Chapter 12 - THE LETTER DANIEL SENT FROM ROCK BOTTOM
Daniel's legal troubles continued.
The disputed financial documents led to formal consequences.
His business relationships collapsed.
Several clients withdrew.
His firm closed.
I learned most of this through attorneys.
I didn't follow his life online.
I didn't celebrate his failures.
One afternoon, a letter arrived.
Handwritten.
From Daniel.
I almost threw it away.
Then I opened it.
Emily,
I don't expect you to answer.
I lied to you. I used you. I made you feel small because I was afraid of how much I needed what you had.
I told myself I loved you, but I treated you like a solution to my problems.
You deserved better.
I read the letter twice.
He apologized for the affair.
The financial scheme.
The humiliation.
The years of manipulation.
He didn't ask to come back.
Didn't ask for money.
Didn't ask me to save him.
For the first time, his apology sounded like an apology.
I folded the letter.
Placed it in a drawer.
And went back to work.
That evening, Claire asked whether I felt better.
I thought.
“Yes.”
She smiled.
“Because he apologized?”
I shook my head.
“Because I don't need him to.”
Claire laughed.
“That's growth.”
I smiled.
“Apparently.”
Then she asked:
“Are you ever going to date again?”
I looked toward the harbor.
“Maybe.”
She grinned.
“Good.”
I laughed.
“But not because I'm lonely.”
Claire nodded.
“Because?”
May you like
I smiled.
“Because I might meet someone worth knowing.”
