She grabbed his designer coat from the rack—the one he wore when he went to see her —and threw it onto the porch. She followed it out into the downpour.
She dropped the match onto the gasoline-soaked pile of his belongings she’d dragged out earlier. Whoosh. Adele - Set Fire to the Rain
Elena walked to the fireplace. She picked up the heavy brass poker and stirred the coals. She didn't feel sadness anymore. The tears had dried hours ago, replaced by a searing, white-hot clarity. He had used her heart as a hearth to keep himself warm, never caring if he burned it to ash. She grabbed his designer coat from the rack—the
The rain was freezing, stinging her skin, but she didn't retreat. She stood in the center of the gravel driveway, the sky screaming above her. She struck a match, sheltering the tiny flame with her palm. It flickered, defiant against the gale. "You said we were forever," she whispered into the wind. Whoosh
Inside, she heard the muffled sound of Marcus calling her name, his voice thick with confusion. Elena didn't turn back. She watched the fire until it was nothing but black sludge in the mud. She let the rain wash the soot from her hands, stepped into her car, and drove toward the horizon, leaving the burning remains of his lies in her rearview mirror.
She was finally cold, but for the first time in years, she wasn't shivering.