She fell asleep wrapped inside the shirt like it was a blanket.
June refused to let go of my hand until she finally drifted off beside her sister.
Only Nora remained awake.
Hours passed.
The house settled into silence.
I sat alone in the kitchen with a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.
Outside, rain continued falling against the windows.
My thoughts refused to slow.
Clara.
Elliot.
The funeral.
Those terrible words beside the grave.
None of it made sense.
For years I had suspected Elliot loved money more than family.
But abandoning his own daughters before the flowers on Clara’s grave had even begun to wilt…
That crossed into something far darker.
The grandfather clock in the hallway struck three.
A soft creak echoed from the staircase.
I looked up.
Nora stood barefoot in the doorway wearing one of my old sweaters that hung almost to her knees.
She looked older than twelve.
Not because of her face.
Because of her eyes.
Children who lose innocence too early develop a look that no child should ever carry.
She walked slowly into the kitchen.
“Grandpa…”
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
“I’m here, sweetheart.”
She hesitated.
Then reached beneath the oversized sweater and carefully pulled out a small purple cloth bag.
It looked ordinary.
Faded.
The corners were worn from years of use, and the drawstring had been tied into an unusually tight knot.
Yet Nora held it against her chest as though it contained something priceless.
She placed it gently on the kitchen table.
“I’ve been waiting until June and Maddie were asleep.”
I frowned.
“What is it?”
Instead of answering, she stared at the bag for several seconds.
When she finally spoke, every word came slowly.
“Mom told us this day might happen.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
“What do you mean?”
Nora swallowed hard.
“She said… if anything ever happened to her…”
She stopped speaking.
Tears filled her eyes for the first time all day.
“…we had to give this to someone who still loved her.”
A chill spread through my entire body.
I leaned forward without touching the bag.
“When did she tell you that?”
“About six months ago.”
“Six months?”
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