“My father left very specific instructions in his will,” Charles said. “He wrote, ‘Find the man who saved me. Give him the chance in life he gave me.’”
Ethan stared at the documents with misty eyes. The deed to a house, paid in full, in a nice neighborhood with a garden. A bank check with more zeros than Ethan had ever seen in his life. Legal documents that created a scholarship fund for Nina, Ruby, and Sam, ensuring they could go to college debt-free.
And finally, a letter written in shaky handwriting, addressed to “The Man Who Saved Me.”
Ethan read it with tears in his eyes.
You didn’t know me. You owed me nothing. But you saw me when no one else did. You kept me warm when I was cold. You fed me when I was hungry. And most importantly, you gave me hope when I had nothing. I want you to have what I can no longer use. Take care of your beautiful children. Live the life you deserve. Thank you for reminding me that kindness still exists.
Ethan was sobbing openly now, his shoulders shaking. Nina, Ruby, and Sam ran to him and wrapped their small arms around their father. They didn’t understand what was happening, but they knew something important had changed.
Charles stood there, smiling warmly despite the tears in his eyes. “My father wanted you to know that kindness is never wasted. It always finds its way back, sometimes when you need it most.”
Ethan looked at the lawyer, at his children, at the documents that depicted a future he no longer believed in. For the first time since Lily’s death, he felt hope.
