Gemotions

A tremor ran through Daniel as he unfolded the letter. His jaw clenched. He hadn't thought about Michael – not in years, not really – yet here it was, the reminder, the searing ember of what had been. The apology, penned in cramped, apologetic script, felt like a slap.

He crumpled the paper in his fist, the edges digging into his palm. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he had to sit down heavily on the park bench, the cold metal biting into his thighs. The accusations, the lies, the way Michael had deliberately and publicly ruined his reputation…it all returned.

Daniel leaned his head back, his eyes squeezed shut, but the images still seared behind his eyelids. He wanted to rip the letter into tiny pieces and hurl them into the wind, but he hesitated, as though acknowledging the words would give them more weight.