Chapter 12 - THE LAST PROMISE OF THOMAS BENNETT
Eleanor gave me one final letter.
It was addressed to me.
My father's handwriting covered the envelope.
I sat beside the window and opened it.
My Claire,
If you're reading this, then I have already gone somewhere you cannot follow.
I wish I could tell you that I made every decision correctly.
I didn't.
I kept secrets because I believed silence would keep you safe.
Sometimes it did.
Sometimes it only made you lonely.
I want you to know that your life belongs to you.
Not to the Moretti family.
Not to Vincent.
Not even to the memory of me.
If your marriage brings you happiness, protect it.
If it brings you pain, you have my blessing to leave.
You do not owe your life to a debt I chose to pay fifteen years ago.
I saved Vincent because he was young and frightened.
I did not save him so that one day my daughter would be expected to sacrifice herself for him.
Be brave, sweetheart.
And when the world tells you that you have nobody left, remember that you have yourself.
Love always,
Dad.
I read the letter three times.
May you like
Then pressed it against my chest.
And cried until there were no tears left.
