Tucked between pages was a faded photograph of Henry in uniform, arm around his young wife, both smiling despite the war etched behind their eyes. Andrew felt his throat tighten. This was no tale of cruelty. It was one of sacrifice, of a couple carrying burdens too heavy for ordinary lives.
At the very bottom of the chest lay a bundle of notes, currency from different decades, stacked neatly. A small fortune, untouched. And finally, sealed in an envelope marked For Andrew, a letter in Henry’s familiar hand waited. Andrew’s fingers trembled as he prepared to unfold his uncle’s last confession.