I faked a business trip to set a trap for my loyal housekeeper. Instead, my hidden cameras caught my fiancé mistreating my young daughters behind my back.

I read Elena's letter aloud to the girls.

*My dearest Valeria and Sofia,*

*If you're reading this, something has happened to me. And I'm so sorry. I wanted to be there for you. To watch you grow up. To see your first days of school. Your first dates. Your weddings. To hold you when you're sad. To cheer for you when you're happy. I wanted to be your mommy forever.*

*But if I'm not there, I need you to know something. I will always love you. More than anything in this world. I will always be with you. In the sun on your face. In the wind in your hair. In the stars at night. I will never leave you.*

*And I need you to know something else. Your father loves you more than anything. Take care of him. He needs you. Just like you need him.*

*And if someday he finds someone new. Someone who loves you. Someone who takes care of you. Be kind to her. Let her love you. Because I want you to be happy. I want you to have a mother's love. Even if it can't be mine.*

*I love you, my darlings. Forever and always.*

*Mommy*

The girls were crying.

I was crying.

Marisol was crying.

But there was something else in the envelope.

A document.

A trust fund.

Elena had set it up before she died.

She'd had money of her own.

From her family.

She'd invested it wisely.

And it had grown.

The trust fund was worth 120 million dollars.

All for the girls.

To be held until they turned twenty-five.

But with Marisol and me as trustees.

To use for their education.

Their health.

Their happiness.

Elena had taken care of them.

Even from beyond the grave.

I looked at the document.

And I thought about everything.

Chloe had wanted my money.

She'd wanted to destroy my family.

And Elena had left our daughters more money than Chloe had ever dreamed of stealing.

There was a certain irony to it.

And a certain beauty.

Elena was still taking care of her family.

That night, we celebrated.

Not the money.

But Elena's love.

We made her favorite meal.

We told stories about her.

We looked at photographs.

We laughed.

We cried.

And we felt her there.

With us.

In the room.

Smiling.

Watching over her family.

The next year was the best of our lives.

Valeria turned ten.

Sofia turned seven.

They were thriving.

Happy.

Confident.

Loved.

Marisol and I got married.

It was a small ceremony.

In our backyard.

Surrounded by friends and family.

The girls were our bridesmaids.

They threw rose petals.

They smiled.

They laughed.

And as I kissed Marisol, I looked up at the sky.

And I swore I could feel Elena's blessing.

Marisol adopted the girls.

Legally.

They kept Elena's name as their middle name.

And they took Marisol's last name as their own.

They were Vance-Ruiz girls now.

Proud of both their mothers.

Proud of their family.

We had a new baby.

A boy.

We named him Elias.

After Elena.

He was perfect.

Ten fingers.

Ten toes.

Elena's eyes.

My nose.

The girls adored him.

Marisol was the perfect mother.

To all three children.

Life was perfect.

Or as perfect as it could be.

We still missed Elena.

We always would.

But we were happy.

We were healing.

We were moving forward.

And then, two years after Chloe was sentenced, we got a call from the prison.

Chloe wanted to see me.

She said she had something important to tell me.

Something about Elena.

I didn't want to go.

I didn't want to see her face.

I didn't want to hear her voice.

But Marisol encouraged me.

"She can't hurt you anymore," she said. "And if there's something you need to know about Elena… you should hear it."

So I went.

I went to the prison.

I sat across from Chloe.

She looked terrible.

Her hair was graying.

Her face was lined.

She looked old.

Broken.

"Alexander," she said. Her voice was rough. "Thank you for coming."

"What do you want?" I said. "I don't want to talk to you. I don't want anything from you."

"I'm dying," she said.

I stared at her.

"I have cancer," she said. "Pancreatic. The doctors say I have months. Maybe weeks."

I didn't feel anything.

No pity.

No sadness.

Nothing.

"That's not my problem," I said.

"I know," she said. "And I don't expect you to care. But I need to tell you something. Before I die. Something about Elena."

She paused.

"I didn't just kill her," she said. "I stole something from her. Something important. And I need you to have it back."

She reached under the table.

She handed me a small box through the slot.

I opened it.

Inside was a necklace.

A heart-shaped locket.

Elena's locket.

She'd worn it every day.

It had been missing after the accident.

The police had never found it.

I opened the locket.

Inside were two pictures.

One of Valeria as a baby.

One of Sofia as a baby.

And on the back, there was an inscription.

*My family. My heart. My forever.*

"She was wearing it the night she died," Chloe said. "I took it. I kept it. I don't know why. Maybe as a trophy. Maybe because I wanted to have something of hers. Something of the life I wanted. But I'm dying now. And I don't want it anymore. It belongs to you. To the girls."

She looked at me.

Tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "For everything. I was sick. I was evil. I destroyed so many lives. And I'm going to spend eternity paying for it. But I need you to know… I never stood a chance against Elena. She was everything I could never be. Good. Kind. Loved. I hated her for it. And I killed her for it. And I'm sorry."

I stood up.

I put the locket in my pocket.

"I don't forgive you," I said. "And I never will. But I'll give this to my daughters. Because it's theirs. Not because of you. But because of her."

I turned to leave.

"Wait," Chloe said.

I stopped.

But I didn't turn around.

"Tell the girls…" Her voice broke. "Tell them I'm sorry. For everything."

I walked away.

I didn't look back.

I went home.

I gave the locket to the girls.