Guys like Ray notice more than they let on, so the letters probably didn't matter as much as you think.

Velcro is overrated, snug zip ties never caused me a problem.

Yikes, the fact that he forwarded it to your old boss says way more about him than it does about you. If someone sends you a genuine apology years later, a decent person just says "no worries man, it's water under the bridge." Forwarding it around is a whole other level of petty, and honestly it just proves you were right to let that wound heal without him in your life. Sitting on stuff for 48 hours is solid advice, but so is remembering that some people don't deserve your guilt at all.