Chapter 8 - THE BLUE BOX
The blue box was stored beneath Sarah’s bed at her apartment.
Julian sent security to retrieve it.
Sarah refused to let anyone open it except her.
When it arrived, she placed it on the guesthouse kitchen table.
The cardboard was faded.
A strip of tape still crossed the lid.
Leo had never seen it.
“What’s inside?”
he asked.
“Old things.”
Sarah waited until he was asleep.
Then she and Julian opened the box together.
Inside were photographs.
Hospital bills.
Prenatal vitamins that had expired years earlier.
The tiny knit cap Leo wore after he was born.
Julian picked it up carefully.
He had never held anything belonging to Leo as a newborn.
Sarah saw his expression.
For once, she did not look away.
Beneath the clothing was another envelope.
Inside was the fifty-thousand-dollar check.
Uncashed.
Julian examined it.
The signature was not his.
But the authorization code could be traced.
Sarah removed several letters.
“These are the ones I sent you.”
Julian looked confused.
“You have copies?”
“I photocopied everything after receiving your rejection.”
One letter described her pregnancy.
Another contained her temporary address.
A third said she would never ask for money.
Julian read every word.
Then Sarah discovered something she had forgotten.
A courier receipt.
The delivery had been signed for by initials.
V.S.
Victoria Sterling.
Julian stared at the receipt.
“That’s proof she received at least one letter.”
Sarah nodded.
“But not proof she forged your reply.”
They continued searching.
At the bottom of the box was an old voicemail recorder.
Sarah laughed softly.
“I used this because my phone was terrible.”
Julian inserted new batteries.
Most recordings were mundane.
A doctor confirming an appointment.
Sarah’s mother asking about groceries.
Then a woman’s voice filled the kitchen.
“Miss Morgan, this is Victoria Sterling calling from Mr. Vance’s office.”
Julian froze.
Sarah stared at the recorder.
“I forgot about this.”
The recording continued.
“Julian has received your messages.”
“He does not wish to speak with you.”
“Please respect his decision and stop contacting him.”
Julian slammed one hand against the table.
Sarah flinched.
He immediately stepped back.
“I’m sorry.”
His voice shook.
“She used my name.”
“For months.”
“She stole years from us.”
Sarah looked down.
“Years you can’t give back.”
Julian nodded.
“No.”
“I can’t.”
Before either could speak again, Sarah’s phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
STOP DIGGING.
BURN THE BLUE BOX.
OR NEXT TIME WE WON’T JUST VISIT LEO’S SCHOOL.
Sarah read it twice.
Then she handed the phone to Julian.
His expression became stone.
May you like
Victoria had just crossed a line neither of them would forgive.
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