4/13/2018

With shaky hands, I withdrew the page from the envelope. It had been almost a year and a half since the night I'd received it. Slowly, I unfolded it, my eyes absorbing the deliberate writing inside. Even after all this time, all the emotion and pain I'd felt the first time reading it came pouring back. It felt like I was sinking in a pit of quicksand, and my chest tightened as I fought back tears. I didn't even want to finish reading it. Almost ready to shove it back into the envelope, I froze as my eyes caught the tiny scrawled words towards the end.

I don't think you need to fear ever losing value in my sight. It's okay if I do in yours. I hope you'll forgive me.

I laid the paper down and leaned my head back, a sigh rattling from my throat to the heavens. I remembered the last conversation we'd ever had—the anger that burned within me as I told her, "Feel free to text me if you ever decide to grow a heart." How could I say that to someone I...

In that moment, I realised that the person I now despised was not the person who wrote me this letter. Time changes everyone, I knew. Perhaps it had hardened her...but it had softened me.

I owe her an apology.