_She’ll find someone else._

I check my luggage in and head towards the terminal, my face stony and my stride fast-paced. I know I’m doing the best thing for myself and her. So why do I feel so gross? Why do I feel like the villain?

I know I should have told her I was leaving for good. I didn’t want to get into any of it. There’s better support in Cali; I have nothing going for me here. I was already growing tired of this place, and just when I was thinking about giving up, she danced into my life.

I knew she was going to be somebody special just by her beauty alone. She was like a flower; beautiful, but fragile. I didn’t want to be the reason she fell into sadness. More than that, I didn’t want to have to look her in the face when I broke the news.

Selfish? Yes. But the sooner I get out of her way, the better. She’s doing so well for herself. She doesn’t need someone like me weighing her down.

I reach the terminal and sit down. I pull out my phone and look at the picture of my daughter on the screen.

I haven’t seen her in so long.

“I’m coming, T.” The lump in my throat forces the words out as a whisper. A memory flashes in my mind of her; the woman who captured my heart. She has a look of admiration in her large almond eyes as she’s listening to me. I think about how she’ll feel about me in a few days, then a few weeks, after she notices my phone is disconnected. After she notices I’m not coming back.

I knew I wasn’t good enough for her.

She’ll find someone else.