Eliot stood in front of the modest apartment building in the East District, the kind with rust-streaked windows and a blinking security light no one ever fixed.
He checked the envelope again.
To: Daniel Park
RE: Your father, Hyun Park
He hadn't sealed it yet. Part of him still wanted to run. Just tuck the letter back into his coat and vanish like the truth had never touched air.
But he didn't.
He walked to the rusted mailbox slots and slid it in, his hand trembling the whole time.
There.
He stepped back, heart hammering louder than it should have for something so small.
---
Inside the envelope, the letter read:
> Mr. Park,
I am the doctor who treated your father during his final days. I remember his eyes, the way he smiled at the nurse who always brought him butterscotch candy. I remember how much you looked like him when you leaned in and whispered your goodbyes.
There is something you deserve to know. Your father did not die naturally. I made a decision—one I told myself was mercy. I believed I was ending his pain. But in doing so, I took away your last moments. Your time. Your right.
You were robbed of something you didn't even know was stolen.
I don't ask for forgiveness. I won't defend my actions. I just want the truth to be yours again.
I am sorry.
—Dr. Eliot Wren
---
He walked away slowly. The air felt heavier now that he'd told the truth, not lighter like he thought it might.
His phone buzzed as he reached the curb.
Internal Review Board: URGENT Meeting Request – 9:00 AM Tomorrow
He stared at the screen for a long moment.
Then he put the phone away.
He would go.
No lawyers. No denials.
Just the truth.
---
End of Chapter 15.
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