“Just open it,”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner. But I had to wait until I could legally stand next to you in a courtroom if it came to that.”
I looked down at the box, then back at my brother.
The little boy I had raised was gone.
In his place stood a young man who had been carrying a secret for me.
I stared at the dusty jewelry box, my hands trembling as Lucas unlocked the tiny clasp to expose a truth that would change everything.
“I wanted to tell you sooner.”
My hands shook as I lifted the lid of the jewelry box.
Lucas stood beside me, quiet, watching my face.
Inside, beneath a folded velvet cloth, I found a thick envelope and a smaller sealed letter with my name written in my mother’s neat handwriting.
“Lucas, how long have you had this?”
“A while,” he said softly. “Open the letter first.”
I found a thick envelope
I peeled the envelope open, my fingers clumsy.
The paper inside was worn at the folds, like it had been read many times.
My mother’s words filld this page
