Isabella was dying.

"Isabella?" I asked as I dropped my keys and came in front of her, filled with fear, worry, heartbreak, crying internally and trying to convince myself that it was all just a dream.

I have no idea what ever happened in that room when I was gone, but now, the window was opened, snow was outrageously coming inside, and Isabella... she was bleeding. Heavily. Too much blood had been spilled already when I got there, so there was no way of retrieving it all. Nor a point of doing it. I knew that if one loses this much blood, they would die, and now that was happening with the love of my life. I... I was just... standing on my knees, painfully, looking at Isabella, holding her hand. There was nothing at all I could do.

"Phineas," she finally spoke, "I won't make it."

"Please, just tell me what happened", I told her, my heart beating really fast. "I promise I'll avenge you. I'm going to kill whoever did this to you!"

"You don't need to do that", she said calmly. "It's okay. Really. Don't worry about me. Just keep living your life your way. You'll make it through. Even without me."

I couldn't believe she just said that. For the last three months, the only reason I had not ended up only with dark and soul-crashing thoughts, was because Isabella was on my side. She's the reason I didn't enrage whenever something I hated happened to me. Thanks to her, I somehow remained calm. At least somewhat sane. She was the reason I still hoped for something, anything, in life.

In the darkness that my life had become, she was a beam of light.

And now, that beam was fading. And telling me I could go on, on my own. I found that impossible.

I tried to say something, but... I was just too crushed.

"Isabella, I..."

I just couldn't find the right words to say. So I closed my eyes and leaned my head.

Suddenly, I remembered all the good times I've had with her. All the laughs, rides, adventures... everything. I came to realization that I've never had a bad moment with Isabella. Not a fight, not one awkward moment, nothing like that. Only the good times. I guess it was because she loved me. Then again, I wondered; how could I not figure that out myself until she personally told me. But I didn't mind. Because I loved her too.

I finally thought up what last words to say to her.

"Isabella Garcia-Shapiro," I started as I looked her carefully in the eyes, "you are the most beautiful thing that has ever happened in my life. Your sole presence means more than the world to me. And... even if you're gone for good... I will never forget you. There may be other endless adventures in my life, other amazing things I do, or even other women I meet, but... you will always have a special place in my heart."

While I was saying this, Isabella was smiling. And I knew it was a sincere smile. I knew she felt what I said. I could see it in her beautiful eyes. She was blessed with my words. She even let out a tear.

"I love you", I finished my words.

"I love you too, Phineas", she said after me.

We kissed. It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime.

When I looked at her again, she was slowly closing her eyes. She was lying on her bed this whole time, watching the ceiling, watching me, and myself watching her. I was still firmly holding her hand and looking her in the eyes, but I felt like I was lost in some kind of an endless desert with nothing but sand and no way out.

She let loose of my arm. Her smile disappeared. She was still looking at me, but not for too long. An ounce of hope was still left in me, that Isabella would live. That she would still see so much of the world. That I would still be with her. But that was in vain. As her hand fell off of mine, she exhaled one last time and closed her eyes for good.

She died.