Chapter 2: The Envelope He Couldn't Open
Arthur went very still.
The color drained from his face.
His hand, still resting on the counter, began to tremble.
"Say that name again," he whispered.
"Sarah Harrison," Leo said.
"She's my mom.
She said if anything ever happened to her, I had to find you."
Arthur crouched down slowly until he was eye level with the boy.
His voice was barely a sound.
"Where is your mother right now, son?"
Leo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope.
His name was written on the front in a woman's handwriting.
He held it out to Arthur.
"She told me to give you this.
She said you'd know what to do."
Arthur took the envelope with both hands.
He didn't open it.
He just stared at it.
Frank let out a short, impatient laugh from behind the counter.
"Old man, you don't even know this kid—"
Arthur turned and looked at Frank with an expression that made the man go completely quiet.
Then Arthur looked back at Leo.
Something in his eyes had shifted.
Something that looked like grief, or guilt, or both.
"How old are you, Leo?"
"Eight," the boy said.
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them, they were wet.
"And your sister.
What's her name?"
"Grace," Leo said.
"She's only four.
She's waiting outside."
Arthur stood up slowly, still holding the unopened envelope against his chest.
---
What's inside that envelope — and why did Arthur's hands shake the moment he heard Sarah's name?
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The truth is more heartbreaking than anyone in that diner expected.
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