Grace finally took the envelope.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
“Why didn’t anyone contact us after they died?”
“I did.”
“Three years later.”
“Yes.”
“Why wait?”
Arthur looked ashamed.
“Because after the accident, I assumed the matter no longer mattered.”
Grace stared at him.
“That might be the worst thing you’ve said since I met you.”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.”
She wasn’t loud.
That made the words heavier.
“My father died believing he had failed us. My mother spent years trying to convince him he hadn’t. After they were gone, I found past-due notices in drawers, collection letters in boxes, and applications Dad had filled out for jobs that paid half what he used to earn.”
Arthur lowered his eyes.
“And you decided it no longer mattered?”
“I was a coward.”
Grace stopped.
Arthur continued before she could answer.
“I convinced myself that reopening the matter would only burden three grieving children. The truth is that I did not want to face what my decisions had contributed to.”
