Chapter 253: Say Your Goodbyes

Reid flinched as if I’d struck him. The raw, jagged truth of my words seemed to pierce right through the fog of his grief, stunning him into silence.

He stared at me, his mouth parting slightly, his dark grey eyes wide with a painful, sudden clarity. He looked down at Sarah, sleeping so peacefully against his chest—so warm, so fragile, so completely dependent on him—and then back up at my tear-stained face.

"Kain..." he rasped, his voice trembling as the weight of what he’d said finally hit him. "I... I didn’t mean..."

"You did," I whispered softly, stepping back in, my hands coming up to gently cup his wet cheeks. "And I understand why you felt that way. But you can’t, Reid. You can’t. I need you to be her anchor, because I can’t be the one to tuck her in, or teach her how to skate, or watch her grow up. I can’t hold her hand if she’s scared of the thunder, and I can’t cheer her up in her first failure, or celebrate her first success." the words broke me even more and I pressed my lips firmly together. "Only you can do that."

Reid let out a shaky, broken breath, leaning heavily into the touch of my hands. He closed his eyes, fresh tears squeezing past his lashes as he slowly nodded, forcing himself to swallow the dark, desperate urge that had threatened to pull him under.

"I’m sorry," Reid choked out, his broad shoulders dropping as he brought one hand up to cover mine against his cheek. "I’m so sorry, Kain. I was... I was losing my mind. I won’t leave her. I swear to you, I’ll protect her. I’ll live for her."

He opened his eyes, looking at me with a soft, quiet devotion that burned brighter than all his grief.

"Just... don’t disappear on me tonight," Reid pleaded softly, his fingers tightening around mine. "If you can stay a little longer... just let me hold you both for a little while."

A watery, breathless smile broke through my tears. "I’m right here, Reid. Just getting to speak to you like this is already more than enough."

"No, it’s not enough for me!" Reid gasped, his grip tightening frantically around my arm, his eyes pleading with a raw, terrifying desperation. "Please, Kain, stay a little longer. Don’t disappear... don’t leave me!"

His body trembled violently against mine, his fingers digging into my arm as if he could physically bind my soul to the earth through sheer force of will.

"Don’t go, Kain... please. I love you. I love you so much..."

Just how was I supposed to move on to the afterlife if he was acting like this?

"Reid, look at me," I choked out, wrapping my other arm around his shoulders and pulling him down until our foreheads pressed together once more. "I’m not disappearing right now. I’m right here. Feel my hand on your cheek. Feel how real this is."

He let out a ragged, trembling breath, his eyelashes fluttering shut as he leaned heavily into my palm, soaking in the phantom warmth of my touch like a dying man in a desert. Down between us, Sarah let out a quiet sigh, her tiny fingers tightening around his lapel, as if she too were anchoring him to the present.

"I love you too, Reid," I whispered, my voice thick with an unbearable, aching tenderness. "More than my own life. More than the ice. More than anything. We may not have forever, but we have right now. Just breathe with me... just stay in this moment."

Reid swallowed hard, his chest heaving as he forced his frantic breathing to slow down, matching the steady rhythm of mine. He kept his hand locked tightly over mine on his arm, refusing to loosen his grip by even a fraction of an inch, but the terrifying panic in his eyes gradually gave way to a quiet, reverent stillness.

"Okay," he rasped softly, his voice cracking as he pressed a slow, wet kiss to the center of my palm. "Okay. Just stay... as long as the universe lets you."

I wanted to bask in the moment. I thought I would at least have all night to spend with my beloved, but the universe is cruel.

A shadowy form suddenly materialized right beside me—something terrifying, wrapped in dark, suffocating mist and holding a massive scythe. I flinched in shock, my breath catching in my throat as an icy chill cut straight through my soul.

"Kain? What’s wrong?" Reid asked, his grip on my arm tightening instantly as he felt the sudden tremor in my body.

He couldn’t see it. The hooded, shadowy figure stood there like a phantom, its face an abyss. Was this the Grim Reaper?

"Say your goodbyes," an eerie, hollow voice echoed directly inside my head, making my heart clench with a terrifying spike of panic.

Goodbye? It’s time to cross over already? Now?

"Say goodbye? Can’t I... can’t I stay a little longer?" I pleaded, my chest aching as my heart rate quickened. I still wanted to see my daughter’s first tooth, her sitting up on her own, her taking her first steps. I wanted to watch over Reid, too. I wasn’t ready.

"Kain, what do you mean goodbye?" Reid asked, his voice laced with a sudden, sharp alarm. He searched my face, terrified by the way I was staring at the empty space beside him.

"Say your goodbyes. The threshold calls."

The Grim Reaper repeated its command with cold, unyielding precision, like a programmed escort following ancient laws. Behind the shadowy figure, the air cracked open, revealing a massive, ancient archway—the gate to the afterlife. A blinding, ethereal light poured out from behind the heavy stone doors, humming with an immense, absolute authority. Judgment? The end of the road?

No, no... I didn’t think it would end just like this. Every fiber of my soul screamed against it, but I couldn’t defy the orders of the universe.

I had to say goodbye.

"Reid..." I choked out, tears spilling down my cheeks as I used every last ounce of my fading strength to cup his face one last time. "Look at me, Reid."