The Bad Guy

Crying about it wouldn’t help. And I was done with tears. I was no one’s captive, no one’s fiancée, no one’s plaything. And I wouldn’t be any of those things unless it was my choice, alone. For the first time in my life, my future was mine, and I didn’t intend to squander it.

I replayed the months since I’d first seen Camille, analyzing each moment, trying to find at what exact moment I’d failed. The frozen air burned my lungs, and I couldn’t feel my face. But any pain my flesh endured was nothing compared to the torment that ripped and raged inside me.

Step by step, I gave up what I wanted more than anything else in my life. Once I was far enough away, the helicopter lifted off the ground, and I lost sight of her. They flew off into the night, the blinking lights dimming until they disappeared in the distance. Something deep inside me fractured, and the fear of never seeing her again brought me to my knees.

I watched the sky for a long while as the chill wind blew past. It didn’t bother me, all the warmth I’d ever had was long gone. She’d taken my heart, my soul, with her.