Shayla had been trying to keep herself together for days, but deep inside, she was falling apart.

She barely slept anymore. Every night, she would lie awake thinking about everything that had happened between her and Iman. The more she tried to push those memories away, the more they returned.

Shayla knew she needed someone to talk to. She knew she needed help.

That was why she finally decided to call Anthony.

When Anthony answered the phone, Shayla immediately noticed that his voice sounded impatient.

“Anthony, I really need to talk to you,” Shayla said softly.

“What happened?” Anthony asked.

“I’m not okay,” Shayla admitted. “I’ve been trying to handle everything myself, but I can’t anymore. I really need your help.”

There was a long silence.

Anthony was already dealing with his own problems, and instead of listening carefully to Shayla, he became frustrated.

“Shayla, I can’t keep getting involved in all of this,” Anthony replied.

Shayla’s heart sank.

“But Anthony…”

“I’m sorry, Shayla. You need to figure this out yourself.”

The call ended.

Shayla stared at her phone in disbelief.

She had finally found the courage to ask for help. And Anthony had refused.

After the call ended, Shayla slowly placed her phone on the table. She didn’t cry immediately.

Instead, she just sat there silently.

Her mind replayed Anthony’s words again and again.

“You need to figure this out yourself.”

Those words hurt more than she expected.

Shayla already felt alone. She had been struggling emotionally for a long time, and her thoughts about Iman had made everything worse.

She kept asking herself the same questions.

Why did everything have to become so complicated? Why couldn’t she just move forward? Why did she still feel trapped by everything that had happened?

Shayla eventually covered her face with both hands.

“I don’t know how much more I can take,” she whispered.

She knew she needed support. But now, after Anthony refused to help her, she felt as if she had nobody left.

Later that evening, Shayla tried to distract herself.

She turned on the television. She couldn’t concentrate.

She picked up a book. She couldn’t read.

She tried lying down. Her thoughts became even louder.

Every time she closed her eyes, she thought about Iman.

The memories kept returning.

Shayla knew that constantly thinking about Iman was destroying her emotionally, but she couldn’t seem to control it.

She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Her hands were shaking.

“I need to stop thinking about this,” she told herself.

But her mind refused to listen.

The emotional pressure continued building.

Shayla suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

At first, she assumed it was anxiety. She took a deep breath.

But the pain didn’t completely disappear. Instead, it became stronger.

Shayla grabbed the edge of the counter to steady herself. Something felt terribly wrong.

Shayla tried to walk toward the couch. She only made it a few steps.

Suddenly, she felt severe pain in her chest. Her breathing became difficult.

“Somebody help me…” she whispered.

She reached for her phone, but her hand slipped. The phone fell onto the floor.

Shayla collapsed beside it.

Her breathing became weak as she struggled to stay conscious.

A short time later, help arrived. Shayla was rushed to the hospital.

Doctors immediately began treating her while nurses moved quickly around the room.

The situation was serious.

Shayla had suffered a heart attack.

Anthony had no idea what was happening.

He continued going about his evening, believing Shayla would eventually figure everything out.

Then his phone rang.

When Anthony answered, the person on the other end gave him devastating news.

“Anthony, Shayla is in the hospital.”

Anthony immediately froze.

“What happened?”

“She had a heart attack.”

Anthony couldn’t speak for several seconds.

“A heart attack?”

“Yes. She’s being treated right now.”

Anthony’s face changed completely.

Suddenly, his earlier conversation with Shayla came rushing back into his mind.

He remembered her voice. He remembered her asking for help. And he remembered refusing her.

Anthony grabbed his keys.

“I’m coming to the hospital.”

The drive to the hospital felt much longer than usual.

Anthony kept replaying the conversation in his head.

He remembered Shayla saying, “I’m not okay.”

He remembered how desperate she sounded.

And instead of listening, he had told her to deal with everything herself.

Anthony tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“I should have listened,” he whispered.

He knew he couldn’t change what had happened. But he desperately wished he could go back.

By the time Anthony reached the hospital, he was overwhelmed with guilt.

He rushed inside and asked the receptionist about Shayla.

“I’m here to see Shayla.”

The receptionist checked the information.

“She’s in a room upstairs.”

Anthony immediately headed toward the elevator.

When Anthony entered Shayla’s room, his heart broke.

Shayla was lying motionless on the hospital bed.

There were monitors beside her, and the room was quiet except for the sounds of the machines.

Anthony slowly walked toward her.

For a moment, he couldn’t say anything.

This wasn’t the Shayla he knew.

She looked exhausted. She looked fragile.

And suddenly, Anthony realized how serious everything had become.

He pulled a chair beside her bed.

“Shayla…”

Her eyes slowly opened.

When she saw Anthony, she looked surprised.

“Anthony?”

“I’m here,” he whispered.

Shayla looked away.

Anthony reached for her hand.

The moment he held it, his emotions became impossible to control.

Tears began rolling down his face.

Anthony held Shayla’s hand tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Shayla looked at him.

Anthony tried to continue, but his voice broke.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t help you.”

Shayla remained silent.

Anthony wiped his tears.

“You called me because you needed someone. You told me you weren’t okay, and I still turned you away.”

“I should have listened to you.”

Shayla looked at Anthony and finally began crying too.

“I just didn’t know what else to do,” she whispered.

Anthony nodded.

“I know.”

“I felt like nobody understood what I was going through.”

Anthony squeezed her hand.

“You shouldn’t have had to go through it alone.”

Shayla slowly explained everything.

She told Anthony how difficult it had become to stop thinking about Iman.

“I tried to move on,” Shayla said. “But every time I thought I was getting be