Alex’s words were different because he wasn’t promising that nothing would go wrong.
He was promising that she wouldn’t have to face it dishonestly.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Stop thanking me for being here.”
“I’m trying.”
“I’ll give you another few decades to practice.”
She smiled.
And for the first time that afternoon, the tightness in her chest began to ease.
But Michael had not finished.
Not even close.
The Envelope That Changed Everything
Two days later, Daniel called me at work.
“Alex, I need you to come over.”
His voice was tense.
“What’s happened?”
“Dad sent me something. I think you need to see it.”
I arrived at Daniel’s apartment forty minutes later.
He was sitting at his kitchen table with a large envelope in front of him.
Inside were printed photographs, copies of financial documents, and several pages of handwritten notes.
I looked at the first photograph.
It showed Karen standing outside Second Chapter with her arm linked through mine.
