Behind me, the door creaked open.
“Mom, please, the guests are asking about you. Tell me what’s happening.”
I reached for her hand and pulled her gently to my side. Victor stepped just a little closer, no further, holding the small wrapped gift as if it might break.
“Hannah, this is your father. And that card… it was from Luke. He wrote it 13 years ago and asked your dad to give it to you today.”
“Tell me what’s happening.”
Hannah’s mouth opened, but no sound came. She looked down at the card again, reading it slowly, the tears finally spilling.
Victor lowered himself to one knee, right there by the door.
“I don’t deserve to be here. I know that. Your brother was braver at 18 than I’ve been my whole life. He came to find me before the surgery. He told me everything. And I still didn’t come.”
Victor lowered himself to one knee.
“Then why now?” Hannah whispered.
“Because he asked me for one thing. I see it as a dying wish. And I owed him at least that. And because I couldn’t hide anymore.”
Hannah looked up at me, shaking.
“Mom, what do I do?”
“Sweetheart, that isn’t for me to answer. But Luke wanted you to know you were never alone. That’s what ‘I promised I’d be here’ means.”
