The word slipped out before he could stop them. The confession Thomas needed, captured with perfect clarity. Daniel signaled to the two men.
Gentlemen, you can arrest him now. The detectives moved forward, but Vincent made one last desperate attempt. Wait.
You don’t understand. Helena wasn’t the saint you think she was. She hid things from you too.
She forged your signature on documents. Thomas froze. What are you talking about? Vincent laughed bitterly.
Where do you think that $60,000 came from? She used your signature to transfer company funds to the Foundation. Technically, it was fraud. Your precious perfect wife was as much a criminal as I am.
The revelation hit Thomas like a slap. Helena had forged his signature. She had committed fraud to help Laura.
Everything he thought he knew about her was falling apart. But then he thought of the two girls in the hospital. Of Laura dying alone without his help.
Of Helena visiting that woman every day, paying for treatments, promising to protect innocent children. Yes, she had broken rules. She had hidden truths.
But she had done it out of genuine compassion, not greed. The difference, Thomas said calmly, is that Helena did what she did to save a life. You did it to enrich yourself at the expense of orphans.
He nodded to the detectives. Take him away. Vincent was dragged out, shouting threats and excuses.
When the door closed, Thomas collapsed into the chair. Daniel placed a hand on his shoulder. You did the right thing.
Thomas looked at the documents scattered across the table, evidence of Helena’s imperfect kindness and Vincent’s calculated evil. I need to go to the hospital, he said, standing up. Laura needs to know her daughters are safe now.
As he left the building, Thomas wondered how he would tell those girls that the man who brought them candy was a monster and that the woman they had never met had risked everything to save them. Thomas arrived at the hospital in the late afternoon. The corridor on the third floor was quieter than it had been in the morning.
When he pushed open the door to room 312, he found Lily and Rose sitting beside the empty bed. A nurse was straightening the sheets. Thomas’s heart sank.
Where is Laura? The nurse turned. She passed away two hours ago. It was peaceful.
The girls were with her. Lily had her face buried in her hands. Rose stared out the window, her eyes dry but empty.
Thomas approached slowly and knelt between them. I’m so sorry, he said, and this time the words carried real weight. They were not empty formalities.
Rose finally looked at him. She said to trust you. She said you would take care of us like Mrs. Whitmore would have.
Her voice was steady despite the pain. Thomas swallowed the lump in his throat. I will take care.
I promise. Lily lifted her face. Her eyes were red and swollen.
Where do we go now? Thomas had no prepared answer. He hadn’t thought beyond catching Vincent and protecting the girls’ money. But looking at those two lost faces, he knew he couldn’t just put them in an orphanage or with a stranger family.
Helena had promised to protect them. Now that promise was his. Home, he said.
You’re coming home with me. The words came naturally, without hesitation. Lily and Rose looked at each other, surprised.
Really? Rose asked. Thomas nodded. Really.
We have plenty of space. And I think you too need someone as much as I need you. In the following days, Thomas took care of everything.
Laura’s funeral at a cemetery near Helena’s. Temporary guardianship papers. Transfer of the few belongings the girls had to his house.
Daniel worked on the legal proceedings for permanent adoption. Vincent was formally charged with fraud, embezzlement, and document forgery. The evidence was overwhelming.
The girls’ first night in the Whitmore mansion was strange. The house had 12 bedrooms, but Thomas put them in the room next to his. Lily couldn’t sleep.
She appeared at his door at 2 in the morning. Mr. Whitmore, can I ask a question? Thomas was awake, looking out the window. You can call me Thomas.
And yes, you can ask. Why are you doing this? We’re not anything of yours. The question was fair.
Thomas thought carefully before answering. When your mother died, I saw something in your eyes. The same thing I felt since I lost Helena.
Loneliness. Fear that nothing would make sense again. He turned to face her.
You gave me a reason to wake up in the morning. A reason to be better than I have been. Lily entered the room and sat in the chair by the window…
