Red Strings of Destiny

Chapter 9

Ysabel climbed the stairs, dragging her feet as if they weighed a ton. As soon as she entered her room, she locked the door behind her, shutting out the rest of the world.

She didn’t immediately open the letter.

Instead, she flicked off the main light, letting the soft glow of her bedside lamp bathe the room in dim gold. She snuggled under her thick blanket, pulling it over her shoulders like armor. With a sigh, she reached for her phone, selecting a playlist filled with melancholic instrumentals.

She told herself she was just setting the mood—an emotional atmosphere to make reading the letter feel more dramatic. But deep down, she knew she wouldn’t need it.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she traced the edge of the envelope. It was light, just a single piece of paper inside. No sender. No return address. Just her name on the front.

Her heartbeat quickened.

With one deep breath, Ysabel carefully tore open the seal and pulled out the letter. The moment she unfolded the paper, her eyes landed on the familiar handwriting—messy yet precise, like someone who always wrote in a hurry.

Something about it sent a strange chill through her spine.

And then, she began to read.

"My Dear Ysabel,

By the time you’re reading this, I might already be gone. Or maybe, if fate is cruel, I’ll still be here—trapped in a body that no longer listens to me. But either way, I asked Lily to send this letter when my time was close, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to say these words to you myself.

It’s been a year since I left. A year since I walked away without a word. And I know—I know—that you must have hated me for it. Maybe you moved on, maybe you forgot about me, or maybe you’re reading this letter right now with nothing but anger in your heart. And I wouldn’t blame you.

I never wanted to leave, Ysabel. Not even for a second. But I had to.

Do you remember that night before everything fell apart? Before the crash, before the hospital, before everything turned to dust? We didn’t know it then, but that night was the last time I’d ever be able to hold you without regret.

Because the day you woke up, you lost your memories… and I lost the right to be in your life.

You couldn’t remember me. You looked at me with those same eyes, but they were empty—like I was just another stranger. And that… that shattered me in ways I can’t even begin to explain.

But I still stayed.

I stayed by your side, day after day, trying to bring back the memories, trying to make you remember me.

And for a while, I was okay with that. Just being close to you was enough.

Until I found out the truth.

I was dying, Ysabel.

For months, I had ignored the weakness in my limbs, the tremors in my hands, the way my body refused to listen to me sometimes. But it got worse. I started stumbling more. Dropping things. My muscles ached in a way that painkillers couldn’t fix.

And then I heard the words that sealed my fate.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS.

A disease with no cure. A disease that would take away everything from me, piece by piece, until I wouldn’t even be able to breathe on my own.

I was going to wither away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I didn't want you to see me like that.