Part 12: The Letter
Three months later, a letter arrived.
It was from David.
Julia recognized his handwriting immediately. She stood in the kitchen holding the envelope for a long time before opening it. Mia was at soccer practice, so she had the apartment to herself.
The letter was short.
Julia,
I know I don’t have the right to write to you. I’ve wanted to reach out for years but I was too ashamed. I’ve been in therapy for almost two years now. I’m trying to understand why I did what I did that night. I don’t expect you to forgive me. But I would like to see Mia, even just once. I want to apologize to her properly.
I’m not the same man I was. I hope you can believe that.
David
Julia read the letter twice. Then she folded it and put it back in the envelope.
She didn’t reply immediately.
Instead, she waited until Mia came home. That evening, after dinner, she showed her daughter the letter.
Mia read it slowly. When she finished, she was quiet for a long time.
Mia
“What do you think I should do?”
Julia
“I think you should do whatever feels right for you. Not for me. Not for him. For you.”
Mia stared at the letter.
Mia
“I don’t know if I want to see him. But… I think I want to hear what he has to say. Just once.”
Julia nodded.
Julia
“Okay. Then we’ll do it together. On your terms.”
Two weeks later, Julia arranged a meeting in a neutral place — a small café near their apartment. She and Ethan waited at a nearby table while Mia sat with David.
David looked older. Much older. His hair had grayed significantly, and he had lost weight. When he saw Mia, his eyes filled with tears.
He didn’t try to hug her. He simply sat across from her and spoke quietly.
David
“I’m sorry, Mia. I’m so sorry for what I did. For not protecting you. For choosing the wrong person. You didn’t deserve any of it.”
Mia listened without interrupting. When he finished, she was quiet for a while.
Mia
“Why did you do it?”
David looked down at his hands.
David
“I was weak. My mother controlled me for a long time. I was afraid of disappointing her. And I was selfish. I thought if I stood up for you, I would lose everything. In the end, I lost the only things that actually mattered.”
Mia studied him.
Mia
“I don’t hate you anymore. But I don’t trust you either. And I don’t know if I ever will.”
David nodded, accepting her words.
David
“That’s fair. I don’t expect anything from you. I just needed you to know that I’m sorry. And that I think about you every single day.”
When Mia returned to Julia and Ethan, she didn’t cry. She simply said:
Mia
“I’m glad I saw him. But I don’t want to see him again for a while.”
May you like
Julia pulled her daughter into a hug.
Julia
“That’s okay. You don’t owe him anything.”
