Ten Years Back From Death

On my eightieth birthday, a car accident sent me into the hospital on the brink of

dying. The world dissolved into sterile white walls, the blaring of alarms,

and the rhythmic beeping of machines that seemed to echo my failing heartbeat. Faces hovered above

me — doctors with concerned frowns, nurses whispering to one another, strangers grasping

my trembling hands — but all I could see was her. Emily Watson. Her face haunted

me. I remembered the life we shared: the laughter that lit up empty rooms,

the arguments that left scars invisible to anyone else, the quiet nights when we stared at

the ceiling, both wondering if love could survive us. I wanted to tell