Emberwood Remember when you said you loved me?

She'd been preparing for this. Expecting it, even. But it hurt more than she thought to hear him actually say the words out loud.

I figured. That sounded cold. She could hear it even as she said it, but for a moment, she didn't have any more words. Then, it was like she couldn't stop. Everything just came out.

When I tried to talk to you about this before, you hurt yourself. And ever since then, the more I stay away, the better you are. I know I'm not good for you. It isn't all that fucking hard. But I couldn't let it go. I kept thinking that maybe, eventually, you'd want more. But you never did.

She tried to keep her voice even, but then she couldn't. Even when the tears came, Fennec didn't stop. How fucked up is it to want more from you when all it does is hurt you? But I keep doing it. I hate that I can't help, that there's nothing I can do to make things better except leave, because I don't want to leave. But I have to because it's the only fucking thing I can that works. I don't work.. I don't know why that changed. But no matter how I want you back, I know I can't force you to trust me. I can't force you to love me.

This wasn't a Hail Mary. She didn't want him to back up or to stick with her just because he knew that was what she wanted. She had wanted him to stand up for himself for once and tell her, straight, what he wanted. And he had.

You deserve more than this. So do I. She would have tried. But she couldn't if he didn't tell her what she was doing wrong. Even worse, if what she was doing wrong was herself.