Chapter 7 - The Letter From The Past
He unlocked the drawer again and pulled out the yellow envelope.
This time, he handed it to me.
“Your mother wanted you to have this when you were old enough to understand.”
I looked at my name.
“Why didn’t she give it to me?”
“Because she thought someone was watching her.”
“Someone?”
He nodded.
“Someone who wanted the truth to stay buried.”
My fingers trembled as I opened the envelope.
Inside was one sheet of paper.
The handwriting was unmistakably my mother’s.
I began to read.
Ruby,
If you are reading this, then something has gone wrong.
I am sorry.
I wanted to tell you everything.
I wanted you to grow up believing your life was ordinary.
It never was.
I stopped.
My vision blurred.
I wiped my eyes and continued.
Your sister Rebecca did not die twelve years ago.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I looked up.
“She’s alive?”
Mr. Graves nodded.
“I believe she is.”
I looked back at the letter.
The night Rebecca disappeared, I was told she was dead. I didn’t believe them. Nathaniel didn’t either.
We searched for years.
But every person who helped us eventually disappeared, changed their story, or was threatened.
Then I discovered the truth.
Rebecca had been taken.
And the people who took her were connected to Graves Energy.
I looked at Mr. Graves.
He closed his eyes.
“I didn’t know,” he whispered.
I kept reading.
There was corruption inside the company.
People were stealing money, hiding dangerous deals, and using innocent families as cover.
Your father discovered it.
He tried to expose them.
That’s why he vanished.
I stopped again.
“My father didn’t abandon us?”
Mr. Graves shook his head.
“No.”
I looked at him.
“Then where is he?”
He hesitated.
“We don’t know.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
I continued reading.
I knew they would come for Ruby next.
So I ran.
I changed my name.
I kept Ruby hidden.
And I waited.
For twelve years.
The letter trembled between my fingers.
Then I reached the final paragraph.
Ruby, if you ever meet Nathaniel Graves, don’t be afraid of him.
May you like
He was the only person who tried to help us.
The wallet was never an accident.
