The recovered letters arrived two weeks later after investigators documented them and completed the necessary procedures. James stood in Rebecca's office as she placed the familiar envelopes on the desk. Each bore Claire's handwriting, carefully rounded letters that always leaned slightly to the right. Seeing them again brought such immediate relief that he needed to sit down.
"Are they all here?"
Rebecca counted them with him.
There were letters for Lily's tenth, thirteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, and twenty-first birthdays. There were also envelopes for graduation, marriage, and the day Lily became a parent, if she ever chose that path.
One envelope remained missing.
The letter addressed simply: For the day you need to know how proud I am of you.
James remembered Claire writing that one near the end of her illness. She'd told him it was meant for a day neither of them could predict, when Lily felt frightened or unsure of herself.
"Did they find the last letter?"
Rebecca shook her head.
"Not yet."
James tried to hide his disappointment. Recovering the others was more than he'd dared hope, but the missing envelope felt painfully significant after what Lily had endured.
The investigation had also uncovered records connecting Victor Hale to several disputed investment arrangements. Prosecutors were reviewing whether the conduct supported criminal charges, while Rebecca's legal team continued challenging the documents involving Carter Construction.
James slowly returned to normal routines.
He took Lily to school, attended construction meetings, and cooked dinner at home. Rebecca encouraged him to allow others to manage parts of the business investigation so he could spend time with his daughter.
One Saturday, he took Lily to the park where Claire once taught her to ride a bicycle.
They sat beneath an oak tree eating sandwiches.
"Daddy," Lily asked, "do you wish you still got married?"
James considered the question.
"No."
"Even though Vanessa was pretty?"
He smiled gently.
"Being pretty isn't the same as being kind."
Lily looked down.
"She told me you'd be lonely forever if I made her leave."
James placed his sandwich aside.
"Sweetheart, adults sometimes feel lonely. But loneliness isn't something children are responsible for fixing."
She leaned against him.
"Do you miss Mommy?"
"Every day."
"Then why did you want another wife?"
James stared toward the playground.
"Because I thought I was ready to share our lives with someone again."
Lily nodded thoughtfully.
"Could you be happy with just me?"
James pulled her close.
"Lily, being your dad is the happiest part of my life."
She smiled.
Then she reached into her little backpack.
"I have something for you."
James watched as she removed a folded envelope.
It was Claire's missing letter.