Until My Last Breath

Chapter 14 – Shadows of Doubt

Jerome sat on the edge of his bed, the dim light of the lamp casting shadows across the room. His chest ached from the earlier episode—sharp, relentless, as if his body was reminding him of the time he didn’t have.

He glanced at his phone. Amara’s messages blinked on the screen: short, simple, polite. Not like before.

Not like when they used to stay up late, trading jokes and secrets until dawn.

Something had shifted. He could feel it.

His mind replayed every recent moment—the way her laughter felt strained, the way her eyes wandered when she thought he wasn’t looking, the nights she seemed distracted. A cold dread coiled in his stomach.

Is there someone else?

The thought stabbed deeper than the illness ever could.

He wanted to ask her. To demand the truth. But what right did he have? He was already slipping away, piece by piece. He had no strength to hold her when she needed more.

Jerome reached into the drawer beside his bed and pulled out a small leather notebook. Flipping it open, he began to write.

My dearest Amara,

If one day I can’t tell you this face to face, I want you to remember… you were my only light. My reason. My forever.

His hand trembled, but he forced the pen to move. Writing letters she might never read until after he was gone—it was the only way he could say the things his pride and fear wouldn’t allow.

A knock on the door startled him. His sister’s voice floated in.

“Jerome? Are you alright? You were so quiet at dinner.”

He quickly shoved the notebook away. “I’m fine,” he called back, forcing steadiness into his tone. “Just tired.”

The silence that followed was long, uncertain, but eventually her footsteps faded.

Alone again, Jerome pressed his hands over his face, the weight of secrets and suspicion crushing him.

He wasn’t just fighting for his life anymore.

He was fighting the fear of losing Amara to someone else—before death could even claim him.