The Bride Changed. The Bill Didn't. novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: Hal's Letter

Florence sent me a photo of the letter at two in the morning.

I read it sitting on the edge of the bed, with Cal awake beside me and not saying a word.

It was three pages, written in pencil, in the careful print of a man who had not finished high school.

It was dated the spring before Florence's husband died.

"Mara, I am sorry. I should have told you in person, and I was a coward."

I held the phone with both hands.

"Your father was the best foreman I ever worked under. On the day he fell, I was on the next deck. He clipped his harness. I watched him do it."

My breath stopped.

"The anchor point gave way. It was a bracket that Mr. Thurston's company had signed off as inspected the week before. It had never been inspected. They skipped it to save a day."

I made a noise, and Cal's hand closed on my back.

"That night, Estelle Thurston came to the yard herself. She had every man on the crew sign a paper saying Walter had unclipped to reach a pipe. She paid each of us two thousand dollars. I took it. I have not slept right since."

There was a gap on the page.

Then the pencil pressed harder.

"There is one more thing. I heard her talking to her son in the office afterward. She said the girl could sue for four years, and after that nobody could touch the company. She said, keep her close until the four years run out. Be kind. Marry her if you have to."

← Chapter 11 · All chapters · Chapter 13 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend