The Fracture
Michaela didn’t remember how many times she had done this.
She didn’t remember the first world, the first universe where she woke up to find Francesca alive, waiting for her, smiling at her, touching her, loving her.
She didn’t remember how many times she had watched her die, over and over, her body breaking, her blood spilling, her eyes empty, vacant, cold.
She didn’t remember how many times she had fallen, how many times she had woken up, how many times she had crossed the invisible threshold between worlds.
All she remembered was the ache. The seeping pain that travels through her spine, turning its wheels on the narrow road to her feet, steering her to the edge of her sanity, pushing her to a soulless maelstrom.
The hollow, aching emptiness that gnawed at her insides, the cold, heavy weight that settled in her chest, the sharp, cutting pain that sliced through her heart every time Francesca slipped through her fingers.
Again.
And again.
And again.
She tried everything.
She changed the smallest details—the way they walked, the streets they took, the places they went.
She never let Francesca go anywhere alone. She held her hand, kept her close, kept her safe.
She drove everywhere, her fingers tight on the steering wheel, her eyes never leaving the road, her heart racing, her breath trembling.
She tried to outrun destiny.
But fate was faster.
And Francesca always died.
It happened in different ways.
Sometimes it was the stairs, a slip, a fall, a sickening crack of bone and skull.
Sometimes it was illness, a sudden fever, her body burning, trembling, breaking, slipping away.
Sometimes it was the ocean, the waves pulling her under, her body lost to the sea.
Sometimes it was the quietest thing—a heartbeat that simply stopped, a breath that never came, a life that faded without sound.
But it always happened.
On October 14th.
Michaela’s heart shattered, her chest aching, her shoulders trembling.
She tried to save her.
She tried so hard.
She followed her everywhere, watched her every step, kept her close, held her tight, whispered promises, begged her to stay.
She loved her fiercely, desperately, enough to shatter the universe, enough to defy time itself.
But it wasn’t enough.
Because Francesca was destined to die.
In every world.
On October 14th.
She kept waking up.
She kept falling.
She kept breaking.
She kept crossing the threshold, moving through worlds, slipping through universes, searching for the one where Francesca didn’t die.
She didn’t know how many times she had done it.
She didn’t know how many worlds she had crossed.
She didn’t know how many lives she had lived.
But she knew she was losing her.
Not just to death.
But to time.
To the universe.
To her own desperation.
It was the little things at first.
The sound of Francesca’s laughter, soft and sweet, like music, like a whisper, like the first breath of spring.
Gone.
The feel of her skin, warm and soft and alive beneath Michaela’s fingers.
Gone.
The curve of her smile, the way her eyes crinkled at the corners, the dimple that appeared on her left cheek.
Gone.
Michaela’s chest tightened, her breath trembling, her heart racing.
She was forgetting.
Pieces of Francesca were slipping away, fading, disappearing, slipping through her fingers like sand.
And no matter how hard she tried, no matter how tightly she held on, no matter how desperately she fought, she couldn’t keep them.
She couldn’t keep her.
It was Francesca who noticed first.
They were in the kitchen, laughing, teasing, sharing stories, the sunlight streaming through the window, golden and warm, dust motes dancing in the air.
Michaela was washing the dishes, her hands submerged in warm, soapy water, her fingers numb, her heart heavy.
Francesca was drying the plates, her body moving gracefully, her hair falling over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling, her lips curled into a beautiful, radiant smile.
“So, did you ever find that necklace?” Francesca asked, her voice light, playful, her eyes twinkling. “The one you swore you lost in the park that day? We spent hours looking for it!”
Michaela’s hands froze, “What… what necklace?”
Francesca’s smile faltered, her eyes widening, her head tilting. “You know… the one I gave you for our anniversary. With the little heart pendant. You wore it every day. You said it was your good luck charm.”
Michaela’s chest tightened, her throat burning, her vision blurring.
She didn’t remember.
She didn’t remember the necklace.
She didn’t remember the park.
She didn’t remember the anniversary.
Francesca’s face fell, her eyes growing wide, her lips parting. “Michaela…? Are you… are you okay?”
Michaela’s heart raced, “I… I don’t… I don’t remember…”
Francesca’s eyes darkened, her shoulders tensing, her fingers tightening around the towel. “Michaela… how could you forget? We spent the whole day together… we had a picnic… you said it was the best day of your life…”
“I… I don’t… I can’t… I’m sorry… I don’t… I don’t remember…”
Francesca’s body stiffened, her eyes shimmering with concern. “Michaela…” Her voice broke, her shoulders trembling. “You’re scaring me.”
Michaela’s chest ached. “I’m sorry… I don’t… I don’t know… I don’t know why… I don’t know…”
Francesca’s face crumpled, her body sagging, her shoulders falling. “It’s okay… It’s okay, Darling… Maybe you’re just tired…” She forced a smile, her fingers brushing against Michaela’s, her touch warm, grounding. “Maybe… maybe you just need to rest.”
Michaela nodded, her breath trembling, her heart racing. “Yes, maybe… Maybe that’s it…”
But she knew it was useless.
Because she could feel it.
The memory slipping away.
The words fading.
The details blurring.
The image crumbling.
She was losing her.
Not just to death.
But to time.
To the universe.
To her own desperation.
And she didn’t know how to stop it.
She woke up again.
And another memory was gone.
She didn’t know which one.
She just knew that something was missing, something important, something she couldn’t get back.
One by one. Memories of her slipped away.
Until there would be nothing left.
And Michaela was terrified that one day, she would wake up…
And she wouldn’t remember Francesca at all.
They walked through Hampstead Heath, side by side, their fingers brushing, their shoulders bumping, their laughter mingling, vibrating through the trees.
Michaela tried to memorize everything.
The sound of Francesca’s voice, blanketing her, her comfort.
The curve of her smile, bright and beautiful, the way her eyes sparkled, the dimple that appeared on her left cheek.
The feel of her fingers, warm and soft, curling around Michaela’s, grounding her, holding her, saving her.
Michaela’s chest tightened, her heart felt weighed down by rocks.
She didn’t want to forget.
She didn’t want to lose her.
She didn’t want to wake up in another world where Francesca was gone.
Again.
They reached a bench overlooking the field, the sprawling green expanse stretching out before them, sunlight dancing across the grass, the sky wide and blue and endless.
Francesca sat down, her body folding gracefully, her eyes fixed on the horizon, her face serene, peaceful, beautiful.
Michaela’s heart broke.
They sat in stillness, the silence growing vast and unbearable.
Then, out of nowhere, Michaela’s shoulders trembled, her breath caught against her throat.
The tears came softly at first, slipping down her cheeks, then it grew into a torrent of anguish.
She didn’t even realize she was crying.
Not until Francesca turned, her face softening, her eyes widening, her mouth easing open.
“Michaela…?” Her voice was soft, worried, her fingers brushing Michaela’s cheek, warm and gentle, anchoring her. “What’s wrong?”
Her heart clenched painfully as she turned to look at Francesca, only a love like this could hurt so much. Francesca’s face that once brought her life, has now become the abstract of all kinds of pain she was feeling.
“I’m tired,” she whispered, her voice shattering.
“Do you want to go back home? We can rest, take a nap, watch a movie… whatever you want.”
“No….Francesca….I keep losing you.”
Francesca’s face fell, “What…? Michaela… I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Michaela’s shoulders shivered, her breath faltering “But you are… You always are… I keep losing you… Over and over and over again…”
Francesca’s face went pale, “Michaela… What are you talking about…?”
“All I wanted was to bring you back. To live in a world where you’re okay, where you’re with me, where you didn’t get on that plane.”
Francesca, in her confusion spoke with trembling lips. “Michaela… You’re scaring me…what plane?”
Michaela’s chest caved in, “I’m scared too… I’m so scared… I keep waking up without you… I keep losing you… And no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try… You keep slipping away… And I can’t… I can’t lose you again…”
Francesca’s eyes shimmered, her fingers tightening around Michaela’s. “I’m right here… I’m right here… Look at me… I’m not going anywhere… I’m not… I’m right here… I’m right here…”
There was a distorted tone in her voice, her tears fell like a cascade of rain on her face, her hold on Francesca’s hand grew firmer with each heartbeat she let go.
“Don’t leave me, don’t leave me, don’t leave me don’t leave me.” her words left her mouth in ragged, desperate gasps, the kind of cry that felt like splinters, that crawls out of your chest. Her lungs burnt, collapsing under the weight of her emotions.
Francesca’s face looked shattered, her eyes glistened with tears she has yet to shed. She took Michaela into her arms, pulling her close, wrapping her tightly underneath her, holding her like she was the only thing keeping her tethered to the earth.
She brushed her fingers through Michaela’s hair, caressing the strands, keeping her steady. “I love you, in many ways I do not know how to explain….in ways that probably do not make the most sense. In ways that defy logic, that defy reason. I love you beyond words, beyond feeling and thought….I love you in ways that don’t begin nor end, I love you, in ways that simply are…” Francesca said, her voice fragile, as if the words cut through her. “That is why, as long as we are together, we’ll both be okay. As long as I have you and you have me.”
Michaela took in her words like a gasp of air after drowning, like a plea answered, like a flame to a body frozen solid. Her eyes burned along with her chest.
She could feel Francesca’s love, vast and beautiful, and endless. She could feel it carving itself into every part of her, every piece of her, every breath, every heartbeat, every cell.
She could feel it breaking her.
She could feel it saving her.
And in that moment, she understood.
She realized how she could save Francesca.
She realized what she had to do.
She realizes that she and Francesca were tied by panoramic threads, cut loose by the heaven’s orders. They were bound together—by love, by time, by fate. Bound in every world, in every life, in every universe.
They were intertwined, their souls wrapped around each other, inseparable, inevitable. But maybe that was the curse
And that was the tragedy.
Because Francesca kept dying.
No matter how many worlds she woke up in, no matter how many universes she traveled through, no matter how many times she held Francesca close, whispered “I love you” into her skin, tasted her laughter, breathed in her scent—she still lost her.
She always lost her.
Over and over and over again.
And Michaela couldn’t change it. She couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t save her.
Because no matter what she did, Francesca’s life unraveled.
It unraveled the same way every time. On the same day, at the same hour, with the same brutal finality.
October 14th.
Michaela thought about every death.
She thought about every loss.
She thought about Francesca’s laughter, the ghost of her smile, the memory of her touch.
And she thought about how Francesca was always there.
How no matter where she went, no matter what world she woke up in, Francesca was always waiting for her.
Always loving her.
Always dying for her.
Why did she keep losing her?
Why did she keep leaving?
Why couldn’t she save her?
The questions twisted inside her, sharp and cruel, burrowing into her chest, yet somehow in the deep pits of it all, she found her answer.
She looked at the woman who had died a thousand deaths for her, who had loved her through a thousand lifetimes, who had found her in every world, who had chosen her every time.
She looked at the woman who was tied to her by fate, by destiny, by love.
She looked at the woman she kept losing.
She understood.
The only way to save Francesca was to let her go.
To wake up in a world where she never reached out.
Where she never held her hand.
Where she never kissed her lips.
Where she never said “I love you.”
To wake up in a world where they never met.
Where they were strangers.
Where their hearts never touched.
Where they were free.
She looked at Francesca, her breath trembling, her heart breaking, her fingers tightening. She looked at her love, her heart, her home, her everything.
And she knew.
She would have to leave her behind.
She would have to let her go.
She would have to break her own heart to save hers.
Francesca’s fingers tightened, her voice soft, her eyes shimmering. “What’s wrong?”
Michaela’s breath shook, she smiled at the woman she loved, and the woman she’s about to lose for the last time. “Just hold me.”
Francesca smiled and pulled Michaela closer. Michaela sunk under Francesca’s touch, savoring the warmth of her skin, listening to her heartbeat, te melodious catastrophe thrumming in her ears. The heart that was once hers, but was never hers to keep.
Michaela knew, that Francesca would do the same. She’d have paced through the distance of parted seas, even just for a whiff of her hair.
Francesca loved her, loved her just the same. She delighted herself, resting on Francesca’s chest at the thought. Because only a love this good, this strong could cut through like this.
But at least it was the last time.