## CHAPTER 5 ## GRANDMA'S FINAL CHRISTMAS TRAP
Nobody breathed.
Not one person.
Twenty-three relatives stood inside Grandma Eleanor's beach house, surrounded by Christmas decorations, old memories, and fifteen years of lies.
And in the middle of the room...
I held the envelope she had prepared before she died.
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My name was written on the front.
Not Rebecca.
Not Hannah.
Not the family.
Mine.
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"Open it."
My father said quietly.
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I looked at him.
"You knew about this?"
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Michael nodded.
"Your grandmother asked me to be there when you did."
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My mother suddenly stepped forward.
"No."
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Everyone turned.
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Rebecca's face had lost all color.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
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I stared at her.
"No."
I held the envelope tighter.
"I think I finally do."
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For fifteen years...
She had controlled every story.
Every explanation.
Every excuse.
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But not this one.
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I opened the envelope.
Inside was a small key.
An old brass key.
And a letter.
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I unfolded the paper.
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My dear Layla,
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My eyes immediately filled with tears.
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If you are reading this, then the people who needed to hear the truth are finally standing together.
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I looked around.
Everyone was listening.
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I know what your mother did.
I know what this family allowed.
And I know the pain you carried quietly.
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My mother's face changed.
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But before you judge anyone completely, you must understand how this began.
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I frowned.
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The letter continued.
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Fifteen years ago, Rebecca did not simply forget to invite you to Christmas.
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The room became still.
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She made a decision.
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My fingers tightened around the paper.
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A decision that changed the entire family.
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I looked at my mother.
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She whispered:
"Layla..."
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I kept reading.
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After your father's disappearance, Rebecca came to me with a request.
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A request?
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She wanted me to change my will.
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Everyone gasped.
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My mother looked down.
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"What?"
Hannah whispered.
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I continued.
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Rebecca wanted the beach house to go to Hannah.
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Silence.
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The truth finally had a voice.
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My mother immediately defended herself.
"I was trying to protect my children."
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I looked up.
"Protect them from what?"
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She didn't answer.
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The letter continued.
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When I refused, Rebecca became angry.
She told me that Layla didn't deserve the house because she wasn't loyal to this family.
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A bitter laugh escaped me.
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Not loyal.
The daughter who visited Grandma every Sunday.
The daughter who cared for her when everyone else was busy.
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I read the next line.
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I asked Rebecca one question.
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I paused.
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"Why are you punishing Layla for something she never did?"
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The room became uncomfortable.
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Because everyone knew.
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They had all watched it happen.
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The letter continued.
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Rebecca's answer broke my heart.
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My eyes moved slowly.
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She said: "Because every time I look at Layla, I see the life I lost."
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My mother closed her eyes.
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A few relatives looked away.
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Because that sentence explained everything.
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Not because I was difficult.
Not because I was unwanted.
Because I reminded my mother of her regrets.
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Then I reached the next section.
And everything changed.
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But Rebecca made another mistake.
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I frowned.
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She assumed the beach house was the only thing I protected.
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The letter became more serious.
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It wasn't.
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I looked at my father.
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He nodded slightly.
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"Keep reading."
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I continued.
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Inside the wall behind the fireplace is a safe.
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Everyone turned toward the fireplace.
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The fireplace where hundreds of family Christmas photos had been taken.
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Inside that safe are documents that prove what happened after Michael disappeared.
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My heart started racing.
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What documents?
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I looked at my mother.
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She looked terrified.
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Not sad.
Not guilty.
Terrified.
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That was when I knew.
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Whatever was inside that safe...
She knew.
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I looked at the brass key in my hand.
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Slowly, I walked toward the fireplace.
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Nobody stopped me.
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Not even Rebecca.
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I removed the old painting hanging above it.
Behind it...
A small metal lock appeared.
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The key fit perfectly.
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Click.
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The safe opened.
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Inside were three things.
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A folder.
A photograph.
And a small audio recorder.
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I picked up the photograph first.
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My hands froze.
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It was my father.
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But he wasn't alone.
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Beside him stood my mother.
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And a man I didn't recognize.
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The three of them were outside a law office.
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On the back of the photo...
Grandma's handwriting.
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"The day Rebecca thought she could erase the truth."
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My stomach tightened.
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I opened the folder.
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The first page was a legal document.
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GUARDIANSHIP TRANSFER AGREEMENT
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My name was on it.
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My father's name.
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And my mother's signature.
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I read the next line.
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"In the event of parental abandonment or intentional separation from the child..."
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I stopped.
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Because underneath it...
Was Rebecca's signature.
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Signed fifteen years ago.
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My mother had agreed.
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She had legally promised not to separate me from my father.
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But she did anyway.
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Hannah covered her mouth.
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"Mom..."
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Rebecca said nothing.
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The second document was worse.
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A bank record.
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A payment.
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A large payment.
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From my mother.
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To someone named:
Michael Hartwell Investigation Services
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I looked up.
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"What is this?"
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Nobody answered.
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Then the audio recorder started playing.
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Grandma's voice filled the room.
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"If you are hearing this, Layla..."
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Everyone froze.
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"Then Rebecca has finally run out of ways to hide the truth."
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My mother stepped back.
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"Turn it off."
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Nobody moved.
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Grandma continued.
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"Your mother didn't lose your father."
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A pause.
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"She drove him away."
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The room exploded.
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Everyone started talking.
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Hannah looked at Rebecca in disbelief.
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"Mom?"
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But Grandma's recording continued.
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"Rebecca told Michael that Layla was better without him."
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"She told him his daughter hated him."
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"She destroyed a relationship between a father and daughter because she was afraid of losing control."
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My mother's face collapsed.
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For the first time...
Everyone saw her.
Not as the mother.
Not as the victim.
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As the person who made the choice.
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The recording ended.
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Nobody spoke.
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Then Rebecca whispered:
"I can explain."
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I looked at her.
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For fifteen years...
I had waited to hear those words.
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But now...
They meant nothing.
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Because Grandma had already told me the truth.
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I turned toward my mother.
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"Why?"
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A single word.
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Her eyes filled with tears.
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And finally...
She answered.
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"Because I knew your father would choose you."
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Silence.
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"And I couldn't stand losing."
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My heart broke.
Not because I was surprised.
Because I finally understood.
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My mother hadn't abandoned me because I wasn't enough.
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She abandoned me because she was afraid someone else would love me more.
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Then my father spoke.
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"Rebecca."
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Everyone looked at him.
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His voice was calm.
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"There's one more thing you need to tell them."
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My mother looked at him.
Fear returned to her face.
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"What?"
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Michael stared at her.
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"The reason Eleanor left the house to Layla."
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A pause.
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"Wasn't because of what happened fifteen years ago."
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He looked at me.
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"It was because of what Rebecca planned to do next."
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My blood ran cold.
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"What?"
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My father looked toward the safe.
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"There is another document."
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Everyone froze.
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"The one Eleanor wanted Layla to find last."
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I looked back inside the safe.
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A hidden compartment.
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Something was still inside.
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A sealed envelope.
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And on it...
A single sentence.
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May you like
"Layla, this is the truth about your mother."
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