Garte's eyebrows furrow more as he begins to gently and slowly rip open the envelope. It's very clear I'm not the only person in the room who's confused and tense. He pulls a piece of paper out. It looks only a little bit old. He begins to read it aloud.

"Garte-

I hid this in a place where I knew you wouldn't find it. If you're reading this, well, you obviously found it. But that means you're ready. I know when you find this you'll be ready to hear all of this news. It could be months or years after my death, but you deserve to hear this.

Father is going to tell you that I was murdered or died of sickness. It'd be embarrassing for the whole village of O'Khasis to find out what really happened and why.

Sit down Garte John William, you shouldn't be standing when you read this."

As though Garte is taking commands from this mysterious letter, he slowly sits down in his chair. I stand behind him, my hand on his shoulder as he reads the letter.

"I'm gay. That's it, I said it. I love men. I have no sexual desire for women like you do. I know you understand what being gay means for the village, you have seen our father execute the gay citizens of O'Khasis. It's not proper here, it goes against all morals.

You're probably asking yourself, "How long has he thought he was gay?". I thought I was gay for years. I knew I was gay for about a year. No matter what anyone tells you I did not choose this. I didn't do this for attention. I don't know why I'm gay, I don't know how. I was just born this way.

If you don't understand or accept me, I get it. It's how you were raised. It's how our father taught you to be a great leader. I'm not mad if you don't love me, I'm not mad if you don't care about my death.

I'm still your brother, Garte. I'm still our mother and father's son. I don't care about anyone any less, I don't hate anyone. Through the years, I have learned to care more than ever before.

You're the heir to O'Khasis, Garte. Don't listen to our father. Don't listen to what he says. You love everyone, okay? Don't execute someone for reasons you don't know. You care about your village. You put your wife and children above anyone. Do everything our father didn't: love. I know this is a lot to take in, but you'll get through it. You're Garte Ro'Meave, you are not a weak person.

I plan to die the day after writing this. You could be reading this days, months, even years after my death. I don't know if you'll miss me. You might not after reading this note. But I love you all more than anything. You can show anyone this, I'll be dead so it won't matter to me what they say.

Don't you ever forget I love you."

Garte chokes up while reading the last part. Tears are flowing down his cheeks. His face is red and blotchy from crying, his eyes already red.

"--Tobin."

The room is silent, tears slide down my cheeks. I knew Tobin well, he was like the brother I never had. He always acted off but I never thought he would be gay. It doesn't matter to me, but it might matter to Garte. I look down at him, seeing him get up and put the letter down with his shaky hand. He steps back, every step slow and steady. I cautiously walk over to him. He leans against the wall and slides down. His face is buried in his hands.

I kneel down in front of Garte, grabbing his wrists gently and pulling his hands away. Even though he looks away, I can see his cheeks are soaked with tears. His eyes, though I can only see the sides of them, are bloodshot and red.

"Garte, hey it's okay..." I speak calmly to him, hoping it'll make him feel something.

"No it's not." He mumbles. "It was all my fault."

"Garte, no it wasn't. You didn't tell him to do any of it. He was in a place that you couldn't have saved him, even if you had known." I try to convince him that it wasn't his fault.

Sometimes Garte thinks a lot is his fault. Which isn't bad, it shows a sense of humility. But its not good, either. It destroys him in a sense that isn't good. He's not mentally stable, I know that. But this will send him off the edge.

"But I could have shown him that I cared." Garte says.

He slowly stands up and walks over to his desk, leaning on it. I get up too, but I keep my distance. Him and I both know what he's capable of.

"Because I don't care if he was gay! I care if he was loved, I care if he was happy, I care if he was protected! I loved him more than anything and thanks to myself I can't tell him that because he's dead!" Garte hisses out the last word like he never wants to hear it again.

"Garte, it wasn't you! You loved him and you didn't care about his sexuality! But your father did care, and the village cared. But it's not your fault because you cared." I tell him, slowly walking over to him but still making sure not to get too close.

"I knew there was something wrong. He was acting so off. I could have stopped him." He mumbles in shame of himself and his actions.

"Garte, no you couldn't have. You didn't know." I say sympathetically.

"Just... Get out!" He turns around and yells, his cheeks still soaked with tears and his face red with anger.

"Okay, okay." I say.

I slowly walk out of the office, feeling his glare scan me up and down. I quietly shut the door, making sure to hear the click of the doorknob.

If he can't handle this, how am I supposed to confess to cheating?

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Thanks for reading! Bye!
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