CHAPTER 11: THE LETTER
I didn't think I'd hear from James again.
But a letter arrived on a Thursday morning.
It was addressed to me. The handwriting was shaky, almost childlike.
Claire,
I know you have no reason to believe me. I know I hurt you in ways I can never undo. But I need you to know the truth.
I didn't kill Dad.
Vivian did. She convinced me it was an accident. She told me she was trying to help him. She was the one who pushed him. She was the one who covered it up.
I was weak. I was scared. I went along with it because I was afraid of her. She had secrets on me too. Things I couldn't let get out.
I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it. But I need you to know that I loved him. I loved him, and I let him die.
I'm sorry.
James
I read the letter three times.
Then I put it down and walked into my kitchen.
The truth didn't change anything.
James was still guilty. He still covered up a murder. He still tried to kill me.
But something in the letter made me pause.
Vivian had been the mastermind.
James had been her puppet.
May you like
I didn't forgive him.
But maybe, someday, I could understand.
