Chapter 13 - Evelyn's First Letter
Two years later, Evelyn wrote from prison.
I almost threw it away.
Maya said:
“Read it when you're ready.”
Not forgive.
Not answer.
Read.
I did.
Evelyn admitted she believed Grandpa had humiliated her.
She saw Oliver's inheritance as something stolen from her.
Then she convinced herself she would manage it better.
That Oliver needed her.
That Maya was too independent.
That I was too weak.
Each rationalization made the next step easier.
Until taking an inhaler from a sick child somehow became, in her mind, part of protecting him.
That sentence terrified me.
People rarely wake up deciding to become villains.
They build bridges of justification until they can no longer see where they started.
Evelyn ended:
I loved Oliver. I know that makes what I did harder to understand. It is harder for me too.
May you like
I did not respond.
Not yet.
