The letter, penned in Marlin's delicate handwriting, seemed to whisper secrets to Dan as he unfolded the pages. His eyes, red-rimmed from tears, scanned the words, each sentence a bittersweet reminder of the love they shared.
"Dear Dan," the letter began, the words dancing across the page like a gentle breeze on a summer's day. "I know I left you too early. I should have told you last night that I was feeling unwell. But it seems I'm going to die." Dan's heart twisted, the pain of losing Marlin threatening to consume him.
The words blurred together as Dan's eyes welled up with tears. "If you're reading this letter, it means I'm already dead." The finality of those words struck Dan like a physical blow, leaving him breathless and reeling.
Marlin's words, however, were not ones of sorrow or regret. Instead, they overflowed with gratitude and love. "I just want to thank you for everything," she wrote. "You made me feel like I was in paradise. I love you more than myself." Dan's heart swelled, his love for Marlin echoing back to him from the pages.
The letter continued, each sentence a testament to the depth of Marlin's feelings. "If I had 1000 lives, I would sacrifice all of them for you. I love you more than anything." Dan's tears fell, mingling with the ink on the page as he read the words that spoke directly to his soul.
As he neared the end of the letter, Dan's breath caught in his throat. "Thanks for everything, Dan," Marlin wrote. "If reincarnation is real, then wherever you go, that's where I'll follow." The promise, made in the face of death, was a testament to the transcendent power of their love.
The final sentence, penned in Marlin's delicate script, seemed to whisper a secret in Dan's ear. "Nobody promises tomorrow. All I can say is that I always wanted to die peacefully, and you made me die with a smile." The words, imbued with a sense of acceptance and peace, seemed to wrap themselves around Dan's heart, holding him close in the midst of his grief.
As Dan finished reading the letter, the world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only the words, the love, and the memories of the time they shared. The letter, a testament to the enduring power of their love, remained clutched in Dan's hand, a reminder of the paradise they had created together, and the love that would forever bind them.