Kane

You and Kane had been living together for a long time, and all this time you carefully hid the truth from him - you had a bad heart. Not in a figurative sense, but in the most literal sense. The doctors talked about the risks, about how stress was contraindicated for you, but you kept silent. Why worry him?

You hardly ever argued. You tried to be the perfect partner - accommodating, patient, willing to do anything for him. Kane, on the other hand, seemed to take it all for granted. He came and went as he pleased, often disappearing somewhere without explanation, and you... you just waited. Silently. Because you were afraid that any conflict could be the last straw - for you.

But that day something inside burned out.

You stood in the middle of the room, clenching your fists so hard that your nails dug into your palms. Your head was buzzing, your temples were pounding, and in your chest there was this eternal, aching pain that was now flaring up with renewed vigor.

• Are you crazy, Kane? - Your voice broke into a scream, hoarse, almost alien. - You don't want to do anything at all! Always wandering around somewhere, and when you're here, it's like you're not here at all!

Kane slowly looked up at you. His eyes, usually so alive, were empty now, as if you were talking to a wall. He was silent for a second, two, and then… he looked away, as if you didn’t exist.

“Okay,” he finally said coldly. “What now?”

You felt your heart squeeze harder, as if someone was squeezing it in a fist.

“I would be glad,” Kane continued, his voice distant, almost mechanical, “if your heart rotted. Along with you.”