“As you think, so you become… Our busy minds are forever jumping to conclusions, manufacturing and interpreting signs that aren’t there.” — Epictetus. Dayra’s life took a sharp turn when she caught her fiance cheating on her. She wanted nothing to do with him, ignoring the letters he sent her throughout the years. She was convinced there was nothing he could say to explain himself!

However, she finally decided to open the letters and find him again. But her hasty judgment almost cost her a chance to reunite. This story was inspired by a reader of AmoMama, where the incident was originally published. Dayra’s husband Marky passed away soon after their 42nd anniversary. After months of crushing, grief came the unrelenting loneliness. Seventy-year-old Dayra had two children but they have grown up and moved to other countries. Even so, Marky was her best friend and his passing left a void in Dayra.

At first, Dayra couldn’t look through old photos or storage items. But soon, that became her main source of comfort. She and Marky were nostalgic, which meant they didn’t throw any mementos away. Dayra had years of memories stored in shelves, boxes, and albums. That is how she found a stack of unopened letters. She recognized the name of the sender immediately. Liam Jillson.

The name sparked a horde of unpleasant memories. Liam was her first real love, and for a while, her fiance. They had met during their first year of college, and a couple of years later, he proposed to her during a picnic on a sunset-lit beach. At the time, she thought it was a romantic moment in her life until she saw Liam on a date at their favorite coffee shop. She had never seen the woman before but she seemed to know Liam, the way she kissed his cheek, smoothed his shirt, and held his hand.

For a long time, Dayra thought her relationship with Liam was too good to be true, and here was the proof. She stormed out of the coffee shop and wrote him a letter, explaining what she saw and that she was moving back to her hometown. Enclosed was the engagement ring he had given her. Then she blocked his number; she didn’t care to hear from him again.

Liam sent many letters afterward, but she never opened them. She didn’t want him to sweet-talk her back into a relationship. She just wanted to heal and move on. And she did, eventually meeting and falling in love with Marky. It took time for her to trust again but Marky’s easygoing and communicative nature put her mind at peace. Liam’s letters continued when she started dating Marky but they stopped after their engagement. Dayra assumed Liam heard the news and backed off. Good riddance.

However, as Dayra examined these yellowed envelopes, she found one that was still fresh. It had arrived a few months after Marky had died from a heart attack, along with a few other condolence letters. Dayra barely gave the letter any glance; she already had a set routine for mail from Liam. Stuff it into the junk drawer and never give it a second thought.

But now, Dayra was curious. She wondered what Liam had to say, and why he still wanted to say it, even after all of this time. It was no longer a betrayal to Marky to hear him out, and Dayra doubted she’d be taken in by Liam’s words. She was far from the innocent and optimistic young woman she once was.

So she opened the most recent letter. In it, Liam wrote he heard of Marky’s death and expressed his condolences. He added that this will be the last letter since it’s clear she never wants to hear from him again. He said he still loved her and would like to see her but he has given up on that ever happening. So this was his final goodbye.

Dayra could hear his voice through his tender words but she remained cold. Loving her doesn’t excuse cheating on her. She moved on to another letter, one of the first he ever sent. This one was longer and more emotional. And it held his explanation.

He started by begging her forgiveness, saying that he didn’t actually cheat on her. He was at the coffee shop when a woman started talking with him as if they were dating. She quietly explained she was getting harassed by a stalker who was obsessively in love with her. He had just tried to corner her in the parking lot but she said she was meeting her boyfriend and ran into the coffee shop.

So Liam went along with it, claiming they were on a date until the stalker drove away. Unfortunately, Dayra had noticed them at that same time, and Liam had no opportunity to explain. So, in these letters, he recounted his side of the tale, but she never responded. He revealed his feelings for Dayra and invited her to meet with him to work things out.

Dayra, of course, never read the letter, therefore she never met with him to discuss it. She eagerly looked through his previous mail, which was all filled with his feelings for her. She felt bad because she had never promised to listen to him out. Regrettably and lonely, she discovered an address he had enclosed and resolved to meet him in person for the first time. That address, however, led to an old, vacant house where no one had resided in a long time.

She inquired about Liam with her neighbors, and one of them revealed that he had moved into a nursing home years ago after suffering a terrible stroke. Dayra rushed over to see him, but she found him sitting in the facility’s garden with a lifeless look on his face. His youthful energy had faded, and he appeared to be a shell of his former self. Dayra’s remorse grew more, but she couldn’t back down now.

She sat down next to him and greeted him. Liam had difficulty remembering her due to neurological damage caused by the stroke. He couldn’t remember why she apologized. Dayra, on the other hand, did not give up. She started paying him daily visits, bringing him gifts and telling him stories about her life and their time together. After a few weeks, Liam began to recall her. He started sobbing, and the two held hands and sobbed together for all of the years that had passed.

Following that, Liam moved in with Dayra and they began to live the life they had once imagined for themselves. Liam forgave her for neglecting him for so long, and he was grateful for the second chance. And Dayra had had enough of ruminating on old memories. She couldn’t make new, pleasant ones with Liam.