“I did write some particularly angst-filled poetry in those years. But keeping my distance is not just to protect myself. It’s to protect you too. That night in the trenches, when I told you I would lay my body over yours, war after war after war, life after life after life. This is me doing that. You deserve to live the fullest eighteen years you can in every incarnation without the complication of loving me. You deserve a quick and painless death, not devastating poison in a frozen grave.” A ragged breath. “If that means swallowing my emotions, so be it.”
