Chapter 8: The Letter Hidden for Twenty-Five Years
Chapter 8: The Letter Hidden for Twenty-Five Years
Alexander barely slept that night.
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The hotel surveillance footage replayed over and over in his mind.
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Each time he closed his eyes, he saw Sophia climbing onto the garbage cart.
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Each time he heard her innocent voice.
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"It's for Mommy."
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No father should ever carry a memory like that.
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No child should ever create one.
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As dawn broke over the city, Alexander stood quietly beside the apartment window.
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Emily approached with two steaming mugs.
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"They're only herbal tea."
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"I don't have coffee."
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Alexander accepted one with a faint smile.
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"It tastes perfect."
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Emily looked at him.
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"You don't have to pretend."
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Alexander slowly shook his head.
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"I'm not pretending."
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"For the first time in years..."
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"...I'm exactly where I belong."
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Emily lowered her eyes.
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His words warmed her heart.
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But they couldn't erase six years of pain.
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Trust did not return overnight.
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A sharp knock interrupted the silence.
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Daniel entered carrying a sealed evidence envelope.
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"I think you'll want to see this."
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Alexander turned around.
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"What is it?"
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"The FBI searched Victoria's residence after the financial injunction."
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"They found a hidden safe behind the fireplace."
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Daniel carefully placed the envelope on the table.
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"There was only one item inside."
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Alexander frowned.
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"Only one?"
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Daniel nodded.
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"A handwritten letter."
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"Dated twenty-five years ago."
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Alexander carefully broke the seal.
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The paper inside had yellowed with age.
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The handwriting was instantly familiar.
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His father's.
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Edward Sterling.
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Alexander's heartbeat quickened.
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His father had died when Alexander was twenty-nine.
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A sudden heart attack.
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Or so everyone had believed.
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He slowly unfolded the letter.
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At the top were four simple words.
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To My Son.
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Alexander began reading aloud.
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If you are reading this...
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Something has happened to me.
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I pray I am wrong.
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But if I am right...
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You must never blindly trust anyone.
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Not even family.
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Alexander stopped.
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The apartment had become completely silent.
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He continued.
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Your mother loves power more than she loves people.
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I have spent years pretending not to notice.
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Because I hoped she would change.
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She never did.
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If I disappear unexpectedly...
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Do not believe the official explanation.
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Look at the people who benefit.
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Alexander felt his pulse racing.
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Emily slowly reached for his hand.
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He continued reading.
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There is another document.
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The original Sterling Family Will.
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I hid it somewhere Victoria will never think to search.
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Without it...
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She can control everything.
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With it...
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She controls nothing.
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Alexander looked up.
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"There was another will?"
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Daniel nodded.
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"Our legal team never found one."
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Emily quietly asked,
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"Did your father tell you where he hid it?"
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Alexander returned to the letter.
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The final paragraph read:
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If the day ever comes...
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Remember where your mother refused to go after our wedding.
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The answer has always been waiting there.
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Edward Sterling.
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Alexander stared at the signature.
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His father's final words.
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Hidden for twenty-five years.
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Daniel frowned.
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"What place did Mrs. Sterling refuse to visit after your wedding?"
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Alexander searched his memory.
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Then...
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A forgotten image surfaced.
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A tiny wooden chapel.
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Nestled deep in the countryside.
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Emily smiled faintly.
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"Our wedding chapel."
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Alexander looked at her.
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"My mother hated it."
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Emily nodded.
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"She said it was beneath the Sterling family."
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Alexander suddenly remembered something else.
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His father had insisted on visiting the chapel alone the morning after the wedding.
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At the time...
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It had seemed meaningless.
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Now...
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Everything changed.
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Daniel immediately grabbed his phone.
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"I'll arrange transportation."
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Alexander stopped him.
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"No helicopters."
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"No security convoy."
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"If someone else is searching for the will..."
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"...I don't want them following us."
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Daniel nodded.
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"I'll prepare two vehicles."
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Across town.
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Victoria sat inside a federal holding suite.
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Although she had not been arrested, every movement was being monitored.
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One of the agents approached her.
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"You have another visitor."
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Victoria looked up.
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"Who?"
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The door opened.
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A tall man in his early sixties entered.
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His gray suit was immaculate.
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His expression was unreadable.
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Alexander would have recognized him instantly.
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Richard Hale.
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The private investigator who had lied about searching for Emily.
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Victoria smiled.
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"I wondered how long it would take."
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Richard sat across from her.
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"They found Edward's letter."
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Victoria's smile vanished.
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"What?"
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Richard nodded.
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"It was inside the safe."
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She leaned forward.
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"Impossible."
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"I burned every document."
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Richard remained calm.
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"Apparently..."
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"...you missed one."
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Victoria closed her eyes for several seconds.
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When she opened them again...
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They were colder than ever.
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"They must never find the original will."
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Richard asked quietly,
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"And if they do?"
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Victoria answered without hesitation.
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"Then no one walks away alive."
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Three hours later.
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Alexander, Emily, Sophia, and Daniel drove toward the countryside.
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Rolling green hills stretched across the horizon.
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Sophia sat happily between her parents in the back seat.
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For the first time in years...
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She looked like an ordinary six-year-old girl.
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She pointed excitedly through the window.
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"Look."
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"Horses."
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Emily smiled.
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"I remember."
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"You always wanted one."
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Sophia nodded enthusiastically.
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"When I grow up..."
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"I'm going to have a farm."
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Alexander laughed softly.
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"Then I'll build you the biggest barn in America."
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Sophia giggled.
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"Promise?"
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"I promise."
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Emily quietly watched them.
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This was the family she had dreamed of.
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Simple.
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Peaceful.
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Real.
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She prayed it wasn't too late.
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As the SUV turned onto the narrow road leading toward the old chapel...
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Daniel suddenly looked into the rearview mirror.
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His expression changed instantly.
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"Alexander."
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"We're being followed."
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Alexander looked behind them.
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A black SUV had appeared around the last bend.
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Then another.
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Both maintained the exact same distance.
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Daniel's voice became tense.
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"They've been behind us for almost five miles."
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Alexander narrowed his eyes.
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"They know where we're going."
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Emily instinctively pulled Sophia closer.
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The little girl looked confused.
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"Daddy?"
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Alexander forced a reassuring smile.
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"It's okay."
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But deep inside...
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He knew it wasn't.
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Someone had learned about his father's hidden letter.
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May you like
And they were willing to do anything to reach the chapel first.
End of Chapter 8
