Inside Drake Hoffmann’s black Sedan, he hands me a sealed envelope.
“What’s this?” I ask even though I could open it and find out.
“The letter I told you about.”
I hold my breath and open it. When I read Lavinia’s words, grief slices through me all over again.
Dearest Viola,
I’m so sorry to do this to you. This is not how it was supposed to end, but I couldn’t handle life any longer. As soon as I found out what Jeffrey did to that girl, I couldn’t find the strength in me to keep going. I tried. I really did, but it was just too painful. I failed. I failed myself. I failed you. And I failed my little girl.
I’m no longer the woman I used to be. The woman I have become can never be a good mom to Jenna. She deserves someone stronger. That’s why I’m writing you this letter. I want you to be that person. I want you to be the mother I can never be.
I know this is too much to ask, but please think about it. Treat her like your own child. Jeffrey does not deserve to be in her life, not anymore, not after what he did. You’re the only person I trust. You were my best friend. Wherever you are, you won’t be alone. I’ll be watching over you. But you will be fine. As I told you before, you are the strongest woman I have ever known.
I love you, Viola. Never forget that. Please kiss my baby and tell her I love her. I’m just not strong enough to be her mom right now or ever.
Love always,
Lavinia
I fold up the letter, so overwhelmed with emotion that I can’t even cry.
“She wants me to take care of her baby,” I tell the lawyer.
He nods. “With the help of a trust I helped her set up before her death, she also made you the conservator of her house until her daughter is eighteen.”
“But doesn’t that belong to both her and her husband?”
“Apparently not. She inherited it from her paternal grandparents. Her husband’s name isn’t on the house deed of ownership.”
“She trusted me that much?”
Drake glances down at the papers in his hands. “She sure did.” He looks up again. “Unfortunately, when it comes to the child, things can get complicated. Since I only received the letter after she died, I couldn’t tell her that it won’t be enough to make you the guardian.”
I nod and hug the letter to my chest. It still means a lot that she trusted me with her precious baby.
Chapter 26
Jeffrey looks different with disheveled hair, puffy eyes, and one eye swollen shut.
He must be having a hard time behind bars. I almost feel sorry for him, but not quite. I’m finding it hard to look past the things he did to Brittney McLaren. He took someone’s life, someone else’s child. And he killed his wife.
Four days after Lavinia’s funeral, I found out on the news that Jeffrey has agreed to a plea bargain. The same day, he called me, and I was glad he did. I’d been meaning to talk to him about the letter Lavinia left behind. I still don’t know what to do about it.
Jeffrey requested that I not bring Jenna with me. I guess he’s not man enough to face his own child.
Carmen is still in town. I was shocked when she offered to babysit. Maybe when I placed Jenna in her arms at the funeral, she bonded with her in some way. I doubt it, though. Nothing much has changed. Since that day, she hadn’t held the baby again or changed a single diaper.
Last night, I asked her how long she still plans to stay in town. She didn’t know. Apparently, she’s the kind of person who’s used to picking up and leaving whenever she feels like it.
I wish she stays for a while, not because I like having her around but because she’s Jenna’s grandmother. I’m hoping Jenna will not be taken away from me as long as she’s in her life.
The lawyer was right. Lavinia requested I become Jenna’s guardian, but it’s more complicated than that. Jeffrey is still alive. He may be locked away, but he’s still her father. There’s no way I can decide on any important legal matters concerning Jenna without consulting him first. And Lavinia only requested I take care of her daughter in a suicide note, which is not legally enforceable. Even if they can’t take the house, Jeffrey and Carmen have wiggle room to fight for Jenna.
“I was surprised by your call,” I say to him.
A pane of glass separates us just as it had separated Alex and me not long ago.
