Dearest P,

Words cannot undo the damage I have done or the pain I have caused you. All I can say at this point is I'm sorry again for not telling you earlier. It was a dark part of my past that I was trying to move forward and grow from.

It's only in the past few weeks, being here, that I've realized I hadn't allowed myself to grieve. For my lost innocence, for my future, and for my family. My outburst led to something catastrophic and I had unknowingly repressed it. Even my time spent with you, it seems, had been an avoidance tactic, a new way to avoid addressing the pain.

I don't regret our time together and I hope you don't either. You changed my life, I wish I could thank you properly, the way you deserve to be thanked.

Sincerely, L

Penelope dropped the letter and accompanying envelope into the smoldering fire pit before turning away to walk down to the water's edge. It was gently lapping at the rocky shore as she pulled the flannel blanket tighter around her shoulders. As she stood there staring out across the frosted over water, she noticed it was beginning to snow. Sighing before turning away from the lake, Penelope walked back up to the large imposing manor. Stepping up onto the deck she held onto the railing in the frosty night air for a moment before heading inside.

Draping the blanket across the pristine white couch, grabbing her keys off the counter, and taking one last look around the kitchen was all she could manage before a tear fell down her cheek. She brushed it away as she entered the garage and took her helmet off the wall hook. Straddling the bike, she paused as always to trace the black skid Mark across the outside of the protective equipment. It ran in an arc across the right side, beginning at the temple and stretching back above the ear. This moment of rumination before adorning the helmet had become part of her routine. With that, she put it on and started up the motorcycle. She eased her way out of the garage and the front gate, closing both behind her and ensuring the lock slide into place before speeding away past the shiny "SOLD" sign at the entrance to the laneway.

For the first time in 10 years, Penelope wasn't sure if she'd ever be back here again. And she liked it that way.