You don’t owe me anything. Just promise me you’ll be as kind to yourself as you were to me. Women look out for women, especially when nobody else will.
Be brave. Be kind. And always remember: what you did mattered.
P.S. I love the name Will for a boy. Mabel for a girl.
With love,
Mrs. Higgins.”
“And always remember: what you did mattered.”
A sob broke out of me, sharp and grateful. Holt squeezed my shoulder.
For the first time in months, the world didn’t feel quite so empty.
No one spoke.
I pressed a hand to my belly. “We’re staying, baby,” I whispered to my daughter.
Holt walked me back toward the house, setting the envelope on the table. “If you need anything, call the station. Ask for me.”
No one said a word.
Around noon, my phone lit up with Lee’s name.
Maybe someone on the street had already told him about the sheriff’s cars. Maybe he thought I needed him now.
I let it ring.
For once, not answering didn’t feel like loneliness. It felt like peace.
The day blurred into calls from the bank, paperwork from Sheriff Holt, and neighbors slowing near my porch like they finally knew my name.
