Chapter 10 - The Weight of Water
The following month was the darkest period of Elias's life. The cancer was gone, but the Hannah he knew was trapped inside a body that refused to obey her. She fell into a deep, impenetrable depression. She refused to look at him, turning her head to the wall whenever he entered the room. Physical therapy was agonizing.
The emotional toll on Elias was catastrophic. He was managing her care, dealing with mounting hospital bills, and fighting a one-sided battle to keep her spirit alive. One evening, after Hannah had thrown a cup of water across the room in a fit of frustration, Elias walked out of the room.
He made it to the stairwell before his knees buckled. He sat on the concrete stairs and wept. He wept for the unfairness of it all, for the woman he loved, for his own breaking spirit. He was drowning, just as she had been three years ago. But he realized in that moment, true love wasn't about saving someone from the water; it was about getting in and treading water beside them until the storm passed.
