Burned

I do not know what drew me back to the beach house today. Perhaps I was just curious about how Norrin was doing. I had not heard from him since I left nor did I really expect to. I landed my ship at the small docking bay and took a shuttle down to the planet.

I walked slowly along the beach and watched the ocean waves roll in and out. As I approached the house where we used to live, my heart nearly stopped. I froze in my tracks. Where the house used to be was a pile of rubble, blackened. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming or imagining it.

A few workers were rummaging through the wood and moving it aside. I pulled the hood of my jacket up to obscure my face and moved closer to one of them, "What happened here?"

He looked up at me, a black mark across one of his cheeks, "The son. Went mad. Burned the place to the ground."

A lump formed in my throat, "Did he say anything?"

The man shrugged, "Not sure, miss. Just know his fiancee left him. Next thing we know, the place is up in flames and his parents institutionalised him."

"Institutionalised him?"

The man tried to peer under my hood, "Yes, miss. Mental institution."

I nodded firmly and turned my head away to look at the rubble again, "Thank you."

The man shrugged again and went back to work. I watched for a moment and then I walked away, head down.

As I walked I came to the realization that I was part of the cause of his mental breakdown. I didn't leave him to hurt him. I left him because he would be safer. I hoped he would move on and find someone more worthy of him. I suppose I was wrong.