Emily Opened an Old Storage Box Filled With Family Files — Then Grandpa Arthur Recognized Victoria’s Signature on the Document She Never Wanted Them to See
Chapter 7 — “Arthur Doesn’t Want Contact”
Emily read the page carefully.
It was dated six years earlier.
Telephone call — Samuel Hale.
Then a handwritten summary:
Samuel asked whether Arthur wanted to reconcile.
I advised that Arthur does not want contact and reopening the relationship would be unwelcome.
Arthur looked toward Victoria.
“Did I tell you that?”
Victoria did not answer.
“Did I ever tell you I never wanted to speak to Samuel again?”
“No.”
Arthur’s face tightened.
“Then why did you tell him I did?”
Victoria’s voice shook.
“Because by then you hated him.”
“I hated what I thought he had done.”
Arthur pointed toward the boxes.
“I thought my brother ignored every birthday.”
“Every Christmas.”
“Every invitation.”
“I thought he had decided I wasn’t worth the effort.”
“And now I’m looking at years of effort you hid from me.”
Victoria looked down.
Emily asked:
“Why did you write down what you were doing?”
Victoria looked toward her.
“Because I was organizing correspondence.”
“At first, I needed records so I knew what had been answered.”
Emily looked at the handwritten instructions.
“But none of this was answered.”
Victoria nodded.
“I know.”
Arthur looked exhausted.
“Where are my phone records from those years?”
Victoria frowned.
“Why?”
“Because I want to know how often Samuel actually called.”
Victoria became still.
Emily noticed.
“There are more records, aren’t there?”
Victoria looked toward the storage shelves.
Arthur followed her eyes.
Then he pointed toward a locked metal drawer beneath the worktable.
“What’s in there?”
Victoria did not answer.
Arthur had never paid much attention to that drawer before.
Now he wanted it opened.
