{"id":25542,"date":"2026-09-29T20:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25542"},"modified":"2026-09-29T20:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T20:10:12","slug":"part-17-the-signature-on-davids-missing-letter-led-back-to-his-father-but-the-reason-he-took-it-was-harder-to-accept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25542","title":{"rendered":"PART 17 \u2013 The Signature on David\u2019s Missing Letter Led Back to His Father, but the Reason He Took It Was Harder to Accept"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>My first instinct was to call my former husband immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him across the kitchen table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour grandfather may have taken a document meant to determine where you lived after your father died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you want to wait?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to know what we\u2019re asking before we accuse him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa sat beside the estate binder, staring at the signature that supposedly belonged to her.<\/p>\n<p>M. Carter.<\/p>\n<p>Two letters had reopened a part of our family history I had spent decades trying to file away.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan pointed at the receipt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa had access to Dad\u2019s estate?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe helped after the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBank accounts. Insurance. David\u2019s apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I could barely function.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The admission tasted bitter.<\/p>\n<p>My former husband, Richard, and I had divorced long before David\u2019s death. We were civil by then, but never close.<\/p>\n<p>David remained connected to both of us.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had always been good with paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>Rules.<\/p>\n<p>Systems.<\/p>\n<p>Anything that could be placed inside a folder and labeled.<\/p>\n<p>He was less gifted with feelings that refused to stay where he put them.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard went to Levin\u2019s office twice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter David died. He said he was helping straighten out estate documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan tapped the signature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould he have signed my mother\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut he could?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew her signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid\u2019s paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we call Levin first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Levin had retired.<\/p>\n<p>His former practice had merged with another firm, but an administrator found archived records under David\u2019s estate file.<\/p>\n<p>Two hours later, we were speaking with a lawyer named Paul Chen.<\/p>\n<p>He was careful.<\/p>\n<p>Very careful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can confirm that the archive contains a receipt matching the one you have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho collected the letter?\u201d Ethan asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe receipt identifies Melissa Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat signature isn\u2019t hers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you alleging forgery?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m asking whether your file shows identification was checked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t see a copy of identification attached.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas that normal?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot by current standards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt should still have been documented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes the file mention Richard Calloway?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Keyboard sounds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn what context?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was listed as assisting Ruth Calloway with estate administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe attended a meeting eleven days after David\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The date.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Mom there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul searched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe attendance note lists Mr. Levin and Richard Calloway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was discussed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGeneral estate distribution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the letter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A longer pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a handwritten note.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul read it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGuardianship letter released at family request. Matter deemed unnecessary because surviving biological parent retains custody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamily request?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t specify.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas Grandma consulted?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul could not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, he could not answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen one man decided my father\u2019s instructions were unnecessary?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul remained professional.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can only tell you what the record reflects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan thanked him and ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>Then he looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I reached for my phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard answered on the second ring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRuth?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sounded surprised.<\/p>\n<p>We spoke only a few times a year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m coming over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That hesitation told me enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStay there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan drove.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa came with us.<\/p>\n<p>Richard lived forty minutes away in a ranch house he had bought after retirement.<\/p>\n<p>When he opened the door, he looked older than I had prepared myself for.<\/p>\n<p>Eighty-two.<\/p>\n<p>Thinner.<\/p>\n<p>White hair.<\/p>\n<p>But his eyes remained sharp.<\/p>\n<p>Then he saw Ethan.<\/p>\n<p>His face softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan didn\u2019t smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at Melissa.<\/p>\n<p>Then me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I handed him the receipt.<\/p>\n<p>He studied it.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing in his expression moved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not the question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I knew that face.<\/p>\n<p>It was the face he wore when he had already decided how much truth another person was entitled to receive.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you sign Mom\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa exhaled.<\/p>\n<p>Then Richard added, \u201cI signed for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The distinction infuriated me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou forged her signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI collected a document.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsing her name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout permission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a chaotic week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan remained calmer than either of us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat document?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want you to say it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A long pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father\u2019s guardianship letter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa sat heavily on a chair near the entrance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard ignored her.<\/p>\n<p>I stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause it was unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t get to decide that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The sentence hit all of us.<\/p>\n<p>Richard immediately looked away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat came out wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Ethan said. \u201cI think it came out exactly right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad couldn\u2019t argue anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard walked into the living room.<\/p>\n<p>We followed.<\/p>\n<p>On the mantel stood a photograph of David at sixteen.<\/p>\n<p>I had taken it.<\/p>\n<p>Seeing it there while confronting the man who had once kept that same boy from me for six weeks made my anger sharper.<\/p>\n<p>Richard sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father was worried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you read the letter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My breath caught.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou opened it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt had already been opened at the attorney\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Levin read it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said it wasn\u2019t legally binding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why take it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard rubbed his hands together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you were all grieving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan laughed once.<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>The family excuse.<\/p>\n<p>Protecting people from truths deemed inconvenient.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou thought we couldn\u2019t handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought introducing David\u2019s preferences would start a custody war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA custody war happened anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMonths later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were Ethan\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI still am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was my point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad wanted me with Grandma temporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you ignored it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I thought David was making the same mistake I made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That stopped me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeeping a child from a parent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t get to use what you did to justify this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt sounds exactly like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I read David\u2019s letter, all I saw was myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen your grandmother and I separated, I convinced myself Ruth was too unstable to care for David.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had facts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice became quieter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wasn\u2019t sleeping. She missed work. She cried constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother had died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I used your grief against you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became still.<\/p>\n<p>I had waited more than forty years to hear him say that.<\/p>\n<p>It did not feel satisfying.<\/p>\n<p>It felt late.<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at Ethan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen David died and I read that he wanted Ruth to have you for six months, I thought he was repeating me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut he wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Mom was struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Dad specifically said grief would make it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard struggled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I believed a child belonged with his living parent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if the child needed something else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought stability meant keeping the obvious legal relationship intact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom wasn\u2019t stable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The honesty hurt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut neither was Ruth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could barely eat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy son had died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think that meant I couldn\u2019t care for Ethan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought everybody was broken.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ethan whispered, \u201cIncluding me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you made a decision for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout telling anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you thought you knew best.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pattern was almost unbearable.<\/p>\n<p>Different generation.<\/p>\n<p>Same mistake.<\/p>\n<p>Fear becoming control.<\/p>\n<p>Control disguised as protection.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s the letter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my study.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stood.<\/p>\n<p>I followed him down the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>Richard opened a filing cabinet.<\/p>\n<p>Of course he had kept it.<\/p>\n<p>Men like Richard did not destroy documents.<\/p>\n<p>They archived their mistakes.<\/p>\n<p>He removed a sealed plastic sleeve.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was David\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n<p>The original.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan took it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou had this for nine years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever think about giving it back?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard gave him a tired look.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe longer you hide something, the harder it becomes to admit you hid it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa whispered, \u201cI understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>Something passed between them.<\/p>\n<p>Recognition.<\/p>\n<p>Not absolution.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan opened the sleeve.<\/p>\n<p>The letter matched Catherine Bell\u2019s draft until the final page.<\/p>\n<p>Then David had added something by hand.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan read.<\/p>\n<p>His face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He handed it to me.<\/p>\n<p>At the bottom, David had written:<\/p>\n<p>Dad, if somehow this reaches you before Mom, do not decide for her.<\/p>\n<p>My eyes blurred.<\/p>\n<p>Richard turned away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n<p>Richard nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next line was worse.<\/p>\n<p>You taught me what happens when a frightened father mistakes control for protection. I love you, but I will not repeat it.<\/p>\n<p>Richard sat down.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since we arrived, he looked truly old.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan watched him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad wrote that to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you did exactly what he asked you not to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at his grandson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause understanding your worst trait doesn\u2019t automatically cure it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>Then Ethan noticed another handwritten paragraph.<\/p>\n<p>This one had been added beneath David\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n<p>Different ink.<\/p>\n<p>Different handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Dated six months after David\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p>I was wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wrote this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had just heard about the custody filing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you bring the letter then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCowardice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No explanation.<\/p>\n<p>No defense.<\/p>\n<p>Just the word.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan continued reading.<\/p>\n<p>I thought hiding David\u2019s plan would prevent a custody fight. Instead, I helped create the uncertainty that made one inevitable.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had known.<\/p>\n<p>Months after David died, he understood.<\/p>\n<p>And still remained silent.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan folded the letter carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word was not angry.<\/p>\n<p>It was exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not cutting you off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just need to leave before you make me responsible for making you feel better about this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s face collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan walked toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa followed.<\/p>\n<p>I remained.<\/p>\n<p>Richard looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had imagined that apology for decades.<\/p>\n<p>For David.<\/p>\n<p>For those six weeks.<\/p>\n<p>For every decision Richard made because he believed certainty entitled him to control.<\/p>\n<p>Now it arrived when I least wanted it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked surprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean I forgive everything today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward the door.<\/p>\n<p>Then Richard said, \u201cRuth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course there was.<\/p>\n<p>I looked back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe letter wasn\u2019t the only thing Levin gave me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Richard opened the filing cabinet again.<\/p>\n<p>He removed a small envelope.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was a memory card.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLevin said it came from David\u2019s desk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you take it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know what was on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you look?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s expression became ashamed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause after reading the letter, I was afraid to find out what else my son understood about me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I took the card.<\/p>\n<p>On its label, David had written only three words.<\/p>\n<p>FOR DAD SOMEDAY.<\/p>\n<p>And I knew Richard was not the only person who had been afraid of what David might say.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=25543\">Click here to continue reading: PART 18: David\u2019s Message to His Father Finally Explained the Six Missing Weeks That Had Shaped Every Custody Battle in the Family<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My first instinct was to call my former husband immediately. Ethan stopped me. \u201cNot yet.\u201d I looked at him across the kitchen table. \u201cYour grandfather may have taken a document &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25542"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25588,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25542\/revisions\/25588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}