The clock on the wall ticked steadily, filling the dimly lit room with a rhythmic
sound. Olivia sat by the window, her fingers curled around a steaming cup of tea.
Outside, rain drizzled down in fine sheets, blurring the city lights into a hazy
glow. It was one of those evenings where time seemed to slow, where thoughts
wandered freely through the corridors of memory.
She traced a circle on the fogged-up glass, watching droplets race each other to
the bottom. The world outside felt distant, muffled by the storm, yet inside, her
thoughts were anything but silent. A letter lay unopened on the coffee table—a
single envelope with her name scrawled across it in familiar handwriting. She knew
who it was from. She had been expecting it.
For weeks, she had told herself she was ready. That the past no longer held power
over her. But now, with the letter in front of her, doubt crept in. What if it
reopened old wounds? What if it said what she had feared all along?
Taking a deep breath, she set her cup down and reached for the envelope. The paper
was slightly crumpled, as if the sender had hesitated before finally dropping it in
the mail. Her fingers trembled as she tore it open and unfolded the page inside.
The first line made her breath catch.
"I'm sorry."
Two simple words, yet they carried the weight of years, of misunderstandings, of
things left unsaid. Outside, the rain continued to fall, but inside, something
shifted. A door she thought had long been closed cracked open, letting in the
possibility of something new.
Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t too late.