Not Okay

Ben

Mila shrugged her shoulders. Her eyes slid from the window to the table, not making any eye contact with me.

“I get nightmares sometimes, flashbacks that freak me out. But I think that will change with time and patience.”

I reached for her hand across the table.

“I’m so sorry this happened,” I said. I felt terrible.

“Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do this,” Mila said, finally looking at me. Her big brown eyes were sadder than I’d ever seen them. I wished I could make all of this go away, give her the happiness she deserved. It didn’t help that I was leaving, on top of everything. I knew that it would affect her negatively, too. But it was for her safety. I had to keep telling myself that. I was doing the right thing.

“I still feel like it’s my fault,” I admitted. “It’s because of the company and everything my dad did.”

“So, you inherited some family issues. You wouldn’t be the first one,” she said with a chuckle. I smiled. Mila was always ready to look at the bright side and shrug th