Inside, scrawled in his handwriting, were words that stopped my breath. He had once told Lynn, “If anything happens to me, promise me you will never leave Dad’s house. Stay there with the children. I want you to always have family around you.”
The realization struck like a blow. My son had trusted me to protect them, to hold them close, to keep his family united. And I had failed him in the most painful way. Instead of honoring his wish, I had driven them out with cruel words born of grief.
