I shook my head.
“You never gave me permission to fail.”
“You trusted your plan.”
The silence that followed felt endless.
Then Matthew walked back to the cedar chest.
From the very bottom, he removed one final notebook.
Unlike the others, it wasn’t full.
Only the first page had writing.
He handed it to me.
My hands shook as I read.
When Ashley finally believes she doesn’t need me anymore… my job is finished.
Unlike the others, it wasn’t full.
My heartbeat slowed.
“The plan,” I whispered.
Matthew nodded.
“I said, ‘My plan is about to work. Ashley finally believes she doesn’t need me anymore. My job is finished.’”
My eyes filled again.
“I wasn’t celebrating trapping you.” He smiled sadly. “I was telling my dad that I thought my plan was almost complete.”
“You were talking to your father?”
“He still asks about you every week.”
