I then jump.

His words, laced with hurt and betrayal, fall down the side of the building with me. They flow and wrap themselves around every limb I own until fully scorched to my bones.

“He knows. He knows. They all know.” I squeeze my eyes closed against the burn of tears and I let myself imagine this free fall ending in a sweet death. A silent darkness.

But the gear I’m attached to prevents my crash, and as my feet hit the pavement, I immediately unstrap myself and take off running.

I jump into the nearest taxi and give them an address a few blocks away from my safe house.

I exhale and close my eyes. This is just part of the job. They will never understand why I do what I do. They’ll only ever see me as a monster.

It never bothered me before. Until now. Until this city. Until him.

The city lights shine in the background as we near the location.

“Here is fine, thank you.” I quietly order.

I slap a wad of cash in the taxi drivers hand and walk out, tucking my hands in my sweatshirt pockets as I head towards my home.

The sigh is inward as I mentally prepare myself for another move. Another assignment. Another life.

I didn’t choose this life. I was born into it. Now I know no other way of living. Or, as I’ve started to call it, slowly dying.