It was 5 AM and the only sound that filled the room was her soft breathing. I watched her sleep as her chest slowly rose up and down with every breath she took. The moonlight that fell through the curtains illuminated her face. She truly looked like an angel. An angel dreaming peacefully without a care in the world.

My hand reached for a small strand of hair on the side of her face. I carefully tucked it behind her ear, scared to wake her up with even the slightest movement. I moved my thumb across her cheek that was smeared with makeup and some leftover tears.

Today had been a tough day for her. When she came home, she simply heaved a big sigh, fell into my arms and broke down. She finally let go of all the tears she had been holding back these past couple of weeks. All the stress that had been piling up finally got the best of her. I just held her and ran my fingers through her hair to calm her down as she continued to cry into my chest.

Half an hour had passed when all I could hear were soft hiccups. I picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. I carefully placed her on the side of the bathtub and told her I would be back in a second. I walked away to grab some clothes for us to change into. When I re-entered the bathroom, she had a blank look on her face as she stared into nothingness. I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead as if to tell her everything was going to be alright. I helped her change into her pajamas.

Once we were done I picked her up again and walked towards the bedroom with her in my arms. I laid her down on the bed and laid next to her as I pulled the covers over us.

She tugged on my shirt as she pulled me closer to her body. She put her head on my chest. Her body was shivering slightly. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold or because of her breakdown just now. A sad smile made its way onto my face. I just ran my fingers through her hair again in hopes of her falling asleep faster.

I was sure she was asleep when her breathing had finally slowed down. I couldn’t sleep. I was simply too worried about her and wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be alone in case she woke up from another one of her nightmares.

I took a good look at her. Despite her tearstained cheeks, she still looked beautiful to me. I was incredibly lucky to have her in my life. We were always there for each other to pull one another through tough times like these. I wouldn’t have made it this far without her, that’s for sure. I was never sure how to show her my gratitude, so I decided to simply be there for her no matter what. I decided to love her ‘through the good and the bad’.

I smiled softly, thinking about everything we had built together and how proud I was of the both of us. I never wanted to let go of this woman.

I stifled a yawn as the very first ray of sunshine fell through the curtains. It signified the start of a new day. It signified another day where I would love her tirelessly and unconditionally.