“…so many ticks steadily around the clock. My heart beats ferociously, as if to say it will not digest this leaving. But you are gone. I could never look into your tormenting eyes again. You mock me with each word you choose…. of the millions of words in the English tongue you could have chosen…you select the one’s that break me down.”

“From her dubious tone alone, I could see how Karin had no idea how terrifying words spoken quietly could be. How words chosen precisely to wreak maximum damage ticked like a bomb in your head, but exploded in your heart hours later, leaving you scarred and changed.”

“I love you.” My heart almost stopped beating in my chest.She hadn’t spoken those words since the last time I held her in my arms.“And you did leave me. But... but you came back. No one’s ever come back. They leave me and that’s it. They want to leave me. You didn’t. And you came back.” I wanted to stand up and reach across the table and jerk her into my arms but I wasn’t sure I could stand up just yet. I needed to hear everything she had to say.“Yes, I came back. My heart never left you.”“I miss you.”This time I stood up and walked around the table.“I miss you. Every second of every day,” I whispered. Her eyes followed me until I was inches from her.“I trust you.”I needed more than that.“You trust me,” I repeated.She nodded and her hand came up and caressed the side of my arm.“I want to try again.”Those were the words I needed to hear.”

“Words were useless. At times, they might sound wonderful, but they let you down the moment you really needed them. You could never find the right words, never, and where would you look for them? The heart is as silent as a fish, however much the tongue tries to give it a voice.”

“I grip him. "Don’t leave me."He kisses my lips, "Never again. This isn’t me leaving you. This is me choosing you." He throws my words back at me.He kisses me once more and then pushes off. He leaves and doesn’t look back. I fight the urge to run after him.”

“But how could you believe me? After all the thousands of times I told you I loved you, how could you let one word break your faith in me?”