Inside the folder, I found everything Helen had meticulously organized—the deed to a second house I had never known about and a bank statement showing a substantial sum of $480,000. She had left it all for me, as if foreseeing that I might need a safety net, an escape plan, just when I would never have thought to plan for one myself.
I sat down heavily in Helen’s leather desk chair, trying to process the weight of what I held. As I read through the details, a strange mix of grief and relief washed over me. This unexpected gift was Helen’s final act of strength and foresight, a way of ensuring my independence even in her physical absence.
