The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 53

"Everything was wrong from the very beginning."

That penciled line was like an ice-cold dagger plunging straight into Annelise's pupils.

Her heart thrashed wildly against her ribs, threatening to leap out of her throat.

She stared at the words, reading them over and over, trying to decipher the author's identity and emotional state from the sharp strokes.

Who wrote this?

When was it written?

Annelise forced herself to calm down.

She refolded the photo, returned it to its place, and picked up the last item: the thick stack of old letters bound by a rubber band.

The envelopes had yellowed, their postmarks faded and blurred.

Annelise slipped off the rubber band and read through them one by one.

They were all letters Elias had sent home from his military deployments.

The postmarks spanned from seven years ago to three years ago.

Most were brief—letting his family know he was safe, sharing anecdotes from the base, and telling his parents to take care of their health.

Between the lines lay a son's simplest, purest devotion to his family.

Annelise’s eyes skimmed quickly over the familiar handwriting.

Until she reached the last few letters.

She astutely noticed a shift; his tone had grown increasingly abnormal.

The second-to-last letter was postmarked exactly three years and four months ago.

It was longer than the rest, the paper stained with what looked like dried watermarks.

"Father,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I already know what happened at home.

There are things I cannot explicitly state in a letter, but please rest assured, as the eldest son, I will handle everything.

I know Clarissa's situation has put you and Mother in a difficult position.

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