Margaret was young and in love when she left her small hometown 53 years ago. Her boyfriend, Henry, had begged her to stay, but her dreams of a bigger life led her to leave him behind. Over the years, she built a successful career, married, and had children, though her marriage didn’t last.
Henry never moved on. For decades, he sent her letters, pouring his heart out about how he missed her and how he had kept the home they once dreamed of sharing together. Margaret never responded. She tucked the letters away, thinking they were relics of a past life, until guilt began to nag at her in her old age.
One day, curiosity and remorse drove her back to her hometown. She wanted to see Henry, to finally face the man she had ignored for so long. Arriving at his address, she was shocked to find a ruined house, its walls crumbling, the yard overgrown with weeds.
Inside, she found Henry, frail and alone, sitting in a chair surrounded by the remnants of their shared dreams. Faded photographs of the two of them were pinned to the walls, and her unopened letters sat stacked neatly on a dusty table.
Henry recognized her immediately. Despite the years, his eyes lit up with a glimmer of the love he once felt. Margaret broke down, overwhelmed with regret and the realization of how deeply she had hurt him.
