He labeled the spare lightbulbs.

He saved the receipts for cabinet hinges.

He kept every insurance renewal in chronological order.

Yet now, as his health declined, he was refusing to explain something as important as the arrangements he intended to leave behind.

I wanted to believe he was protecting me from unnecessary worry.

But his words suggested otherwise.

Let them believe it.

It sounded as though he expected someone to misunderstand the will.