Chapter 18: A Letter from the Coast
A single envelope arrived in the mail just before Thanksgiving. The return address was from a coastal town three states away. It was from Eleanor’s sister, Margaret.
David opened it at the kitchen island, feeling a brief, ghost-like flutter of his old anxiety. But as he read the neat handwriting, the tension evaporated.
May you like
Margaret wrote to formally apologize for the chaos Eleanor had caused. She explained that Eleanor was permanently settled in a secure memory care and psychiatric facility. Her condition had stabilized with proper medication, but she was living in her own world now, largely disconnected from reality. Margaret promised that Eleanor would never contact them again and wished David and the children a peaceful life.
David read the letter twice. There was no malice, only closure. He didn't feel anger toward Eleanor anymore, only a distant, detached pity. He walked over to the fireplace, struck a match, and dropped the letter into the flames. He watched the paper curl and turn to ash, letting the last lingering threads of the past burn away. It was truly over.
