I could tell from Clara’s face that she hadn't tried to hurt me, but the words hit me so hard—“you left me”—that I took a step back. I could hardly breathe. All those years, I had regretted what I'd done, but never realized that she, too, had blamed me. Everything that had happened that horrible day was because I was a coward.
The longer I stood there, the stronger the memories started pouring back into my brain. I began to feel sick from it all. And then, the stabbing truth hit me: I didn’t deserve to be in her life. Her father was right to keep me away.
I shook my head as the wave of agony washed over me, and my pain turned to anger. Before I was able to lash out, I lunged up the stairs and out the door.
When I reached my truck, I looked back to see her looking devastated and confused
