Thank you so much for all of your positive feedback on "From Afar"! The style was definitely an experiment for me, so I'm glad it was well received. This is the other idea that has been bouncing around it my head in this style, so I figured in celebration of tonight's midseason premiere, I'd go ahead and post it. It is inspired by Little Big Town's song "Better Man". As always, I welcome your feedback and thoughts.
I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.
A Better Man
She used to wish that he was a better man. In the lonely, dark hours when she laid awake and thoughts tumbled through her head stealing her sleep, she found herself feeling wistful. The fractured pieces of her shattered relationship had her wondering what could have been. The man she loved. The man she promised to spend the rest of her life with. The man who broke her heart. The man who absconded with her trust. She liked to think that he could change. That he would change. But she knew better. So, she imagined a different version of the man she married.
One she could build a life with.
One she could safely give her heart to.
One who was strong enough to beat the demons that held him down.
One who was the husband he vowed to be.
One she could grow old with.
One who wanted to stay.
One who didn't leave.
But that version didn't exist. That version was a pipe dream. Swallowed whole by a tide of addiction and destruction. But still, she found herself wishing he had been, and could be, a better man. Maybe someday, her treacherous mind supplied. And she allowed the betrayal to seep in. To take root. To steal her happiness. To fill her emptiness with despair. But there were good times.
Times he made her smile.
Times he held her close.
Times he whispered forever in her ear.
Times he promised he would be better.
Times he stole her breath.
Times he gave her life.
But those times were long past. Buried forever. No matter how many times he came back, he always left again. And she was always left with the same emptiness. The same guilt. The same regret. And the same wish that he were a better man.
Time heals wounds. Makes us wiser. Fills our hearts with strength. Chases away the bitter aftertaste of betrayal. Allows us to finally move on. And now she has a better man. A man who loves her enough to fight his demons every day. A man who promises forever and means it. A man whose weaknesses make them stronger. A man who believes in her. Wants her. Loves her. A man who is by her side and never plans to leave.
She finally has the better man.
THE END