Chapter 19 - Lily’s Letter
The hospital payment turned out not to be sinister.
David had donated money to a pediatric diagnostic program because he intended to use Lily’s name publicly during an upcoming corporate campaign.
He had planned a press release.
A photo opportunity.
A story about being a devoted father.
The cruelty of it nearly took my breath away.
The program had nothing to do with Lily’s meningitis.
Her illness was sudden.
Natural.
Unpreventable by anything David’s company had done.
Strangely, that truth brought relief.
I could survive his betrayal.
I did not know whether I could survive believing he had caused her death.
Two days before David’s plea hearing, Children’s Memorial called me.
A child-life specialist had found something in storage.
An envelope.
LILY VANCE.
FOR DADDY.
I drove there immediately.
The envelope contained a folded piece of pink paper.
Lily had written it during her first night in the hospital.
Her handwriting tilted upward.
Dear Daddy.
Mommy says you are resting.
I hope you are having fun.
I am scared but Mommy holds my hand.
The doctors are nice.
Please come home when you can.
I want you to read the dragon book because Mommy does the dragon voice wrong.
I love you infinity.
Lily.
Underneath was a drawing.
Three stick figures holding hands.
Me.
David.
Lily.
I cried until I could not see.
For two days, I kept the letter.
Part of me wanted to bury it with her.
David did not deserve it.
Then I realized the letter was not about what David deserved.
It belonged to Lily.
Her last words deserved to arrive where she sent them.
At the plea hearing, David admitted conspiracy, wire fraud, falsification of records, obstruction, and theft of protected trust funds.
He also agreed to testify against Nolan and other conspirators.
Before officers took him away, I approached his attorney.
“Give him this.”
David opened the envelope.
I watched from across the courtroom.
He recognized Lily’s handwriting.
His hands began shaking.
He read the first line.
Then sat down.
By the time he reached the drawing, he was crying openly.
I walked away.
Behind me, David called my name.
“Maya.”
I stopped.
He stood with the letter pressed against his chest.
“There’s something else.”
I turned.
“What?”
“The backup server has one more partition.”
Agent Cole looked sharply at him.
“What partition?”
David swallowed.
“One I never opened.”
“Why?”
“Because it belonged to Nolan.”
Cole stepped closer.
“What’s inside?”
David stared at me.
May you like
“I think it explains why Nolan was willing to destroy our entire family.”
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