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She walked out that day and did not look back.

She didn't see the man on the bed, unable to move, staring after her.

Damien kept his eyes locked on her back until she was gone, like he needed to commit it to memory.

The accident had drained him. Organ damage. He would never walk again. He would live on machines. He would never leave that room.

The rest of his life was just waiting.

He watched the woman he had loved walk toward another man — bright, young, unhurt. He ached with it and was glad for her in the same breath.

She was going to have her family back. She was going to have the man who loved her. With a heart as easy to love as hers, she was going to keep being happy.

As for him —

It didn't matter anymore.