I don’t doubt it hurt him when I broke things off. He said he loved me, after all, as crazy as that sounds. But it was a necessary evil. His love will go away. He’ll find someone who can love him for a lifetime, and in the end, the hurt he felt when I left will be a ripple of turmoil in the ocean of his life. Nothing like what he could’ve felt if we’d stayed together and he’d watched me slowly deteriorate.

Things will not be as simple for me, though. I know I’ll never get over him. Simple as that. He’s been the only person I’ve ever let myself develop feelings for—let’s be honest, let myself love—and he’ll be the last. I’ve tried sex. It was wonderful, and I’m never doing it again. Not after the way being with Aaron and having to let him go has broken me.

Aaron once asked me if I resented my life, and my answer was a lie. Or maybe it wasn’t one at the time, but things have changed. How could I not resent something that dangled the epitome of happiness in my face, only to force me to give it back?

I can’t.

As sad as it sounds, my life has been a series of hurdles, and the track never seems to end, new obstacles only getting added one after the other. Aaron was a quick reprieve, but I’m back to it. And maybe before, I thought those hurdles were fine, but now that I’ve experienced being able to run without them, I can’t not be angry at life.

My inbox dings again, but I don’t even bother looking up. This will have to wait until tomorrow. I don’t even know how I’ll find the energy to get home.

Pushing myself slowly off the desk, I lean down to grab my purse. Being home might make me nostalgic for the times I wasn’t the only human inhabiting the place, but at least the girls will be there to cheer me up. The fact that I still have my Maybelle here is one of the few blessings I have to be thankful for. I don’t know how I would’ve coped with losing her too. I probably wouldn’t have been able to.

In my purse, something vibrates. I grab my phone, and the moment I see the text written on the screen, I feel like laughing and crying at the same time.

And I do.

Finn: Hey! Just wanted to let you know you’re now looking at the official new manager of Evermore! Never would’ve been able to do it without you :)

Goodness, finally, a good thing happening.