His name was the only signature on the envelope, and the letter had been delivered by hand in the most discreet manner. Thinking it might be a routine thing, Michael had opened it in his office.
It wasn't.
His surroundings vanished as he read Lorna's words.
The part of him that had dared to hope but never dared to ask was broken open by each line. He read it twice, then again, slowly, cautiously, as though blinking would cause the ink to vanish.
His throat burned and his chest felt both broken and whole by the time he folded it and carefully put it back in the envelope.
He got off work early.
When Lorna heard the knock on the door, she had just finished dinner. She didn't need to inquire about its identity. She knew somehow.
Michael was standing there, clutching the envelope in his hand as she slowly opened it, his eyes rimmed with emotion.
They were silent for a long time.
Then Michael let out a breath and entered, softly shutting the door behind him.
"I read it," he said in a raspy voice.
"I understand."
Holding it like a sacrosanct object, he reached into his pocket and took out the letter once more.
He declared, "I don't deserve this." "However, I aspire to be the man who does."
Lorna's voice was hardly audible above a murmur. "Then, for one another, let's become that."
Silently and slowly, tears trickled down her cheeks. With a trembling hand, he moved closer and used his thumb to brush one away.
He then gave her a kiss.
Slowly.
Gently.
Like an answer to a question. Like the application of understanding rather than bandages to a wound.
It was a kiss that warmed from the inside out, one that remembered all they had lost and forgave it with each breath, not the kind that ignited a fire.
As the moment kept them motionless, they clung to one another, his forehead against hers, and sobbed quietly.
Not damaged.
Not flawless.
Simply human.
"I cherish you," he muttered.
"I also love you," she said. And we don't have to hurry this time. We simply must remain.
As if to convey that he was here, Michael nodded and gave her another kiss, this one firmer and more confident.
"I'm not going anywhere Lorna." He said.
And Lorna believed him.
For the first time in years, she truly believed him.