Promise me you won’t let grief erase the happiness we had.
There is one more thing.
I know you sometimes think you’re not strong enough.
But I have watched you hold this family together through sickness, fear, exhaustion, and heartbreak.
You are stronger than you know.
And no matter what happens, my love for you will never become a lie.
Forever yours,
Grant.
I sat at our kitchen table for a long time.
Then I folded the letter and placed it beside the first one.
Two messages from the same man.
One had warned me about evil.
The other reminded me that evil hadn’t destroyed everything good.
That evening, Benjamin came downstairs.
“Mom?”
I looked up.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Can we make pancakes tomorrow?”
I smiled.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday.”
He shrugged.
“So?”
I laughed.
“Chocolate chips?”
“Extra.”
A moment later, Sophie appeared with Mr.
Buttons tucked under her arm.
