Chapter 8 - The Envelope Beneath the Door
Two months later, the faded blue apartment door in downtown Seattle looked a little brighter, freshly painted in a warm cream color that matched the new life inside.
Colton stood on the landing, holding a white envelope addressed in neat, elegant handwriting.
It had been slipped beneath the door that morning while he, Solana, Chloe, and Junie were eating breakfast together—a real breakfast, complete with elephant-shaped pancakes that Colton had finally learned how to make.
He turned the envelope over. There was no return address.
Inside was a single sheet of heavy parchment paper and an old photograph.
The photograph showed Colton as a toddler sitting on his father’s shoulders in the estate gardens, with Solana smiling beside them and a young woman standing in the background whom Colton now recognized as a young Chloe.
Written on the parchment were three lines of handwriting:
“Some debts cannot be paid with money, Colton. They can only be balanced by love. Protect them well.”
Colton stared at the note, a faint smile touching the corners of his mouth. He didn't need to check the signature. It was a message from a ghost who had finally found peace.
May you like
He slipped the note into his pocket and turned the key in the lock.
Inside, Junie’s laughter echoed down the hallway as she chased a stray puppy Colton had surprised her with that morning. Chloe was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee with Solana, laughing freely for the first time in years.
