Chapter 2: The Envelope He Never Meant To Open
Part 2 — continued below ⬇️
The entire boardroom went still.
My father looked down at the phone.
The color left his face so fast it frightened me.
"Katherine." His voice came out low and controlled.
"This is not the place."
"Then where is the place?" I said.
"Because I've been waiting my whole life for you to treat me like I belong in this family, and now I find out there's a grave with my name on it."
One of the directors shifted uncomfortably.
Another quietly closed his laptop.
My father stood up slowly.
"Everyone, please excuse us."
The room emptied fast.
When the last person pulled the door shut behind them, my father walked to the window and stood with his back to me for a long moment.
"Dad."
He turned around.
His eyes were wet.
I had never once seen my father cry.
"That grave," he said quietly, "belongs to your sister."
The room tilted.
"What sister?" I whispered.
He opened his desk drawer and pulled out an envelope.
Old, worn at the edges, like it had been handled many times over many years.
"Her name was Katherine too," he said.
"You were twins."
My hands were shaking again.
"Then why—" I couldn't finish the sentence.
He held the envelope out toward me, and his hand wasn't steady either.
"There are things your mother made me promise never to tell you.
May you like
But there's someone still alive who knows the whole truth.
Someone you've already met."
