could no longer reach her. He could no longer be part of her life. Not in any way that mattered.
‘Goodbye, Bella.‘
