Love You Till The End (Robert Zussman x Reader)

5 - Y/N L/N

January of 1943

It was now a new year and I had no idea what to expect from it. Would the war come to an end this year? We all hoped, but it didn't look like it. I hadn't really caught up with what was going on in the war ever since Wayne and I had gotten engaged. Mainly because where our relationship would go was a big worry for us. With both of his brothers already at war, it was only a matter of time before the draft reached him.

With the fear of being drafted hanging over him, he asked that we not get married yet. He told me that if he were to die, he wanted me to move on. The look of fear in Wayne's eyes saddened me when we had talked about our marriage. I'm engaged to a man whose life has the possibility of ending sometime in the future. The war manages to hurt you even if you aren't on the battlefield.

My parents weren't too happy about Wayne and I's decision. I didn't really know how to feel. On one hand, I wanted to have a nice wedding, but on the other hand, I understood why Wayne wanted to wait to get married.

I was currently packing all of my belongings because Wayne had asked me to move in with him. He and his father had just finished building a back house behind their family home and his father decided to give it to us as an engagement gift. I was feeling pretty excited to live with Wayne. He and I never really had much privacy, so this was going to be something new for us.

I felt sad as I looked around my empty room though. I was going to miss this room, but I knew that it would only be a memory eventually as I adjust to leaving what had been my home for years.

*3 months later*

I was walking home from the market with a couple of groceries that Wayne and I were in need of. I preferred to walk since I loved to look at the scenery. The warmth of spring was arriving and I loved the way the sun felt on my skin.

It was going pretty well so far living with Wayne. At first, I was a bit homesick, but Wayne was such a big help when it came to helping me adjust. I felt so thankful to have him in my life the more we were together. I couldn't ask for anyone better than him.

When I arrived at our home, I was shocked at the sight in front of me. Wayne was sitting at the kitchen table crying. I quickly set the groceries down and went over to him, gently putting my hand on his shoulder and leaning down next to him.

"What's wrong, Wayne?"

"Everything is fucking wrong, Y/N!" Wayne yelled and pushed my hand off of his shoulder. He got up from the chair he was sitting on and threw it across the room. I jumped when the chair hit the floor. I had never seen him act like this before. I was too afraid to speak or look into his tear-streaked face for too long. I could feel his stare on me until he stormed out of the house and slammed the door. Once he was gone, I picked up the chair that he had thrown and put it back by the kitchen table.

After I finished putting away the groceries, I took a seat at the kitchen table and that's when I noticed something. There, on the table, were two telegrams. I hesitated grabbing them for a moment, but then began to read them.

"The Secretary of War directs me to express his deep regret that your son Private First Class Walter Simmons was killed in action..."

"The Secretary of War directs me to express his deep regret that your son Lieutenant George Simmons was killed in action..."

Wayne, once the youngest out of three, was now the last son alive.