With a solitary hand, Casiano shielded his eyes, determined to hide his present disarray from Maggie. Yet, Maggie noticed a fluid trickling down from his fingertips, her feelings toward it indiscernible. She longed to retaliate with harsh words, but witnessing Casiano in such a pitiable state, she sensed his fragility.
She recalled the items left behind by Alla and made her way to the drawer. Pulling out a letter, sparsely filled with a few sentences, she handed it to him. "If it were not for Alla penning such sentiments for you, I would never have allowed you in," she professed. After thrusting the letter into his hand, Maggie turned and exited the room.
Casiano sat frozen, holding the letter, suddenly bereft of courage to unfold it. Leaning against the wall, he spent a quiet quarter of an hour before he slowly opened the letter...
Casiano,
he said, don't harbor any illusions of love from me.
So, he doesn't love me.
