The Debt That Won’t Let Go

The screen glares back,

a little red warning blinking like a bad heartbeat.

My thumb hovers, uncertain.

It’s the same number,

the one I promised I paid off,

but the digits won’t quit.

The phone’s glow scratches across the dark room,

twisting my breath into something thin.

I owe, I owe—

and the silence on the line feels like it’s

already collecting interest.