Chapter 4 - EVELYN’S LETTER
Six months after Jason’s arrest, Morgana received a box from an old storage facility in Providence.
Her mother’s name.
Unpaid account.
Contents scheduled for disposal.
The facility had found Morgana through estate records.
Inside:
Clothes.
Books.
Tax returns.
A silver necklace.
And seven letters.
All addressed:
MORGANA – WHEN YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH
She sat on the floor for an hour before opening the first.
Evelyn’s handwriting.
Alive again.
My beautiful girl,
If you are reading this, then I either finally became brave enough to leave or I failed to.
Morgana began crying.
The letters told everything.
Jason’s gambling.
Fear.
Roman’s family.
Evelyn’s plan.
And Roman.
There is a young man named Roman Costa who once helped me when helping me could have made his father very angry.
Morgana stopped.
Another letter:
Roman frightens me sometimes because I can see how much of his father he is learning to wear. But I also think he notices it, which may be the only reason he has a chance.
Her mother had seen him clearly.
Before Morgana ever did.
The final letter contained instructions.
If Evelyn disappeared unexpectedly, Morgana was to contact:
Roman Costa.
Morgana stared.
All those years.
The answer had been in a storage locker nobody paid.
That evening, she called Roman.
“Come over.”
He arrived twenty-two minutes later.
Too fast.
She opened the door.
“You were nearby?”
“No.”
“That was twenty-two minutes.”
“I drove quickly.”
“Of course.”
She handed him the letter.
He read.
Then sat.
For a long time, the most feared man Morgana knew said nothing.
Finally:
“I never knew she wrote this.”
“She trusted you.”
“Once.”
“Did you fail her?”
Roman’s eyes lifted.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“When she refused to leave Jason, I let that be the end.”
“What were you supposed to do? Kidnap her?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Check again.”
Morgana sat across from him.
“She was an adult.”
“I know.”
“You could not make her leave.”
“I know.”
“Then stop turning regret into arrogance.”
Roman stared.
“What?”
“You still think everything bad happened because you failed to control it.”
Silence.
Morgana continued.
“Maybe some things happen because other people make terrible choices.”
Roman leaned back.
“You sound like my therapist.”
“You have a therapist?”
“No.”
“You need one.”
He almost laughed.
Then:
“Maybe.”
It took two months.
But he went.
Helena told Morgana accidentally.
Morgana pretended not to be pleased.
May you like
She was.
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