[ WP ] You are god , and you trapped someone in a time-loop to teach him a valuable lesson . But somehow the person escapes the time-loop on the first try .


 I laugh heartily as I lie back in my throne and look to my scepter. It was a cruel punishment but so were his actions. I never enjoyed punishing people but it was necessary in order to show some people the error of their ways, their true potential, things that they had been blind to in the past. I had put Jake back into the morning that he left. He had left without a single goodbye and remarried within the month. Poor Lyssa never recovered, the doctors said that it was just too much of a shock for her and that she died of a broken heart. I take a deep breath still feeling an ounce of guilt knowing that he could be stuck for up to three years; he didn ’ t look particularly bright so it could take even longer but he deserved it. 
 
 I gaze into my scepter and watch him wake up in the old rickety bed that he shared with his adoring wife. He looks at her surprised and looks around the bedroom with a strange look on his face. He gets up from the bed slowly not to wake her just as he did the morning that he left. He gets dressed in the outfit that he had planned out all those years ago, he bites his lip at the empty wardrobe knowing his luggage was already in the car ready to escape. He clears his throat nervously and I smile at his discomfort. Then he does something unexpected, he kisses her on the cheek to wake her up. 
 
 I sit up in my chair and listen carefully as he says, “ Honey, we need to talk. ” 
 
 His wife sits up in her bed very confused and he begins to confess. She cries and at one point he even embraces her but he never takes it back. 
 
 He looks into her innocent and wet blue eyes and says, “ You deserve to hear it from me. You are a great girl but we both deserve better. You need someone who can appreciate your spirit, your beauty, and your kindness. I ’ m sorry but that ’ s just not me. ” 
 
 She wails in pain and screams, “ but it ’ s Christmas! Why would you do this today? ” 
 
 Jake takes a deep breath, “ Because if we didn ’ t do this today, we wouldn ’ t have talked at all. Look Lyssa, I know this is the worst day of your life. But wouldn ’ t you rather have more days to be genuinely happy than keep wasting away in our sham of a marriage? ” 
 
 Lyssa searches his brown eyes for any bit of hope and then whispers, “ But I love you. ” 
 
 Jake nods, “ I know and I did love you once. Just not anymore, and I am so sorry that this didn ’ t work out but you deserve a real explanation. ” 
 
 Lyssa wipes her eyes and looks at Jake with a steel gaze and in a cold voice mutters, “ I hate you Jake. ” 
 
 Jake nods and gets up from the bed, he tells her that he ’ ll be waiting by his phone for whenever she wants to talk about it and heads to the living room. As he closes the bedroom door, my illusion fades away and he is back in front of me. He looks at me with wet eyes full of guilt with a loss of words. 
 
 “ How did you break my time loop? ” I ask angrily in disbelief. 
 
 He gives a half smile, “ I guess I ’ m not a complete shit for brains, huh? ” 
 
 I shake my head, “ You knew what to do? You didn ’ t even hesitate! Why didn ’ t you do it the first time? ” 
 
 He looks at the ground, “ You mean telling Lys that I wanted a divorce rather than just running? Wasn ’ t that the obvious right thing to do? ” 
 
 I run my fingers through my hair in frustration, “ Duh! But you didn ’ t do it the first time! ” 
 
 He nods, “ I was a coward. She always deserved better and we both knew that. Out of all the girls I ’ ve dated, dumped, and married, she was always the kindest and the most angelic. We both knew that. ” 
 
 “ You remember what happened to her, don ’ t you? ” I ask skeptically at his sudden epiphany; he never showed any remorse before and I wasn ’ t born yesterday, he needed to prove his guilt. 
 
 Jake looks at me sadly, “ She dies from the trauma. I figure that if I ’ m honest, she ’ ll be a little less shocked. That was such a sad day when I got the phone call… ” 
 
 “ You were so sad that you didn ’ t even make the funeral. ” I say bringing a picture of Lyssa to my scepter. 
 
 He nods, “ I have many regrets. Not saying goodbye is very high on my list but that would ’ ve eased my guilt, she was already free. Her family deserved to spend that time with her. I will have to deal with my guilt alone. ” 
 
 I look into his eyes, “ What would you do if Lyssa could come back here? What would you say? ” 
 
 He thinks for a minute and shrugs, “ What could I say? If I had one more minute with her, I ’ d give her a hug and call her beautiful. I ’ d say that I ’ m so sorry for being a coward and that dealing with this guilt has made me a better man. I ’ m not as arrogant as I used to be. I want to make a girl my queen the same way that Lyssa made me her king. Now that I have a kid, I just want to teach him that real love only comes once in a great while and to hold on tight once you have it. ” 
 
 I nod as I bring up the face of Jake ’ s son, Liam to my scepter. He was only three years old with soft brown hair and a smile that could melt the cruelest of hearts. Jake can ’ t help but smile at his son, they shared the same grin. 
 
 I grab my scepter and command him, “ You will remember your cruelty. You will be patient. You will be kind. You will make this boy a better role model than his father. ” 
 
 He nods obediently and I beam him back to his regular life. I sit back down at my throne and smile slightly. I had been a god for so long but the pain in my heart had never subsided from the breakup. When I had died and was given the offer of becoming a god, I had laughed wondering what I could possibly offer. If Jake had found the courage to confront, then possibly I could find the courage to move on. 

