The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

by Breanne Randall

“I trusted you,” she said in a quiet voice. “And you ruined me.” She’d been waiting to say that for ten years. But now that the words were out, they didn’t make her feel better, like she’d hoped they would. “Do you know how hard it is for me to trust people? Do you know how much you screwed me up?” she demanded. As soon as the words were out, she winced. He wasn’t the only one to blame. She’d held on too long. And as always, she said too much around him, revealed too much. He was the one person she’d allowed herself to lean on, to tell her truth to, show her mess to. And then he’d left. She’d sacrificed her self-control for him, and when he’d gone, she vowed that no one would hold that power over her again.

Control. She had to fight for control. Everything in her life belonged in neat little rows and columns. There were no surprises—only managed expectations.

“People should like you for you. Not what you do for them. You’re always afraid people are going to leave, so you do anything you can to make them stay.”

“Fiddlesticks,” was all Gigi said. “I’m almost done.”