Days blurred together, filled with anxious pacing and unanswered questions. The trust documents on her dining table stared back like an accusation. Daniel’s absence no longer felt like mere grief. It was an unfinished conversation, a man reaching across the grave to taunt her with secrets.
As summer bled into autumn, the town’s curiosity sharpened. Casual acquaintances became detectives. “Did he leave anything to you?” asked a woman at the post office. Maggie wanted to tell them to mind their own business, but instead she forced polite answers and retreated to the solitude of her kitchen, the binder like a bruise.