The Envelope That Changed Everything

my shoulders as if it could knock the day out of me.

It didn’t.

When I crawled into bed, exhaustion wrapped around me, but my mind stayed sharp, restless. I stared at the ceiling and listened to the city outside, distant sirens and passing cars, the sound of other lives continuing.

At some point near dawn, my phone rang.

I jolted, heart slamming.

A number continue reading …