Natalie's POVI felt a little strange as I walked into the office building. It had been a while since I’d been here, and though everything looked the same—the gray walls, the loud phones ringing, the hum of voices—it all felt a little different to me now. Maybe it was because I had changed.I was better now. Stronger. And more at peace with myself.After weeks of staying home, healing, and taking care of my mind, I finally returned to work. It felt good to be back. Even though work could be tiring sometimes, it gave me something to focus on, something that didn’t remind me of all the pain from before.By lunchtime, I needed a break. I grabbed my bag and walked out into the sun. The weat
Sebastian’s POVSuddenly, Becky rushed in, her face filled with panic and fear.“Natalie!” she gasped. “Sebastian… turn on the news. Now!”I stood up quickly, my heart racing. “What is it? What happened?”Becky looked between us, her hands trembling. “It’s everywhere - TV, social media, news blogs. They’re talking about Oliver.”Natalie stiffened beside me. “What do you mean?”Becky pointed toward the living room. “Just turn it on.”I gra
Sebastian's POVIt had been a month since we buried our son. A full month of silence, pain, and trying to make sense of everything. Each day felt like a repeat of the last. Wake up. Sit. Think. Stare at the walls. Try to eat. Try to sleep. Fail at both. I didn’t know healing would be this slow. I didn’t know grief could sit in your chest like a stone.But as they say, I had to be a man.That morning, I woke up early. The sun was not fully out yet. The house was quiet, the kind of quiet that used to feel peaceful but now just felt wrong. I looked to my side and saw Natalie still asleep. She looked tired, but her face was calm for the first time in days. Her chest rose and fell gently. I didn’t want to wake her, so I got out of bed slowly and walked dow
The rain had stopped, but the sadness in my heart didn’t go away. Days had passed since we buried Oliver, but it still felt like it had just happened yesterday. I woke up each day hoping it was a dream. But then I would see the empty crib, the folded baby clothes, and I would remember. It was real. My baby was gone.I couldn’t sleep well. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. Sometimes in my arms, other times in the hospital, lifeless. My heart ached. There was a deep hole inside me that nothing could fill.Sebastian had been trying. He made breakfast, even when I didn’t want to eat. He sat with me in silence. He held my hand. He was there, always. But I knew he was hurting too. I heard him cry in the bathroom when he thought I was asleep. He tried to hide it, but I saw through him. Just like he saw through me.
Sebastian’s POVThree days had passed, but it felt like a blur. I could still hear the silence in our home, louder than anything I had ever known. The emptiness hung in the air like a heavy fog, and every room felt colder. Natalie hadn’t spoken much. She mostly sat by the window or lay in bed, staring at nothing.Today was the funeral.The baby we had waited for. The baby we had already named in our hearts. He never got the chance to see the world, and yet he had changed ours completely.I stood in front of the mirror, buttoning my shirt slowly. My hands trembled, but I tried to keep them steady. My black suit hung loosely on me; I had lost weight over the past few days. I hadn’t eaten much, and sleep had become a stranger.When
I woke up to silence.Not the peaceful kind that wraps around you like a blanket on a quiet morning, but the kind that hangs heavy in the air, the kind that feels like something has been taken. Something irreplaceable.My body ached. Not the dull, throbbing pain that came with pregnancy, but something sharper, emptier. Instinctively, my hand moved to my stomach. I waited for the familiar flutter, the little kick that reminded me I wasn't alone.But there was nothing.Just stillness.And in that moment, I knew.My eyes fluttered open, struggling against the harsh white light above me. The hospital room was cold, sterile, and far too quiet. Machines beeped softly beside me, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.&nb