Peter returned in forty minutes with the envelope. My hands shook so badly that Dr. Mercer had to help me slide a finger under the flap. Inside was a single page in Walter’s slanted handwriting. I read the first line aloud: “Eleanor, if your body ever changes in ways you cannot explain, call Vivian Lindgren before you do anything else, and forgive me for what I never told you.” Peter gripped the arm of his chair, and Dr. Mercer went very still.

Then the office phone rang. Dr. Mercer listened, and she covered the receiver. “Mrs. Hargrove, the second scan shows the mass pressing against your bowel. We cannot wait until morning.” She glanced at the Lindgren folder, then back at me. “But read the rest of that letter first, because it changes how we operate.” My heart pounded as I lowered my eyes to the page.