In the chilly morning, the first rays of the dawn drew eerie shadows in the dimly lit garage. Theo stood there, bathed in pale light, his breath steady but muscles tensed. The garage was way cleaner than it should have been, with all the things arranged in order, one over the other, even the cleaning tools, classic Theo.
But Theo moved those organized things to reveal a slight gap in the wall, under the wallpaper. There was a medium-sized brown envelope wrapped inside a Ziploc bag. He knelt beside it, his hands trembled slightly as he unzipped the bag. Carefully, he withdrew the envelope, its surface smooth beneath his fingertips. The weight of the past pressed upon him, threatening to bring back his fears, the chapter of his life that he had ended.
Determined, he opened the envelope, s
