The Thing That Wouldn't Leave Novels & Stories

I left the clinic, but I couldn’t get Barnaby’s whimper out of my head. What to do?

Tomorrow, I’d start over. I left everything that wasn’t

And as I stepped out of the room, closing the door gently behind me— I realized something I didn’t want to admit. There are things you can fix. And there are things that only keep disappearing, even when you’re standing right in front of them.

The dinner table fell into a dead silence. “Sweetheart, come with me.” Mom led me to the backyard and pushed open the storage room door. In the corner were more than a dozen neatly stacked cases of the exact same whisky. Some were damp and moldy, others were covered in cobwebs. These were all the New Year’s gifts I had my husband, Kevin Zane, buy over the past three years. “W-What is this?” My voice came out dry. My throat was tight.

It was a stupid idea. I knew it was. There were a hundred other things to be doing at this moment, rather than standing at the entrance to JAR, looking like a stupid person. Yet, I couldn’t move an inch. The key to my parents' store was heavy in my pocket as I took another step forward. I hadn't told anyone I was leaving. Hell, I didn't even know I was leaving. I was going to ignore it. Jordan had made it clear that we were back to normal, to living in two different circles that never mixed.

Eric would never leave me. Would he?

Who would've thought that the poor man was actually a trust fund baby! Carl's drunken rant made Chester's heart ache deeply. Now that he thought back on all the things he used to resent me for, he realized that I had no choice but to do what I did. In the end, he hung up without saying a word. "Impossible. She can't possibly leave me," he muttered brokenly. "She loved me so much for the past 10 years and has constantly been by my side. How could she suddenly leave? She definitely won't divorce me!"

But I didn’t let go. I would never let go.

Why does it feel as if my body is fighting me to leave… I have to leave and yet… I honestly don’t want to…

I stood by the window in our room, my arms folded as I stared out into the darkness. Everything was exactly where it should be. Under control. As it should be. And yet… Something didn’t sit right. A small frown formed on my face. “Maybe I went too far…” I murmured. But the thought didn’t last. Because no— There was no such thing as too far. Not when it came to keeping what was mine. I exhaled slowly, pushing the thought away. “She’ll leave,” I said quietly. “She has to.” Because after everything I said—