Post-Mockingjay. Reviews are the best gift a reader can give.
If he had the choice, he wouldn't do it over again.
Leaving, anyway. Because there were far too many other things he would happily redo.
He never wanted to go. If he could've stayed and lived with himself, he would've without a second thought. But he couldn't. Because seeing him killed her. He saw it in her eyes that last time he talked to her, just before she was to kill President Snow.
He was the one that killed her sister, the one person she cared about most in the world.
No, it wasn't that. It wasn't his fear of hurting her further. He knew Katniss; she would come around. For most of the war, she wasn't emotionally stable; her thoughts were clouded, but eventually she would come around. This was Katniss. She was strong.
No, it was to punish himself. Such a careless, stupid mistake! He had put so much pressure on her shoulders, so much guilt on her conscience, and he just had to top it off by breaking the last thing he had going with her. Taking care of her family, who she cared about more than anything. She would have him killed in a heartbeat if it meant Prim could live. She would have anyone killed if it meant her baby sister could live.
And he couldn't live with himself having to see Katniss every day back in District 12. He wouldn't allow himself the privilege of seeing the girl he loved. Not after everything he had done to her. Not after how hard he made her life. Besides, if he stayed and saw her around all of the time, he knew he'd start trying again. Trying to make her love him. Trying to bring her back to him.
He wouldn't make her life worse. Because even though she was the best thing to ever happen to him, he regretted being one of the worst things to happen to her.