The sky was dull, and a heavy summer rain was due. It was to be expected after the torrid heat that had been lingering for several days, making the air unbreathable. Hope could hardly wait for the rain, to feel the raindrops flowing on her body, just as she felt tears streaming within her.
She had overcome her pride, and self-imposed barriers, subdued her hubris and harshness. For what? To not deserve even a word and to see only his back moving away. Yes, she was wrong when she left. Hope knew that but how she could prove she was remorseful? She had tried to help him all these months, to make up for the pain she had caused him, and yet everything had been in vain.
Hope scratched the bark of the tree with her fingernails until it bled. Her fingertips were living flesh, and some of her nails had snapped. She wanted to feel that pain, to distract her from the much more intense agony she felt inside.
