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^{Designed in Canva}

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Robert’s hands shook while he tied his tie. The man staring back at him in the mirror was a stranger he did not know. He reached for the keys, then stopped in front of the door.

There was complete quiet in the apartment. No soft footsteps, no gentle humming, no playful "Don't forget your lunch, babe!" It had been three months, but the absence of Claire still felt like a fresh wound.

The drive to the Cemetery was a blur. Robert moved on autopilot, muscle memory guiding him through familiar streets. As he passed through the wrought iron gates, memories flooded back.

First date jitters at the local diner. Nervous laughter as they fumbled through their wedding vows. Tearful embraces after another negative pregnancy test.

And then, the night that broke it all apart.

The phone call. The screeching tires. The disgusting sound of the metal. Claire, returning from work in the evening and getting hit by a drunk driver. The agonizing hours in the emergency room, praying for a miracle that never came.

Robert parked the car close to a group of elms. The grass was wet and the morning dew still on it when he walked down the path.

^{Image by freepik}

The white marble headstone appeared and he felt a lump rise in his throat.

CLAIRE ELIZABETH MILLER
1993 - 2023
Beloved Wife, Daughter, Friend

He stood before it, with his hands in his pockets, his head down.

"Hello babe, he said softly, his voice barely audible. "Sorry for not writing for a long time."

Robert fell to his knees. His fingers ran over the engravings of her name.

"I got that promotion we talked about," he said, forcing a smile. "Senior project manager. You always said I could do it." The smile faltered. "Doesn't seem to matter much now, does it?"

Tears blurred his vision. "I don't know how to do this, Claire. How to keep going when half of me is... gone." A sob escaped his lips. "We had so many plans. The house we were saving for. The family we wanted to start. How is it fair that some drunk driver gets to take all that away?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Robert took out a small white envelope which was crumpled in his pocket. "I wrote you a letter. Probably stupid but there is so much I want to tell you." He tucked it carefully beneath a small bouquet of wilting roses. "I'll always love you, Claire. I don't know how to stop."

He sighed and got up. He stood there for what seemed to be a long time. Finally, he turned away, each step feeling like as if he was walking through water as he made his way back to the car. The cemetery stretched out before him, a sea of marble and granite monuments to lives cut short, dreams left unfulfilled...

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^{I would like to invite @patjewell, @dove11, @weisser-rabe, @soulfuldreamer, @aaliarubab and @enrisanti to join this contest through this link, if they have not already taken part in it.}

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^{Author: @waqarahmadshah | Date: 04-Jul-2024 | Achievement 1}