The Weight of Remorse

Callie hugged herself tightly and buried her face between her knees. Determined not to cry aloud, she bit her hand to stifle the sound. Her teeth sank into her skin so fiercely that the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Yet, even that couldn’t distract her from the pain inside. Callie had once thought that being abandoned by Simon was the worst thing she could experience. But now, she realised that Elias’s indifference was enough to break her down. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. He wanted her to stay away from him? How could she possibly do that? *** In Elias’s office, Harriet knocked on the door, holding a yellow file in her hand. ‘Come in.’ Harriet handed the file to Elias. ‘This is a document from the Northern Theater. Please give it a read.’ ‘Alright.’ Elias accepted the file and began to review its contents. His face remained as cold and decisive as ever, a thin layer of ice seemingly covering his every expression. Harriet observed him carefully, concern etch