Chapter 10 - Words from the Grave
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After Maya left, promising to keep our conversation completely confidential, Sarah Vance returned to my room carrying a small, ribbon-tied manila folder that had been retrieved from my father's safe-deposit box at First National Bank.
"This was marked to be opened only in the event of a severe family crisis," Sarah said softly, placing the folder into my hands.
Inside was a handwritten letter written in my father’s familiar, bold cursive handwriting. Tears blurred my vision as I traced the ink strokes of his pen.
My Dearest Elena,
If you are reading this letter without me beside you, it means the world has presented you with a trial that tests your very foundation. I hope you are safe, and I hope you are standing tall.
I am writing this because I have watched Julian Vance over the past two years. I have watched the way he looks at Hawthorne House—not as a home filled with love and memory, but as a chest of coins waiting to be raided. I have seen the impatience in his eyes when he speaks about our family's history.
Generosity, my sweet daughter, is a noble gift. But obligation forced upon you by greed is an attack. Do not let anyone convince you that protecting what is rightfully yours makes you selfish. Do not confuse guilt with love.
If Julian ever attempts to force your hand, look inside the wooden tool chest in my workshop. Behind the false bottom of the cedar drawer, you will find the original ledger from 2019. It contains the proof of where his first business loan really came from.
Protect your peace. Protect my granddaughter. And remember that you carry my blood, my strength, and my love inside you wherever you go.
Forever your father,
Thomas.
I pressed the letter against my chest, tears slipping down my face and soaking into the bandage around my neck.
May you like
My father hadn't just built Hawthorne House with timber and nails. He had built a fortress around my life, leaving me the tools I needed to defend myself long after he was gone.
"Sarah," I wiped my eyes, looking up at my attorney. "We need to go to the workshop."
