160 Cutting the Ties

(Winona)

I’m sitting at a wooden park table, my fingers tracing the rough surface, trying to focus on anything but the dread pooling in my stomach.

The park is beautiful today—families laughing, kids playing by the stream, and ducks floating lazily in the clear water. It’s the kind of day that should bring peace, but instead, my frayed nerves barely hold me together.

Gordon had assured me that Steve would find me and to just sit somewhere amongst other people. Gordon is here as well. I can’t see him but I know he is. Knowing that quells the gnawing anxiety.

My phone is recording, hidden in my pocket, ready to capture every word of this twisted reunion. I brace myself for what I know will be an ugly encounter.

The wind rustles through the trees, and I catch sight of him walking toward me. He’s thinner but well dressed and that same smug smirk twists his lips. His presence is a shadow, darkening the brightness of the day.

“Well, well,” Steve says as he approaches, his voice laced with c