Echoes of the Past

Michael POV:

I drove down the familiar street, my heart was pounding in my chest. It had been years since I had set foot in this place, and the memories were flooding back faster than I could process them. This was the orphanage where I had grown up, where I had spent most of my childhood. And now, for some reason, I felt drawn back to it.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I could see that the building was just as I remembered it. The same brick walls, the same old wooden door. But there was something different about it now, something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Perhaps it was just the passage of time, or maybe it was the fact that I was seeing it through the eyes of an adult instead of a child.

I took a deep breath and got out of the car, making my way towards the entrance. As I reached for the doorknob, my hand shook involuntarily. It was as if my body was telling me to turn back, to run away from this place and never look back. But I knew that I couldn't do that. I nee