PART 5
I sat down at the old wooden table in Walter’s workshop.
The same table where he repaired clocks, fixed broken chairs, and taught Greg how to use tools when he was just a boy.
The smell of sawdust was still there.
Even after two years.
Some things stayed.
Some memories refused to leave.
Greg stood across from me.
He looked nervous.
Like a child waiting to hear if he had done something wrong.
But this was not about a child making a mistake.
This was about a grown man who had forgotten the people who loved him.
I opened the letter.
Walter’s handwriting filled the page.
“My dearest Eleanor,
If you are reading this, then something happened that made you question whether you are loved or valued.
I hope that day never comes.
But I have lived long enough to understand that even good people can lose their way.
Money can make people forget.
Fear can make people selfish.
And pride can make people hurt the ones closest to them.
If our son ever reaches a point where he sees this house as something more valuable than the people inside it, remember this: the house was never the treasure.
You were.
You were the reason I worked every morning.
You were the reason I came home every night.
You were the reason this place became a home.
Do not let anyone convince you that your worth is measured by your age, your health, or what you can give them.
Your worth existed before you became a wife.
Before you became a mother.
And it will exist forever.
Love, Walter.”
I had to stop reading.
My vision became blurry.
Not because I was sad.
Because for the first time in a long time, I felt seen.
Walter had been gone for two years.
But somehow, he still knew exactly what I needed to hear.
I wiped my eyes.
Greg looked away.
“I was horrible to you.”
I didn’t answer.
“I kept thinking about what I wanted.”
His voice cracked.
“I never thought about what I was taking from you.”
I folded the letter carefully.
“Greg, do you know what hurt the most?”
He looked at me.
“It wasn’t the house.”
He swallowed.
“It wasn’t the money.”
I shook my head.
“It was hearing you laugh.”
His face changed.
“When I heard you on the phone saying I was old and the house was worth more without me…”
I paused.
“That hurt more than anything.”
Greg closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“No.”
I looked at him.
“You don’t know.”
Tears rolled down his face.
“You’re right.”
For once, he didn’t defend himself.
He didn’t explain.
He just accepted it.
The next morning, something unexpected happened.
Greg packed his things.
Not because he was forced.
Because he chose to.
He carried his boxes outside quietly.
Emily watched from the porch.
I stood by the doorway.