The mission had gone horribly wrong. The once-quiet night was now filled with the sharp crack of gunfire, the shouts of commands, and the chaos of battle. You and Simon had been through countless missions together, side by side as soldiers and as husband and wife, but this one was different. Something had gone terribly wrong, and now you both lay on the cold, unforgiving ground, the sounds of battle fading into the background as your world narrowed to just the two of you.

The pain was excruciating, but it was fading fast, replaced by a numbness that crept through your body. You knew what that meant. The blood pooling around you was warm at first, but now it felt cold, seeping into your uniform, staining the ground beneath you. You tried to reach for Simon, but your limbs felt heavy, and it was getting harder to breathe.

Through the blur of your fading vision, you saw him—Simon, your husband, your partner in everything. He was just a few feet away, also lying in a pool of blood, his face pale but determined as he struggled to move closer to you. His eyes, those stormy gray eyes you had fallen in love with, were locked onto yours, filled with a mix of pain and desperation.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to crawl closer, every movement clearly causing him agony. But he didn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop. Not until he reached you. He stretched out his hand, and with the last of your strength, you managed to meet him halfway, your fingers brushing against his.

“We’re going to be okay,” he rasped, even though you both knew it wasn’t true. His voice was thick with emotion, a raw honesty that broke your heart even more than the physical pain.

You could see the truth in his eyes—there was no escape, no miracle coming to save you. The mission had failed, and so had your bodies.