Elena looked up.
“What does that mean?”
Thomas looked toward the window.
“It means there is something your brother never told you.”
“What?”
Thomas hesitated.
“Something that happened the year your mother died.”
And for the first time in years, Elena realized the family secret she was uncovering might not have started with Julian.
It might have started long before.
PART 4 (The end)
The letter was short.
Only three pages.
But Elena read it slowly, as if every word carried a piece of a life she thought she understood.
Her mother’s handwriting was familiar.
Strong.
Careful.
Beautiful.
“My children,” the letter began.
“After I am gone, remember that grief can make people act like strangers. It does not mean they have stopped loving each other.”
Elena looked at Thomas.
“What happened?”
Her father took a deep breath.
“After your mother died, Julian blamed himself.”
“Why?”
Thomas looked down.
“Because he was the one driving when we received the call from the hospital. He thought if he had done something differently, somehow the outcome would have changed.”
