Gemotions

"This isn't for you." The words were harsh, whispered. She wanted to crumple the letter and rip it to shreds, to deny the past any access to her present. Her hand hovered over the trash can. It was from Mrs. Chen, her old piano teacher, a woman she had deeply wounded when she had lied to her about the music lessons.

The letter was a fragile thing, written with an unsteady hand, confessing the way she let down the woman she once respected. It was also an invitation. Her mouth twisted in a grimace. She couldn't. She didn't want to.

She stalked into the living room, pouring herself a generous glass of wine. The liquid did nothing to calm her racing heart. She could only imagine the look on the woman's face, a look that she'd tried to forget for over two decades.