I read the words again.
\nTHERESA HAS EVERYTHING. SHE JUST DOESN\u2019T KNOW.
\nMy husband\u2019s handwriting.
\nThere was no mistaking it.
\nThe way he crossed the T.
\nThe slight slant of every letter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I had seen that handwriting on birthday cards, grocery lists, and little notes he used to leave beside the coffee pot.
\nBut this message had been written after the life I thought I knew had already begun falling apart.
\nMary Lou pulled a chair beside me.
\n\u201cMom, what did Dad send you?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nDaniel watched me carefully.
\n\u201cThink.\u201d
\n\u201cI am thinking.\u201d
\n\u201cTwenty-one years ago. Around Christmas. Did anything unusual arrive?\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nTwenty-one years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mary Lou had been twelve.
\nMy husband had still been alive\u2014or at least I had believed he was.
\nThen a memory surfaced.
\nA brown package.
\nPlain wrapping.
\nNo return address.
\nMy eyes opened.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was something.\u201d
\nMary Lou leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cA package.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s expression sharpened.
\n\u201cWhat happened to it?\u201d
\n\u201cI thought it was paperwork from your father\u2019s office.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you open it?\u201d
\nI slowly shook my head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nDaniel stood.
\nMary Lou stared at me.
\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause your father came home that same evening and told me it had been sent by mistake.\u201d
\nDaniel went completely still.
\n\u201cHe came home?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did he do with the package?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI tried to remember.
\n\u201cHe told me to put it somewhere safe until he could deal with it.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd where did you put it?\u201d
\nI looked at Mary Lou.
\n\u201cIn the attic.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nDaniel\u2019s voice lowered.
\n\u201cDid he ever take it?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause three days later, he disappeared.\u201d
\nMary Lou gripped the edge of the table.
\n\u201cYou mean when you thought he died?\u201d
\nI nodded.
\nThe memories came back in painful pieces.
\nThe telephone call.
\nThe police officer at my door.
\nThe identification of personal belongings.
\nThe closed coffin.
\nThe funeral.
\nThe neighbors bringing casseroles.
\nMary Lou crying herself to sleep.
\nI had never seen his body.
\nI had been told the accident had been too severe.
\nFor twenty-one years, I had believed that explanation.
\nNow suddenly every detail felt wrong.
\nDaniel sat again.
\n\u201cTheresa, listen to me. If that package is still in your attic, there are people who would kill to get it.\u201d
\nMary Lou looked toward him.
\n\u201cThen why hasn\u2019t anyone searched her house?\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s answer came quickly.
\n\u201cBecause almost no one knew where it was.\u201d
\n\u201cAlmost?\u201d
\nI asked.
\nHe looked at the photograph.
\n\u201cKang Jun suspected.\u201d
\nMary Lou\u2019s face tightened.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why he married me.\u201d
\nDaniel didn\u2019t answer.
\nShe stood.
\n\u201cAll these years.\u201d
\nHer voice cracked.
\n\u201cHe told me he loved me.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe he did.\u201d
\nDaniel replied.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d
\nMary Lou snapped.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t try to make him better than he was.\u201d
\nDaniel lowered his eyes.
\nMary Lou turned to me.
\n\u201cHe knew who Dad was. He knew who I was. He came into my life because he wanted something.\u201d
\nI reached for her hand.
\nShe pulled away\u2014not from anger at me, but because she was trembling too badly.
\nThen a thought struck me.
\n\u201cThe money.\u201d
\nDaniel looked at me.
\n\u201cWhat about it?\u201d
\n\u201cEvery year, Mary Lou sent exactly $100,000.\u201d
\nI turned toward her.
\n\u201cWas that really your decision?\u201d
\nShe hesitated.
\nThat hesitation gave me my answer.
\n\u201cMary Lou.\u201d
\nShe closed her eyes.
\n\u201cThe first payment wasn\u2019t.\u201d
\nMy heart sank.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cKang Jun told me to send it.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cHe wanted to see what you would do.\u201d
\n\u201cWith the money?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s jaw tightened.
\nMary Lou continued.
\n\u201cHe thought if Dad had left instructions with you, a large payment might make you move the documents, contact someone, or leave the country.\u201d
\nI felt suddenly sick.
\n\u201cSo I was being watched.\u201d
\nMary Lou nodded.
\n\u201cAt first.\u201d
\n\u201cFor how long?\u201d
\n\u201cYears.\u201d
\nI stood so fast the chair scraped across the floor.
\n\u201cTwelve years of money. Twelve years of silence. And all that time people were watching me?\u201d
\n\u201cMom, I wanted to tell you.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause once Kang Jun died, I thought they would stop.\u201d
\nDaniel spoke quietly.
\n\u201cThey didn\u2019t.\u201d
\nI turned on him.
\n\u201cWho are \u2018they\u2019?\u201d
\nHe didn\u2019t answer.
\nI stepped closer.
\n\u201cYou came into my daughter\u2019s house with two men. You had a key. You knew my name. You knew my husband. You knew about a package in my home.\u201d
\nI pointed toward him.
\n\u201cSo stop speaking in riddles. Who are you really?\u201d
\nDaniel looked at the two men standing behind him.
\nThen he said something in Korean.
\nThey immediately left the kitchen.
\nA moment later, we heard the front door close.
\nNow only Daniel, Mary Lou, and I remained.
\nHe took a long breath.
\n\u201cMy real name isn\u2019t Daniel Han.\u201d
\nMary Lou stared at him.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe reached into his jacket and removed a small leather wallet.
\nInside was an identification card with a photograph much younger than the man sitting before us.
\nThe name was Korean.
\nI couldn\u2019t read it.
\nBut beneath it was another photograph.
\nKang Jun.
\nMy husband.
\nAnd Daniel.
\nAll three men standing together.
\n\u201cYour husband and Kang Jun were part of the same financial network.\u201d
\nDaniel said.
\n\u201cBut years before your husband disappeared, he wanted out.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause he discovered where some of the money came from.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cCorruption. Bribery. Stolen corporate funds. Money moved through fake companies.\u201d
\nMy stomach turned.
\n\u201cWas my husband stealing?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nDaniel shook his head.
\n\u201cHe was documenting it.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cHe was trying to expose them?\u201d
\n\u201cAt first, he only wanted to protect himself.\u201d
\nDaniel paused.
\n\u201cThen he discovered something bigger.\u201d
\nMary Lou whispered, \u201cWhat?\u201d
\nDaniel looked at me.
\n\u201cA list.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat kind of list?\u201d
\n\u201cPeople who had tried to leave the network.\u201d
\nA chill crawled over my skin.
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cThey were disappearing.\u201d
\nI thought about my husband.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re saying he knew they would come after him.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cSo he faked his death.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy legs weakened again.
\n\u201cBut why abandon us?\u201d
\nDaniel didn\u2019t answer immediately.
\nThen he said, \u201cBecause he believed it was the only way to keep you alive.\u201d
\nI laughed once, bitterly.
\n\u201cThat sounds convenient.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d
\nMy eyes filled with tears.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t know what it was like raising a little girl alone. You don\u2019t know how many nights she cried for him. You don\u2019t know how many birthdays I looked at an empty chair.\u201d
\nMary Lou came beside me.
\nDaniel looked down.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHe said softly.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d
\nI wiped my eyes.
\n\u201cIs he still alive?\u201d
\nThat question changed the room.
\nMary Lou stopped breathing.
\nDaniel looked at me.
\nAnd I knew immediately.
\n\u201cYou know.\u201d
\nHe said nothing.
\n\u201cYou know where my husband is.\u201d
\nMary Lou stepped forward.
\n\u201cTell us.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s expression became troubled.
\n\u201cUntil recently, I believed he was dead.\u201d
\nMy heart sank.
\n\u201cRecently?\u201d
\n\u201cThree months ago, I received a message.\u201d
\nHe took a phone from his pocket.
\nHe opened an encrypted message and placed the screen in front of me.
\nThere were only two sentences.
\nSHE MUST NEVER FIND THE PACKAGE.
\nIF THERESA COMES TO KOREA, KEEP HER AWAY FROM HOME.
\nMy hands began trembling.
\n\u201cWho sent this?\u201d
\nDaniel looked at me.
\n\u201cYour husband.\u201d
\nMary Lou covered her mouth.
\nMy knees nearly gave out.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s alive?\u201d
\n\u201cI believe so.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere is he?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI grabbed Daniel\u2019s sleeve.
\n\u201cYou expect me to believe my husband has been alive for twenty-one years and you don\u2019t know where he is?\u201d
\n\u201cHe changes locations constantly.\u201d
\n\u201cThen contact him.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause the message came through a one-way channel.\u201d
\nMary Lou suddenly turned toward me.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\nHer expression was different now.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cIf Dad told Daniel to keep you away from home\u2026\u201d
\nShe stopped.
\nI understood before she finished.
\n\u201cThe package.\u201d
\nShe nodded.
\n\u201cSomeone else knows.\u201d
\nDaniel stood immediately.
\n\u201cWe have to get to it first.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\nI asked.
\n\u201cMy house is thousands of miles away.\u201d
\n\u201cWe fly tonight.\u201d
\nMary Lou stared at him.
\n\u201cYou think it\u2019s safe for her to go back?\u201d
\n\u201cIt may already be too late.\u201d
\nI felt panic rising.
\n\u201cMy neighbor.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat neighbor?\u201d
\nMary Lou asked.
\n\u201cThe woman who helped me arrange the ticket.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d
\n\u201cMy travel dates. Your address. Everything.\u201d
\nDaniel looked alarmed.
\n\u201cDid she have access to your house?\u201d
\nI started to answer no.
\nThen remembered.
\nBefore leaving, I had given her a spare key.
\nSo she could water the plants.
\nMy blood went cold.
\n\u201cShe has a key.\u201d
\nDaniel immediately grabbed his phone.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s her name?\u201d
\n\u201cCarol.\u201d
\n\u201cFull name.\u201d
\n\u201cCarol Benson.\u201d
\nHe typed something quickly.
\nMary Lou watched him.
\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d
\n\u201cChecking.\u201d
\nSeconds passed.
\nThen Daniel froze.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI asked.
\nHe turned the phone toward me.
\nOn the screen was Carol\u2019s photograph.
\nThe woman who had lived three houses away from me for almost seven years.
\nThe woman who brought me soup when I had the flu.
\nThe woman who helped buy my plane ticket.
\nUnder her photograph was another name.
\nNot Carol Benson.
\nDaniel spoke quietly.
\n\u201cShe isn\u2019t your neighbor.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cShe works for the same network Kang Jun worked for.\u201d
\nI felt the room disappear beneath me.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nDaniel looked at the time.
\n\u201cWhen did you leave home?\u201d
\n\u201cYesterday morning.\u201d
\nHe muttered something under his breath.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nMary Lou demanded.
\nDaniel looked straight at me.
\n\u201cIf she knows you\u2019re here, she knows the house is empty.\u201d
\nI reached for my phone.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll call her.\u201d
\n\u201cNo!\u201d
\nDaniel grabbed my wrist.
\n\u201cDo not let her know we know.\u201d
\nBut the phone was already ringing.
\nOnce.
\nTwice.
\nThree times.
\nThen someone answered.
\nNo one spoke.
\n\u201cCarol?\u201d
\nI whispered.
\nSilence.
\nThen I heard breathing.
\nSlow.
\nCalm.
\nAnd finally, a man\u2019s voice.
\nA voice I had not heard in twenty-one years.
\n\u201cTheresa.\u201d
\nMy entire body stopped.
\nMy hand began shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone.
\nMary Lou stared at me.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\nTears filled my eyes.
\nBecause I knew that voice.
\nI knew it better than my own.
\n\u201cDavid?\u201d
\nThere was another long silence.
\nThen my husband\u2014the man I had mourned for twenty-one years\u2014said:
\n\u201cWhatever you do, don\u2019t come home.\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
PART 4 \u2014 THE PACKAGE I NEVER OPENED I read the words again. THERESA HAS EVERYTHING. SHE JUST DOESN\u2019T KNOW. My husband\u2019s handwriting. There was no mistaking it. The way … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8131"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8136,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131\/revisions\/8136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}