Chapter 16 - The LetterMonths after Melissa's arrest, a letter arrived.
From her.
It was addressed to Eleanor.
Mom held it for several minutes.
She didn't open it.
“Do you want me to throw it away?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Do you want to read it?”
“I don't know.”
She finally opened the envelope.
The letter was short.
Melissa apologized.
She admitted what she had done.
She didn't ask for forgiveness.
She didn't ask Mom to defend her.
She simply wrote:
I know I cannot undo what I did. I only hope one day you can remember that I was once someone you trusted, and understand how deeply ashamed I am of the person I became.
Mom folded the letter.
She put it away.
“Are you going to forgive her?”
She looked at me.
“I don't know.”
Then she smiled faintly.
“But forgiveness isn't the same as letting someone back into your life.”
May you like
I nodded.
That was enough.
