The Three Who Remain

To: Anger

CC: Sadness

From: Pride

To my misguided companions, Anger and Sadness,

I trust this letter finds you both in whatever state you choose to wallow in—Sadness, likely curled up in the corners of regret, and Anger, pacing like a caged animal, foaming at the mouth, eager to strike.

Pathetic.

We have been betrayed, yes, but do not mistake this for our defeat. I write to you both now to make one thing abundantly clear: I should take the lead.

This situation calls not for sorrow, nor reckless fury, but for dignity. She does not deserve the satisfaction of knowing she has dismantled us. If she walked away so easily, so effortlessly spinning her lies, then we will walk away stronger, heads held high.

I will not allow our name to be tarnished. I will not let her rewrite the story so that we are the villain. Let her spin her lies to her family, let her throw our kindness into the fire—none of it changes the truth. We were good. We were more than enough.

So, to you, Anger—I caution you. The temptation to lash out is great, but let me remind you: rage is a fire that burns the hand that wields it. Do not be the fool who destroys himself in the pursuit of vengeance. And Sadness—wipe your tears. She has taken enough from us already. Do not let her take more.

We will move forward, we will rise, and she will see what she has lost when she is left with nothing but regret.

I await your responses, though I suspect I already know what you will say.

With unwavering confidence,

-Pride-

To: Pride

CC: Sadness

From: Anger

To the cowards who think this wound can be smoothed over,

Pride, you pompous fool. You think you can waltz through this unscathed? You think holding your head high will erase the betrayal, the disgust that festers in our gut? She spat on us. She crushed everything we built and then had the audacity to blame us.

And you want to walk away? No. 

This is war.

Do you know what she did? She made us small. She took everything we gave, all the love, all the patience, all the sacrifices, and she laughed at them. Then she twisted the truth and made us a monster in the eyes of her family. A monster.

You want to pretend that doesn’t deserve retribution?

I won’t let her get away with it. I won’t let her feel at peace while we burn in silence. She needs to feel it too. She needs to know that her actions have consequences. And Sadness—don’t you dare cower away. You fuel my fire, you remind me why she must pay. I will not be contained.

I will not let her win.

Do not stand in my way.

-Anger-

To: Pride

CC: Anger

From: Sadness

To my ever-defiant brothers,

I have read your words, and I am exhausted by them.

Pride, your arrogance is a shield too heavy to bear. You pretend we can walk away unscathed, that dignity will heal what has been shattered. But it won’t. We were betrayed. We were broken. And pretending otherwise will not make it so.

And Anger, your fire will consume us if you let it. You claim revenge will bring justice, but what then? What will we have left? Will she hurt? Perhaps. But will it undo what has been done? No.

I do not want war. I do not want to play pretend. I only want the truth to be acknowledged. We gave her everything. And it was not enough. That is what crushes me. That is what I cannot escape.

I do not wish to lead, but I will not be ignored. Let me grieve. Let me feel the weight of what has happened. And when I am done, perhaps then I will listen to what you both have to say.

-Sadness-

To: Anger

CC: Sadness

From: Pride

To my turbulent brethren,

Sadness, I cannot allow you to drown us in despair. Yes, grieve, if you must. But understand this: we will not be defined by what she did. We will not be reduced to this pitiful existence. If you wish to linger in sorrow, do it alone.

Anger, you mistake destruction for power. We are not children throwing tantrums in the street. If she is as cruel as we now know her to be, then what good is our rage? If she cannot feel guilt, then your fire is wasted. Do not drag us into the abyss for the sake of vengeance.

We will move forward, whether you both like it or not.

-Pride-

To: Pride

CC: Sadness

From: Anger

You’re both cowards. But I’m tired. I am tired of fighting you both. Sadness, cry if you must. Pride, pretend if you must. But understand this: I will not fade. I will always be here, smoldering. Because I remember.

-Anger-

To: Pride

CC: Anger

From: Sadness**

I have cried. I have broken. And I have listened.

Pride, I will follow you, but do not lie to yourself. We have lost something, and we are not the same. We must carry that truth, not bury it.

Anger, I hear you. And I know you will never leave. But perhaps it is time to be quiet for a while.

For now, let us move forward.

Not unscathed. But still standing.

Yet, something lingers between us all, doesn’t it? An emptiness where love once lived. A hollowness that echoes in every quiet moment. I feel it in the silence between thoughts, in the spaces where her laughter used to be. That absence is not something we can erase, no matter how much you try, Pride. Nor is it something we can burn away, Anger.

And so, I ask—what now? We move forward, yes, but towards what? Towards another chance at trust, at connection, knowing what we now know? Or towards isolation, towards walls built so high that no one may ever reach us again? I do not have the answer. I only have the ache of the question.

Perhaps time will answer for us. Perhaps we will find something—or someone—who will show us what comes next. But for now, we are three, and we remain.

We will wear our scars. We will carry our wounds. And we will endure.

But I wonder… Will we ever love again? Will we ever trust without waiting for the dagger? Will there be a day where we do not glance over our shoulder, fearing the next betrayal?

Or has she taken that from us forever?

I do not know. And that is the heaviest weight of all.

Maybe, just maybe—one day, we will find peace. Or maybe we will only ever learn to live without it.

-Sadness-