He awoke with a start, her face fading away as darkness filled his vision. Amongst the cold void that suddenly surrounded him, was an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Losing her just now in his dream felt all too similar to the real thing. Thinking about that night all those years ago still caused pain to well up inside him and tears to sting his eyes. His scarred arms went to his chest, as if they could stop the damaged remnants of the heart inside from falling into more broken pieces.

If only he could correct the mistakes he’d made, no price would be too much. Yet the damage he had caused could never be repaired, his actions had more severe consequences then he could ever have encountered in his worst nightmares. The blood he bled, inside and out, he thought he deserved. The tears that he shed, the blood that he bled and the pain he felt, he deserved it all, as punishment for his poor choices. No matter what he endured, it would never be enough to make him forgive himself.

With hot tears still flowing, he rose and walked to the bathroom, his vision blurred with tears. He winced at the sudden brightness as he turned on the light, then stepped inside and slowly made his way over to the sink. The face that returned his stare from the mirror was a mess, red rimmed eyes filled with sorrow and ancient regret. Breaking his love’s heart with one stupid mistake was the one thing he would never forgive himself for. With a sullen sigh, he made the decision right then and there. Tonight was the night to let go of these feelings, let go of this life. Pain filled his knuckles as smashed the mirror with his fist, sending shards of glass flying across the room. Hand shaking, he raised the jagged edge of glass to his throat and let out a sigh, before crimson red blood flowed over the glass and onto his hand. He fell to the floor with a sickening thud, tendrils of red creeping into the corners of his vision.

Her hand withdrew from the door as if bitten when the sound of glass smashing from somewhere in the upper level of the house startled her. Cold and alone at the door, with hand hanging in the air in mid-knock, she contemplated wether she was doing the right thing by forgiving him tonight. She’d seen the terrible things he had done to himself because he could not forgive himself; she knew he meant it when he said he was sorry. At that moment she realised what the sound from above could’ve been. Frantically she pounded on the door and called out to him, fear heavily tainting her voice.

Red filled his vision as he lay there on the icy tile floor. Now it was all over he thought; no more pain, no more chance for me to hurt anyone else. His life appeared to flash before his eyes, scenes of him with her flitted across his vision and he smiled. As blackness took over, he swore he heard the voice of an angel calling his name from somewhere below him, almost frantic. Lying alone, the sweet voice calling his name acted almost as a lullaby for his passing. Suddenly all was as black and silent as his heart had become, suddenly it was all over.