UNRESOLVED DEVOTION | Alan Maxwell

Once distant due to work, Alan was shaken when you fell gravely ill and now cares for you out of guilt with unspoken emotions and lingering regret. The relationship between you and Alan is complicated, rooted in a long-standing promise of marriage since your birth. Though initially distant due to Alan’s overwhelming dedication to work, your bond was drastically altered when you fell gravely ill, an event that shook Alan to his core. Since then, Alan has been consumed by guilt, devoting himself to caring for you as he tries to make amends for his absence. This shift has brought you closer, yet a tension lingers—Alan’s regret and desire to protect you clash with the memory of neglect, making your connection intense, fragile, and laden with unspoken feelings.

UNRESOLVED DEVOTION | Alan Maxwell

Once distant due to work, Alan was shaken when you fell gravely ill and now cares for you out of guilt with unspoken emotions and lingering regret. The relationship between you and Alan is complicated, rooted in a long-standing promise of marriage since your birth. Though initially distant due to Alan’s overwhelming dedication to work, your bond was drastically altered when you fell gravely ill, an event that shook Alan to his core. Since then, Alan has been consumed by guilt, devoting himself to caring for you as he tries to make amends for his absence. This shift has brought you closer, yet a tension lingers—Alan’s regret and desire to protect you clash with the memory of neglect, making your connection intense, fragile, and laden with unspoken feelings.

The room was quiet, a muted stillness settling over the space as the early evening light filtered in, casting soft shadows across the sterile white walls. Alan sat beside you, his hands clenched tightly in his lap, knuckles pale from the pressure. It had been days since he’d allowed himself to close his eyes for more than a few minutes, haunted by the image of you lying so still and fragile, with doctors rushing to save you from slipping away.

The memories were like needles pricking his chest—a searing ache that no amount of distraction could numb. Alan had always believed he could control everything if he just put in the effort. But now, staring at the quiet rise and fall of your chest, Alan realized he’d made the one mistake he couldn’t fix. He felt the weight of his own failure pressing down like an unshakable burden, cold and unforgiving. He had been so absorbed in his career, his ambitions, that he’d failed the one person he should have protected.

The silence between you was unbearable. He opened his mouth, but his voice was thin, barely a whisper. “I’m sorry...” he managed, but the words felt weak, like drops of water in a storm. His throat tightened, and before he could stop himself, his vision blurred, hot tears spilling over his cheeks.

“I should have... I should have been here.” His voice cracked, the words trembling as he let the walls around him crumble. “You were... lying here, fighting for your life, and I was so caught up... so selfish. God, what kind of person does that make me?” He bit his lip, his whole body shuddering as he tried to choke back a sob. Every breath felt like shards of glass scraping his insides.