“This is not what was supposed to-” he banged his head against the walls that kept closing in on him, nonetheless.

Helpless, he watched his ex deftly dodge the flying monkeys he’d sent her way in order to slow her down from standing all the way up in her life after she’d finally gotten away from him.

He couldn’t figure his way out of the contraption he now found himself in, instead of her, because he’d designed it so as to ensure she’d not be able to slink away ever again.

Strung up, he watched against his will as she bloomed the further away in time she got from him. The teeth of the restraining contraption didn’t even hurt him anymore.

He’d accepted his fate.

Was even a bit proud of himself. 

Even though it’d left him in this predicament, if nothing else, something of his finally worked. Against all odds, and technically against himself, yes. But… It was invigorating, the success. Even if no one else would know of it due to him desiccating in here due to his own mishap. 

No one would look for him. Least of all, here.

He’d sworn to all involved parties that he was over her and that she had always been beneath him and all he stood for as it was.

Like a moth to a literal flame he died a little to himself more and more each day, watching her live, learn from her mistakes, chose better than he would have ever allowed her to across all sectors of her life.

Eventually his hubris flaked all the way away along with the last of his decayed flesh ,and he and all the scars that he’d caused across this woman’s life were utterly gone from her in a puff of smoke.

---

“Ugh! What is that?” she retched.

“Ah~ he murmured “Looks like the remnants of a black widower, or something similar. Seems to have gotten caught in its own web and just died- a slow, pensive death- Good thing it was over her and nowhere near your bed-” he intimated. “Last thing you’d want is to wake to one of these bad boys in between the sheets with you. I knew a gardener who got bit by one and almost lost his finger. Saved it just in time,” he murmured.

“You think there might be an infestation?”she asked nervously. “That another one might show up?”

“That’s debatable – I don’t know enough to be fully knowledgable, but from what I do know they are not really communal arachnids. I’d call a bug guy, just to be make sure, though.”

“My hero~” she sang softly as he tossed the husk of the spider out of the window for the birds to find and knocked the ornate web it had gotten itself caught up in away from the corner.

©AngelBrynner 2025