It's Finally Time to Let Go

For a moment, there was only silence between us.

The door was still ajar, so Wren Sinclair's two teammates who had brought her home stood awkwardly behind her, trying to smooth things over.

One of them said, "Theo, Wren is really out of it because of the fever. She didn't mean to snap at you. Besides, not everyone can put up with you spraying them with alcohol like that every day. Just let it go."

"Yeah, she has already… cut things off with that man."

Just hearing about it made my stomach churn.

When I was 16, my stepbrother, Damon Parton, and a few girls dragged me into a dark alley. They stripped me, and camera flashes went off all around me.

Wren was 18 then. She showed up with a few people and drove them off by smashing them with bricks. Then she took off her school jacket and wrapped it around my trembling body. Her cries were even louder than mine as she told me not to be scared and that she would kill anyone who harmed me.

After that nightmare, I could barely stand being intimate with Wren after we got married. Whenever she touched me, my whole body would shake.

Back then, Wren would hug me, gently kissing my forehead. "Theo, don't be scared. It's okay. I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes."

I had always thought Wren was the light in my dark life.

Until six months ago, when her stomach problems flared up.

I went to the base late at night to bring Wren some medicine and saw her pinning the new male counselor down on the couch, kissing him as she buried her face against his neck and breathed hard with a kind of frenzy she had never shown me.

The man's undershirt was hanging from Wren's uniform, the one she wore with pride.

When she realized I had caught them, she knelt in front of me with tears in her eyes and swore she had only mistaken him for me because she was drunk.

For 12 years, I had always thought she was the one who pulled me out of hell. I never imagined that she would be the one who pushed me into another.

As I came back to my senses, Wren seemed to collect herself too. She stepped forward, wanting to hold my hand as regret flashed across her face.

"Theo, I'm sorry. I was just angry and didn't mean what I said. I really do have a fever. My head hurts so much…"

I stepped back, avoiding her hand. "Go get some rest."

Wren's hand froze in mid-air. Her brows furrowed, and she looked uneasy. She still wanted to come closer. "Theo, I can explain…"

"I'm tired." I cut her off, then walked into the guest bedroom, locking the door.

I heard her two teammates help Wren into the master bedroom and quietly tell her that since I hadn't made a scene, it meant that I had let it go.

Let it go?

I leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the floor.

No, it wasn't something I could just forget. I was just done holding on to a relationship that was already falling apart.