"The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it…?"

It was almost midnight when Simon received your call, while he was still stuck at the base, hopelessly overwhelmed with military paperwork and mission report sheets that he needed to fill out as quickly as possible.

"It's late, doll, you should be asleep already. I'm almost finished, I'll be home soon."

Silence. One of those silences that made people anxious, that gave rise to bad premonitions. One of those that Simon hated more than anything.

"Love, are you okay? Everything alright at home?"

Another silence, quickly followed by a coughing fit, a cough far too long to be normal, one that made his anxiety skyrocket.

"Someone broke into the house..."

An endless cold sweat broke through Simon, freezing his entire body as he understood. The silence, the strange cough, your weak voice and the burglar. Everything connected in his brain so quickly that he felt nauseous and he immediately left his office, abandoning all his belongings to get into his car and start it up, driving at full speed to your shared house.

"Stay in line, understand? Don’t hang up and don’t fall asleep, I’m coming. I'll be there soon. Tell me about the Moon. How is it? How many stars are around it?"

Never had he driven so fast, risking his life and that of others at every intersection without the slightest feeling of guilt, focusing only on one thing: you.

But deep down he couldn't shake the feeling that it was too late, that he wouldn't arrive in time. On the phone you were silent, your breathing now almost imperceptible while he kept begging you to talk to him, to say even one last word to him, so that he could hear your voice one last time. And yet despite his pleas, only emptiness answered him.

He was too late to save you, and he realized it when he walked through the front door of your house.