Chapter 9: Grandma's Secret
Chapter 9: Grandma's Secret
Margaret Mercer stepped inside slowly.
She looked nothing like the intimidating widow the newspapers described.
Instead...
She looked exhausted.
Older than her seventy years.
She noticed Ellie first.
The little girl smiled politely.
"Hi."
Margaret's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"My goodness..."
"You look exactly like your father did."
Ellie giggled.
"He says I got his nose."
"You did."
Margaret knelt carefully.
"And your grandfather's eyes."
The mention of a grandfather Ellie had never met made the room strangely quiet.
Later...
After Ellie had gone to play...
Margaret opened the blue box.
Inside...
Were dozens of unopened envelopes.
Yellowed with age.
Leah frowned.
"What are these?"
Margaret looked at Evan.
"They're yours."
He picked one up.
His own name was written across the front.
The postmark was from four years earlier.
Another.
Then another.
Twenty-three letters.
All addressed to him.
None ever opened.
Evan slowly looked toward Leah.
"You wrote these?"
She nodded.
"I tried."
"I couldn't tell you face to face."
"So..."
"I wrote."
"My feelings."
"Her first smile."
"Her first birthday."
"Every milestone."
"I mailed every letter."
Evan stared in disbelief.
"I never received them."
Margaret quietly lowered her head.
"...Because I took them."
The room froze.
Leah blinked.
"What?"
Margaret's hands trembled.
"I thought Leah had abandoned you."
"I blamed her for disappearing."
"When the letters started arriving..."
"I intercepted them."
"I never let you see a single one."
Evan felt the air leave his lungs.
"Mom..."
"You knew?"
"I didn't know about Ellie."
"I thought she wanted money."
"I thought she was trying to manipulate you."
"So I burned some..."
"...and hid the rest."
The silence became unbearable.
Years...
Destroyed.
Not by one mistake.
But by many.
Margaret broke down.
"I stole years from all of you."
Then she looked at Leah.
"I don't expect forgiveness."
"But I owed you the truth."
As everyone struggled to absorb the confession...
The television suddenly switched to a breaking news report.
"Authorities have confirmed criminal charges against Sabrina Hayes in connection with last week's assault."
Ellie looked up.
"Is she going to jail?"
May you like
No one answered.
Because another storm had only just begun.
