Or Forever Hold Your Peace Novels & Stories

The hold on the trigger pulled back automatically. "And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70 And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23 And I'm thinking about how people fall in love in mysterious ways Maybe just the touch of a hand" It's HER! Time stopped for me as I kept listening to the song. "Oh me I fall in love with you every single day And I just wanna tell you I am" Something inside me started melting like an iceberg. Probably my raging heartfelt cold splash of her melodious voice. It made me feel more vulnerable.

Still unbroken. Everything is still ours. Forever. THE END.

It was a popular song by Lewis Capaldi entitled FOREVER " Caught me off guard, I wish that I'd been sober, Still, here we are, back in Hanover 99 Just like old times all over, Under the exit lights as beautiful as ever, I wish that I dress up a little better, No regrets are what we said, We can't go back again Darling, Nobody said that it would last forever, That doesn't mean we didn't try to get there, I never said that we would die together, That doesn't mean it was a lie, remember?

Evenings tangled together on the couch, watching movies or making love until the world outside disappeared. It wasn’t perfect. Peace never is. Sometimes he woke in the night, breath ragged, sweat soaking his skin. Sometimes I caught him staring at the skyline too long, his eyes hard with memory. Sometimes I felt the old fear claw at me, whispering that one wrong step could shatter everything. But every time, we turned to each other. Every time, we held on. And maybe that was what peace really was, not silence, not safety, but holding on even when it hurt.

Only us. Forever.

It was bliss. "I never want this to end.” Madison suddenly whispered, tightening her hold on Damien's hand, and just like always when Madison said things like this, his stomach did backflips as he replied, a bit solemn, “Me neither, Maddie. I feel like the best version of myself whenever I'm with you. I don't know how to explain it, but… there's just something. I feel at ease, and it's because of you. This is perfect, Madison… it's amazing."

Then I slipped into my room, quietly closing the door behind me. The room was plain, just a single bed, a narrow wardrobe, and a tiny table by the window but it was peaceful. I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, letting the silence wrap around me like a blanket. The soft glow of the moon through the window seemed to highlight the deep and abiding tranquillity, a profound peace that had settled over the entire space, enveloping me like a warm blanket. Even as the peace was established, the weight of the past, the accusations, the coldness, and the profound sense of violation remained a shadow on the horizon of my awareness. My journey did not end here; rather, a new chapter began. I

A voice, calm and detached, cut through the line: "Please hold. Your call is important to us." The hold music started — a tinny, cheerful melody that mocked the horror I had left behind. I kept running, the phone uselessly pressed to my ear, the cheerful music drowning out the last screams of my past. I failed to protect Kian, but I also failed in my frantic, useless attempt to call for help. The weight of that dual failure was the greatest burden I carried. I shot upright in my bed, gasping, my shirt drenched, the taste of dry earth and raw fear coating my tongue. I was back in the Grant house. There was no Kian, no gunshots. Just the oppressive, safe quiet of an expensive American mansion.

“Just for a while?” For as long as you need.” And so I held her, rocking gently as the night wore on. I wished I could hold her forever. My Meandra