Chapter Text
Bruce wakes to Selina’s face pressed against his shoulder. He studies her in the light, admiring the features of her face. How could someone so beautiful want to be with him? Especially after his reveal to her last night. Despite her initial shock, she still chose to be with him. That’s something Bruce doesn’t take lightly.
He could convince her to come back to Gotham with him. Stay at the Wayne Mansion, even if it was still somewhat damaged. Alfred wouldn’t mind having someone other than Bruce to talk to.
But even if she did go back, there was no guarantee she’d stay. Being a beautiful cage didn't change the fact that his mansion would be a cage for her. She was a free spirit, fiercely independent. He admires that quality, but knows that it would only lead to heartbreak.
Selina likes it here, he can tell. Away from the city, with no reminders of Annika, her mother, and Falcone. No Iceberg Lounge, no Penguin, no poisonous flood water drowning the streets and choking Gotham.
He can’t drag her back into the trauma she’s desperately avoiding. And Bruce is merely a reminder of worse times.
It pains him to leave her after last night. He doesn’t want her to think he only wanted her for sex, but any longer and she will convince him to stay. And if she does that, he’ll never go back to Gotham. There's only one thing left for him to do: say his final goodbye, and try to move on for good.
Selina wakes to a lengthy note on her dresser, with no Bruce in sight. Her heart sinks, because she knows exactly what the letter says.
“Dear Selina,
You are everything that I want in this world, and I want you to know that. You have given me life in the short time that I’ve known you, but your happiness is most important to me. I cannot stand in the way of you, hold you back from the life that you have here. I am proud of how far you’ve come on your own. Just know that there will never be another like you in my life again. No one could replace the wonder and beauty that is Selina Kyle.
Yours,
Bruce Wayne.”