“What?” Michael asked.
“A box.”
An hour later, we sat around his desk.
In the center was a small wooden box with a brass lock.
Mr. Elwood handed me a key.
“Thomas asked Christina to open it.”
Inside were five envelopes.
One for each of us.
I opened mine.
The first sentence made my heart stop.
“My sweet girl, there is something you need to understand about Susan. She left because she discovered a part of my past that none of you knew.”
Thomas explained that Susan had found an old heart-shaped locket in his desk.
Inside was a photograph of Thomas standing beside a young woman.
Susan had recognized her.
It was her mother.
Across the room, Noah began crying.
Mara covered her mouth.
Susan went pale.
Then she stood and ran from the office.
I followed.
Part 5 — The Truth Susan Never Knew
I found Susan beneath a large oak tree, sobbing.
