Maya, I gave you to him. I remember, in a daze,
telling him to take the company. I couldn’t fight
- it. I just begged him to be good to you. I know I
was just a shell then. Why would I trust a
stranger? I would have given the company to
you, Maya. You could have hired someone to
run it. I’d earned enough for you to live
comfortably for the rest of your life, without
needing anyone.
Г
I failed you.
But I’m dying.
In these last days of clarity, I see you, and you
seem…happy. Ethan seems…kind. But is it
because he still needs the Hughes family? I
know you love him, but I fear that love is…
manufactured, not your own.
I can’t protect you anymore, but I’ve left you
everything you need to escape.
Ethan is lying to you. But I hope he lies forever.
If that lie ever fades, if you ever feel trapped, if
you ever find a friend willing to help you, you’ll
come to visit me.
I can’t take care of you anymore, but Maya, I
just want you to be…you.
AA.. life
<
My life…”
Sylvia stopped reading, her voice choked with
emotion. She closed the letter, her eyes
glistening with unshed tears. The pages were
stained with blood, as if written during a
coughing fit.
A tear rolled down Maya’s cheek. She clutched
the letter to her chest, sobbing silently, her
shoulders shaking.
Crack.
A faint, sharp sound, like glass breaking,
echoed in my ears. The world around me
shimmered, and something…invisible…lifted
from Ethan. I turned to Sylvia, who wore a look
of wonder.
“This letter… it’s… warm. I feel…” she
struggled to find the words.
I know The letter hold Floonor Hughes‘
I knew. The letter held Eleanor Hughes‘
defiance, her fight against the invisible force
that controlled their lives.
“We did it,” I said to Sylvia. “The story…
changed.”
10
Ethan Pierce was convicted on multiple
charges. At the trial, Maya, dressed in a sharp
business suit, calmly presented the evidence.
Sylvia and I sat in the gallery, next to Noah – or
rather, Hughes, as he was now known.
—
“Mommy looks awesome,” he whispered.
Sylvia leaned closer to me. “Does this mean he
can’t run for office anymore?”
Hughes overheard. He sat up straight, his voice
serious. “Mommy was sad. She deserves…
justice. Daddy did bad things. He deserves…
<
consequences.” He paused, his brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Daddy is still… Daddy,” he said, his cheeks puffing out. “But if I don’t want him to be my daddy anymore… am I being… bad?”
“You only have to be reasonable with… people,”
Sylvia said with a perfectly straight face. “Ethan
isn’t really a person. So… no.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even in the somber
courtroom.
“So… can I… not have him anymore?” Hughes
asked, his eyes wide and pleading. “He did a lot
of bad things. And… he didn’t want me.”
“You have to ask your mom,” I said. “Lesson number two: when you don’t know what to do,
ask your mom.”
<
He nodded obediently.
Maya, now juggling the responsibilities of
running her family’s business, had been relying
on Sylvia and me. But she wasn’t taking our
help for granted. She offered us shares in the
company and gifted us each a hand-
embroidered piece. She’d only recently
rediscovered her passion for embroidery, but
she was already gaining recognition, connecting
with established artists. I couldn’t judge the
technical skill, but my mother, thrilled, declared
them “masterpieces” and predicted their future
value.
Hughes ran off to ask Maya about “not having a
daddy anymore.” He returned moments later,
his face beaming.
“What did your mom say?” I asked.
“Mommy said she’s going to make her own TV
<
100
show! With four people in each group, so it can be us four!”
Sylvia, munching on a pineapple chunk, said,
“Hughes, honey, that’s not what we meant. Did
your mom give you an answer… to the other question?”
Hughes grinned mischievously. “Mommy said it’s okay not to have a daddy.”
“Because now I have three mommies!”
We stared at him, speechless.
“Fine, you can call me your godmother, but I’ll
spank you if you call me ‘Mom‘,” I warned.
“Well, I wasn’t planning on having kids… so,
okay, I’ll be your mom, too,” Sylvia conceded.
The sky outside the courthouse was still
overcast. But we walked quickly, against the
flow of the crowd leaving the shadowe hahind
The sky outside the courthouse was still
overcast. But we walked quickly, against the
flow of the crowd, leaving the shadows behind,
stepping into the sunlight.
The End
