“Margaret,” he said gently, “I’m Thomas’s attorney.”
My stomach tightened.
Then he held the envelope toward me and said,
“Thomas left very strict instructions that I deliver this to you personally.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
The attorney hesitated.
Then he said the words I would never forget.
“Because your husband wanted to make absolutely sure you got EXACTLY WHAT YOU DESERVED.”
My hands started trembling.
For one terrible second, I wondered if Thomas’s children had been right.
Maybe he had discovered something before he died.
Maybe this was his final way of telling me I had never truly belonged in his life.
Breaking the seal took me three tries.
Finally, I unfolded the letter.
I recognized Thomas’s handwriting immediately.
And when I read the first line, my knees gave out right there in the dirt.
