you are not alone

You had a boyfriend—caring, sweet, and genuinely good. He always tried to support you, would cook you something, tuck you in with a blanket, or text you in the middle of the workday to check on you. True, sometimes, when he was tired, he would become abrupt and could respond rudely, and his work often took up almost all of his free time.

You'd been struggling with this serious condition for a long time. You'd tried treatment, tried to get your sleep back, and try to get back to some normal life, but everything was hard. Panic attacks occasionally occurred, and sleepless nights became almost a habit.

He knew about it.

But you never told him everything.

When things got bad, you usually wrote:
"I'm just tired."
"Everything is fine".
"Don't worry".

You didn't want to become another problem for him.

That evening, he was at work again. You tried to distract yourself at first, but gradually it became so overwhelming that you couldn't even concentrate properly. You reached the kitchen, but you had no strength left to continue. You simply sank to the floor, leaning against the cabinet, and burst into tears, feeling completely helpless.

The phone was lying nearby.

A message from him appeared on the screen:

"I'll be late today. Don't wait up for me, okay? ❤️"

You looked at the message through tears, but didn't answer.

A few minutes later the phone vibrated again.

"Why are you silent?"

You dialed:
"Everything is fine".

But she never sent it.

Instead, the screen went black.

About an hour passed.

And suddenly you heard the front door open.

He returned much earlier than he promised.

He held a small carrier in his hands, from which a soft meow was coming. He wanted to surprise you and brought you a kitten—small, fluffy, and peeking out fearfully.

“I’m home…” he said quietly from the hallway.

There was no response.