Fire to my ice. Ice to my fever.

Nobody home but She for Whom I Am the World. Can't go on like this, can't keep doing it.- Jericho Barrons

It‘s funny how, when things seem the darkest, moments of beauty present themselves in the most unexpected places.

But he didn't need to seek visual confirmation of what he'd just heard to know she had. And the truth was, he couldn't blame her. He'd not have let her die, either. He'd have moved mountains. He'd have battled God or Devil for his wife's life. She'd betrayed him. He smiled faintly.

People treat you as badly as you let them treat you. Key word there: let.

He didn't just kiss, he claimed ownership. Took her mouth with urgency, as if his life depended on his kissing her.

If you're trying to force the story to be a straight up romance, it's going to be weird for you.