### Chapter 2: Fractured Connection

The darkness seemed to swallow me whole as Hange's face hovered in front of me, his eyes filled with concern. I could sense his exhaustion, the weight of his fatigue palpable even to my hypersensitive ears. But all I felt was a deep-seated hurt, a gnawing sense of abandonment that threatened to consume me. Hange's hands reached out, hesitantly, as if unsure of how to bridge the gap between us. He gently brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, and I flinched, my body recoiling from his touch. He froze, his hand suspended in mid-air, and I felt a pang of guilt for pushing him away. But I couldn't help it; his rejection had awakened a deep-seated fear, a fear that I was unlovable, that I was a burden to him. As I sat there, Hange's face began to blur, his features fading into the darkness. I felt myself slipping further into my own little world, a world where I was alone and adrift. The sounds around me grew louder, more cacophonous, and I felt like I was drowning in a sea of sensory input. Hange's voice cut through the din, his words a gentle whisper in my ear. "Baby, I'm sorry. Let me take care of you." He scooped me up in his arms, cradling me like a child, and I felt a wave of comfort wash over me. But it was fleeting, a temporary reprieve from the crushing loneliness that had taken up residence in my heart. As he held me, I couldn't shake the feeling that our connection was fractured, that we were two people drifting apart, unable to find our way back to each other. I thought back to the early days of our relationship, when Hange's touch had been like a lifeline, a source of comfort and strength. But now, it felt like a distant memory, a fleeting glimpse of a happiness that had long since slipped through our fingers. The fever that had been simmering beneath the surface finally broke, and I felt a wave of heat wash over me. Hange's arms tightened around me, and he lifted me up, carrying me to our bedroom. I was vaguely aware of him stripping me of my clothes, of him wrapping me in a cool blanket, and of him whispering soft words of comfort in my ear. As I drifted off into a fever-induced haze, I felt Hange's hand on my forehead, his touch a gentle reminder that he was still there, that he still cared. But even as I felt his presence, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was losing him, that our connection was unraveling, thread by thread. In the darkness, I felt a single tear roll down my cheek, a silent acknowledgment of the fragility of our relationship. I knew that if we didn't find a way to reconnect, to bridge the gap between us, I might lose him forever. And that thought was too much to bear.