It was a picture to burn.

His arm was wrapped around her waist and they were cheek to cheek, grinning like fools at the blank eye of the camera. Her arms were flung around his neck, a laugh frozen on her lips as they stood, all dressed down for a summer evening together, in her driveway.

She carefully held it to the candle flame and watched the smooth paper blacken and burn. Watched the image slowly eaten away to ash that fell like dark snow over the candle.

The dusting of ash of what had been her life: lies, broken promises, missed chances. She finally understood now.

She finally knew how to say goodbye.

She couldn't take her eyes away from the blue light at the center of the flame where it ate at the paper, starving to take away the final bit of evidence of her self deceptions. Tears silently rolled down her soft cheeks from her aching eyes as she felt the final bridge inside burn.

From the ashes of her past would rise her future. Healthy and whole, ready to try again.

She just wasn't ready to accept that yet.