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219words
By the time the pills were all back in the bottle, I was alone.
I sat amid the wreckage, staring at the picture frame nearby and picked it up.
A shard cut my finger, blood dripping on the photo of me.
It was a candid shot from an old town.
In that photo, Jason was holding a skewer of candied fruit, smiling as he walked toward me while I admired lanterns.
The crowd melted into background.
Only the young man buying candied fruit for the one he loved and the girl watching lanterns became the protagonists.
The girl who took the photo gave it to me with a blessing: "May you last forever."
Back then Jason held my hand, fingers intertwined.
He whispered in my ear: "Get well soon, Luna. We'll last forever."
I wanted to get better.
I took my medication and started treatment.
When I was alone, I had pinned myself to the ground with pain as a way to numb the despair — anything but death, because I had promised her.
When Jason came into my life I started seeing a doctor.
But just as I was one step from leaving the abyss behind, the hand that had reached out to me shoved me back.
I fell into darkness again.
