Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Days blurred into weeks as Nora attempted to stitch together the fragments of her broken life. She had returned to work, throwing herself into the mundane routines of the office, trying to bury the regret that gnawed at her every night. Her mind echoed with the memories of Ethan—of what she had done, how she had destroyed his life. She had created a monster, and now, she had lost him.
She walked the line of normalcy, putting on a brave face for her colleagues, but the guilt never left her. It festered in her quiet moments, reminding her of the life she had taken from Ethan—the man she had changed for the worse, even if her intentions had been warped by her obsession. Every time she looked in the mirror, she saw the face of someone who had played God, and she hated it.
Meanwhile, Ethan’s world had turned upside down. After Nora’s revelation, the rage he had felt began to wane, replaced by a deep curiosity and an unsettling emptiness. She had told him she created him, that she gave him this life, and though he despised her for it, he couldn’t stop thinking about the past she’d referred to.
He couldn’t remember much before Nora, but now, he had to know. Who had he been? What had he been before she rewrote his story?
Determined, Ethan began to trace the fragments of his old life, returning to the house he once called home—a place he hadn’t visited since his transformation. The air inside was stale, heavy with dust and decay. He walked through the silent rooms, each step bringing flashes of a life that seemed foreign yet familiar. Empty whiskey bottles littered the floor, the smell of alcohol still faint in the air. The kitchen counters were scattered with pills—antidepressants, sleeping aids, anything to dull the pain.
As he ventured further, he found photographs tucked into drawers—images of himself, disheveled, eyes glazed over. His memory began to crack open, revealing pieces of who he used to be. A man living in shadows, corrupt, careless, drowning in his own vices. He was nothing more than a broken man, clinging to an affair with Ava, using her as an escape from the darkness consuming him. The nights blurred together with alcohol, and in the mornings, he was haunted by suicidal thoughts that had crept in like vultures waiting to feast.
But then- Nora.
The memory of her was sharp, clearer than anything else. She had saved him, pulled him from the brink of death, given him the strength he now possessed. Without her, he would’ve been gone—just another lost soul, erased from the world. But she’d given him purpose. She’d made him better, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
Ethan’s chest tightened as the realization hit him. Nora wasn’t the monster; she had saved him from the real monster—himself.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her, the regret building inside him like a storm. She had ruined his life, yes, but she had also saved it. He had to see her again, to confront these feelings that were tearing him apart.
Driven by this need, Ethan made his way to Nora’s place, his footsteps growing faster as his emotions swirled in confusion and desperation. When he arrived at her doorstep, the familiar scent of her hit him, stirring something deep within. He approached the door, hand raised to knock, but then he froze.
Through the window, he saw her.
Nora.
She was sitting on the couch, laughing at something, a bright smile lighting up her face in a way he hadn’t seen in so long. But it wasn’t just her. Across from her sat a man—a colleague by the looks of him, casually dressed, leaning in close as they exchanged jokes and easy conversation.
Ethan’s breath hitched in his throat. Jealousy ripped through him like a blade.
Who the hell was this man? And why did he feel like he didn’t belong there, watching from the shadows?
He clenched his fists, the primal need to lash out surging through him. But instead of barging in, instead of confronting her like the monster he had become, Ethan turned away. His heart pounded as he stalked back into the night, his mind racing with jealousy, anger, and confusion.
She had moved on. After everything, she had moved on.
But even as he walked away, the bitter taste of jealousy remained, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that, no matter how far he tried to run from it, Nora would always be a part of him. The question that haunted him now was simple:
Had he made the right choice in letting her go?
As the rain began to fall, Ethan’s mind swirled with doubt, and for the first time in a long while, he wasn’t sure of anything.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
