Chapter 21: The Letters
The following morning, the Brown estate was filled with a quiet tension. Mia barely slept the night before. Her mind raced with thoughts of her mother, Mirabel, and the truth Laura had begun to reveal. She was still trying to reconcile the woman she’d never known with the pain that had haunted her entire life.
Laura sat in the grand study with Mia and Richard, a worn leather bag resting on her lap. From it, she pulled a bundle of letters wrapped with a faded silk ribbon.
“These were hidden in a compartment inside the jewelry box in your mother’s old safe,” Laura said, her voice gentle. “They were addressed to you.”
Mia’s hands trembled as she reached for them. She unfolded the first letter slowly, as if fearing it might fall apart.
My dearest Mia,
If you're re
