Midnight Dream - Chapter 10
The hotel felt different after that night.
Too quiet.
Too heavy.
It was like the walls heard everything and didn't know how to forget.
No laughter.
No pretending.
Just silence.
The kind of silence that sits in your chest and doesn't move.
Moonlight wasn't the same.
She didn't talk much anymore.
Didn't smile.
Didn't even look at me the way she used to.
She would sit for hours, staring at nothing, like her mind was stuck somewhere she couldn't escape.
Sometimes I would catch her crying quietly to herself, thinking no one could hear her.
But I did.
I always did.
Guilt is a dangerous thing.
It eats at you slowly.
Piece by piece.
And I could see it taking her.
One night, she came and sat next to me.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then she spoke.
"I should've been there for you."
Her voice was soft, but it carried years of regret.
"I should've seen it... I should've protected you."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I forgive you," I said, crying.
She looked at me like she didn't expect it.
"You can move in with me," I continued. "Bring the kids. Get away from that place. Start over. Create a new life for you and your babies."
She broke down.
"I gave him everything," she cried. "I dropped out of college because of him, pretending like I was still going so Mama wouldn't find out. All to please him."
Her voice cracked.
"We had three abortions because he wasn't ready for a family. I don't even remember how we ended up with two kids."
She covered her face.
"They were signs, and I ignored them. I just wanted to see the good in him."
She looked at me, broken.
"I have nothing. No savings. No husband. No life. All because I trusted him with mine."
"You can come live with me, Moonlight," I said softly. "Forget him."
She shook her head, crying.
"Isn't that sad?" she whispered.
Then she looked at me.
"Thank you, Midnight. After everything you've been through... you still want to help me. I'm truly sorry."
"It's okay, Moonlight," I said.
And for a moment...
it felt like we could start again.
We packed what little she had and took the next flight back to Gloomyfogs.
For a while, I thought things would get better.
But they didn't.
Weeks passed, and my sister was still drowning in her pain.
She barely ate.
She lost so much weight.
And the diagnosis came back positive.
She wasn't the same anymore.
I didn't know how to reach her.
Didn't know how to pull her back.
"Moonlight, please," I begged one day. "Pull it together for your kids. Don't let him destroy you."
But she didn't respond.
No emotions.
No words.
She just sat there, staring into nothing.
Like she had already left, and her body was just there.
"Star, Galaxy, get ready for school," I called out.
I tried my best to keep things normal for them.
They were too young to understand.
Too innocent to carry something this heavy.
They asked questions I didn't have answers to.
I took some time off work to be there.
To try.
To fix something that couldn't be fixed.
That morning felt different.
Too quiet.
Even for her.
Something in my chest felt off.
Like a warning I couldn't understand.
"I'll be back," I told her. "I'm taking the kids to school."
She didn't respond.
On the way there, Star looked at me.
"What's wrong with Mom? She's not the same anymore."
I swallowed hard.
"She's okay, baby," I said. "She's just going through something right now."
They nodded.
And went inside.
On my way home, I called her.
Just to see if she needed anything.
She didn't answer.
I figured she was still sitting on that couch.
Lost in her thoughts.
I walked into the house.
"Moonlight, I'm back," I called out. "I got something for you."
Silence.
I waited.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
She never came out.
I checked the bathroom.
Nothing.
I checked every room.
Nothing.
Panic started to rise in my chest.
"Where is she?" I whispered.
I ran to the back porch.
And what I saw...
stopped my heart.
She was hanging from the tree.
A note beneath her.
"Moonlight!" I screamed.
"No... no, don't do this to me!"
My hands were shaking as I called 911.
I ran to her.
Trying to get her down.
Crying.
Screaming.
"Why would you do this? Why would you leave me like this?"
My voice broke.
Over and over again.
I grabbed the note with trembling hands.
My Midnight Dream,
You are the dreams I wish to have in my other life. My calm in my nightmares and my light in my darkest nights.
I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you. I'm sorry I let Mama come between us. I'm sorry I didn't take the time to be your big sister.
I'm sorry I didn't see the flames before you burned.
Please forgive me for leaving you like this, but this is the only way I'll be free from the demons in my head.
Star and Galaxy, Mama loves you with every broken piece of me. Forgive me for not saying goodbye.
I'm free now.
Dream, take care of my babies for me. You needed them more than I do, and I know you'll be everything they need.
I love you.
Moonlight
I dropped to my knees.
Everything inside me felt empty.
Months passed.
The house was quiet again.
But this time...
it felt different.
Star and Galaxy filled the space she left behind.
Their laughter.
Their voices.
Their presence.
They needed me.
And somehow...
I needed them too.
I became everything I never had.
Protection.
Love.
Stability.
A home.
Some days were harder than others.
Some nights still felt heavy.
But I kept going.
Because I had to.
Because I chose to.
I didn't get the life I dreamed of.
But I built one I'm proud of.
And after everything...
I'm still standing.