Prompt

Write about something that was left behind on purpose, something that was left behind on accident, or both.

I drove off, letting my mind wander. It was bitterly cold and grey, and it fit my mood. I took a moment to contemplate the events that came to pass. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw him standing there on the pier, watching me leave with a desolate look on his face. A pang of sadness went through me, settling in my chest like stone. The air around me suddenly felt thick, and it caught in my throat. He disappeared on the horizon, but I still felt him watching. I kept driving, focusing on the road. The distance between us didn’t dull the guilt I felt. Though I returned the ring he gave me, I still felt the weight of it on my finger, holding me down like he once did. Constricting me like he once did.
And I drove on.
I could have stayed. I could have loved him.
I do love him.
He could have let me go.
He could have left me unbruised.
He could have loved me better.
I wasn’t his property, not anymore. But I unknowingly left a piece of myself behind.
Though he was the one who broke me, left me battered and bloody, a shard of my heart remained in his hands.

-Denise