a comma, then a pause

I stop to catch my breath, before I run the next lap again. I pant, I anguish, I tire. But I hold on.

Because that's all I can do now.

Don't eat me, don't gnaw my insides anymore, please. I choke, I gulp, I sputter. But I hold on.

Because I try to convince myself that it will be worth it all.

Is this really the last straw? After the roller coaster ride, this is it? Why?

I question your expertise, because I cannot question your answer. It is not an answer worth accepting. A tiny strand of hope I held dear.

This is not the end. It is just dead.