Sophie’s POV
Look beneath the roses.
I read the words again.
My mother's handwriting.
My heart began pounding.
“The roses,” I whispered.
Alexander looked at me.
“What?”
“My mother’s roses.”
I turned toward the garden.
“She used to say they were the only things in this house that never betrayed her.”
Alexander followed my gaze.
“Then let's see what she left behind.”
We walked back toward the flower beds.
The roses had grown wildly over the years. Some had withered, while others still bloomed despite years of neglect.
I knelt beside the oldest bush.
“This one.”
“How do you know?”
“She planted it herself.”
I pushed aside the branches carefully.
Nothing.
I moved to the next bush.
Still nothing.
Then I noticed something beneath the third rose bush.
A small section of soi
