CHAPTER 9: THE LETTER FROM PRISON
Months later, a plain envelope arrived from the correctional facility. Eleanor had never written to me before. Her handwriting was shaky, crossed out and rewritten many times.
*My dearest Lucas,*
*I have no excuses. After your father died, I was so terrified of losing you that I tried to control everything. I thought if I made all the choices, nothing bad would ever happen. I forgot that you can’t cage people to keep them safe. I hurt Sophia. I hurt Leo. I hurt you. I am so, so sorry.*
I folded the letter and set it on the table. Sophia came to stand beside me. “What will you do?”
“I don’t know if I can ever forgive her,” I said honestly. “But I won’t carry hate forever either. That’s not who we are.”
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