It wasn’t something a single letter could erase.

But I could hold Grandpa’s words in my hands now, and that mattered.

PART 7: The Life We Built in That House

In the days that followed, the silence of the house changed shape.

At first, every room reminded me of something missing.

I reached for two mugs in the morning.

I started to call down the hall when I couldn’t find the can opener.

I listened for Grandpa’s footsteps at night and heard only the settling of old floorboards.