TRISTAN

Shit.

That was the first word that slammed into my head when her message burned on my screen. I stared at it like it had betrayed me. Like it had lied.

How could I be stupid enough to think she was ready to forgive me? How could I believe she reached out for something good, for something I had been waiting to hear?

I had read meaning where there was none. Hope where there was only distance.

I went back home from my office like a man chasing a memory. I showered. Dressed slowly. ...