Richard felt his throat tighten.
“What else did he do?”
Lily looked down at her hands.
“He brought me books.”
Richard blinked.
“Books?”
“Yes. Every week.”

She glanced at the grave again.
“He said if I kept reading and studying, one day I could go to a really good school.”
Richard’s mind began racing.
His son had quietly been mentoring the housekeeper’s daughter—and he had never known.
“But that’s not why I came today,” Lily said suddenly.
Her voice shook.
Richard looked at her more closely.
“What do you mean?”
The girl reached into her backpack.
Then she carefully pulled out a small envelope.
“I found this last week,” she said.
Richard took the envelope slowly.
His name was written across the front.
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