CHAPTER 7 — Sarah's Last Letter
Michael sat alone in the empty nursing home chapel.
Rain tapped softly against the stained-glass windows as he unfolded Sarah's final letter.
His hands shook so violently he could barely read.
"Dear Michael,"
"If this letter has reached you, then life has given you one last chance to become the man I always believed you could be."
He covered his mouth.
She wasn't angry.
She wasn't seeking revenge.
She still believed in him.
Tears blurred the page.
"I know people will probably tell you I should hate you.
Maybe they're right.
But hate is too heavy to carry into heaven."
Michael broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
He continued reading.
"The children don't need your money.
They don't need expensive gifts.
They needed their father.
You can't change the past.
But maybe... just maybe... you can change the ending."
Then came the final paragraph.
"There's something I never told anyone."
"The day you left, I discovered you had secretly transferred every dollar from our family savings account."
Michael froze.
He remembered.
He had taken the money to start his new business.
He had convinced himself he would repay it someday.
He never did.
Sarah continued.
"The children never knew.
I let them believe we were simply unlucky.
I wanted them to grow up without hating you.
If they ever learn the truth... don't defend yourself.
Just tell them I'm sorry I couldn't protect them from your mistakes."
Michael dropped the letter onto the floor.
He realized Sarah had carried his greatest betrayal to her grave just to protect his image in the eyes of their children.
She had sacrificed her own dignity...
For him.
That was the moment Michael understood something terrifying.
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Sarah had loved him until her very last breath.
And he had wasted every second of that love.
