Page 47 of The Weight of Her Silence
Chapter 33
What He Couldn’t See
The beeping of machines was rhythmic, steady. Clinical. But it couldn’t mask the hollowness in the room. Lila lay pale beneath thin white sheets, her skin nearly the same shade. Her eyes fluttered open as Nate stepped inside, hesitant, guilt sticking to his ribs like tar.
She turned her head slowly toward him, her features soft with exhaustion.
"Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," he said, the word foreign in his mouth.
He tried to smile.
Failed.
For a moment, he just stood there, hands in his pockets, trying to absorb the sight of her. She looked small in the bed—too small for the woman who had once carried their babies, built their home, steadied him through every storm.
"You didn’t tell me," he finally said, voice rough.
Lila didn’t answer right away. Her gaze drifted to the window where the sky was starting to darken.
"There wasn’t a point," she said quietly.
"It wouldn’t have changed anything."
"It changes everything," he replied, the words coming out harder than intended. His voice cracked.
“I should’ve been there.”
She looked at him then. A long, unreadable stare.
"Where have you been, Nate?"
He blinked.
She didn’t say it accusingly. No venom, no bitterness. Just a question she already knew the answer to.
And that made it worse.
"I thought I had time," she added, her voice fragile.
“To fix things. To get stronger. To make sure the kids were okay. To… let go on my own terms.”
Her voice trembled on the last sentence.
“You don’t get to let go,” he said, stepping closer.
“We can fight this, Lila.
There’s still time.”
Lila gave him the faintest smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes.
“I’m tired, Nate. I’ve been tired for a long time.
You just… didn’t see it.”
He reached for her hand. It felt cold in his.
