by Denise Daye
A sharp painful knot formed in his throat as he looked at her. He loved her—still and would do so forever.
Before he realized what he was doing, he rose from his chair like from the dead and he put the phone back into his pants.
“I have to talk to her…at least try,” he said nodding in determination.
He could not just let her go like this. At least not without telling her how he really felt. This was Ava he was talking about. The woman who gave her life for others, the woman who had barely touched a dollar of her allowance during their whole marriage.
“I will be out for the rest of the day,” Benjamin hollered to his secretary as he stormed down the hallway off to the biggest battle of his life—to save his marriage.
Ava heard her name being called from outside the house. It was Benjamin's voice; she could recognize it from miles away. At first, she thought she was hearing things, but then she heard him call out for her again, this time loud and clear.
She gasped and stood, carefully peeking out the window. Benjamin instantly saw her and shouted, “I really need to talk to you!”
Ava pursed her lips. What could he possibly want? She had already signed the papers.
“Please Ava! I beg you!” He shouted again.
Ava debated for a moment longer, but then decided that she at least owed him that. After all, they had shared a life together, and so much more.
Every step as heavy as if she was chained to a metal ball, she slowly descended down the stairs, slowing her pace even further as she drew closer to the door.
She opened it and no matter how much she had demanded from herself to not feel anything when she would see him, her heart stopped beating, nonetheless. An ice-cold shiver shot though her veins when she saw Ben standing there in flesh and blood, looking more handsome than ever. He was wearing a dark business suit in immaculate condition, just like the rest of him.
"Hey," he said, smiling softly.
"Hey."
“Can we talk?”
“If it is about the money, I have already signed—”
“It is not about the papers.”
“Oh,” she said, opening the door wide enough to let him in, but still not wide enough to make him feel welcome. She didn’t want him there for too long, couldn’t bear looking at him a moment longer.
Benjamin stepped in and had barely made it a few steps when he turned and blurted out: “I don’t care about the money, Ava. I care about you, and I want us to be together.”
Ava’s eyes started burning at those words. Was is possible? No! He would hate you! She shook herself back to reality. “Ben, that is what you think now, but—”
“Not what I think, Ava, but know. The last few days have been hell for me. I am not eating, not sleeping, all I can think about is you!” He looked desperate now. “When I first heard my grandfather’s will, I thought he was insane. Had lost his mind. But the more I got to know you, I got to remember us and how we were before the world had turned on us when we just children, I started to realize that he was that genius old man just as I remember him. He wanted me to love again, make me realize what life is all about. I was just too blind to see it.”
Ava looked at him, her forehead wrinkled in doubt. “Benjamin. I—” She froze as he grabbed her hand. His touch felt amazing, warm, sent shivers down her spine.
“Please don’t send me away. If you don’t love me, then say so. But please, I beg you, don’t walk out on what we have because you think it’s the right thing to do.”
Ava looked him deep into his eyes. They looked desperate, truthful. Could it be? Was he really choosing her over a billion dollars?
“But…” she muttered and closed her eyes. “You can’t, no… your inheritance—”
“Can go to my mother or burn to ashes for all I care. I don’t want it without you.”
He squeezed her hand and reached for her chin, gently nudging her face up. “You once asked me if I’m happy. Remember?”
Ava nodded; her eyes filled with tears.
“As long as I’ve got you, then yes, I am.”
Without wasting a second, she threw herself into his arms, burying her face inside his chest. He held her, squeezed her tight, as if he would never let her go again.
“Are you sure you’re ready to be a normal person?” she chuckled and looked up at him.
Still holding her, he answered, “I wouldn’t go that far. There are a lot of crazy poor people out there too.”
They both smiled as if there wasn’t a worry left in the world. He brought her closer and gently kissed her.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips.
“I love you too.”
Two years later, Radcliff estate, Lucy’s home
Lucy walked around the glamorous estate she had ultimately inherited a little over two years ago. As was so often the case, she felt restless, lonely, sad. Even sighting the crumpled cans scattered over the dining table—a few used cigarettes in an overfilled ashtray—didn't make her hiss in anger and think of something sharp to say. Much to her surprise, Barney’s visits and holiday stays had become the only comfort she still had.
The past two years had been horrible, a near death experience at times, and she knew why. The emptiness inside her reminded her of it every single day when the bling of a new necklace turned dull almost instantly, when her friends had gone home, and when all she could hear was silence.
Yet, too proud was her heart to beg her son for forgiveness. Or was it fear that he would reject her? As long as she was uncertain of it, at least she could pretend that someday they would be a family again.
The letter came in early that morning. Unmarked. She flipped it over in her hands and walked out into the garden, a new habit now, and sat on a bench. The trees seemed to stretch farther than she remembered, the emptiness even more noticeable.
There had once been a time when her son would be on the floor, playing and laughing with rocks, and her husband would be by her side, telling her some funny story. Those times seemed so far away now.
"What you got there?" Barney's voice startled her.
How long had he been standing there? She turned the thin envelope again, flipping from back to front. "Looks like some kind of letter."
Her brother came over and sat next to her. "Well open it then, could be from Benjamin and Ava."
She sucked in a sharp breath on hearing their names. It was one thing thinking—and wishing—he'd forgiven her, but it was a whole different thing speaking it out loud.
She tore open the letter and immediately saw the flat note inside it. Opening that, she saw a familiar handwriting and clenched her jaw. Barney saw the frown on her face and looked at the letter, and then back at her face again.
"What? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
"Or something," she mumbled in response and stretched the white sheet of paper. "It's a letter—"
"Yeah?"
"From Elijah."
Barney looked at her, trying to comprehend it. "You mean…"
"Yes, him. It was dated two years ago, and it's addressed to me," she added and started to read:
Lucy, you don't have to be entirely shocked as I know you might be now. You aren't being haunted, although it is safe to say that we have had a different kind of haunting in our family, one which plagued me horribly before my death.
I'm sorry for everything; in truth, I really do wish I had treated you kinder and with more respect, especially after the loss of my beloved son, who I know meant the world to you as much as he did to me. Maybe things would have been different if I had been the family to you that you and Benjamin needed, not the billionaire who threw himself into his work never to be seen again. Please forgive me for that. I was hurt, and did not know how to cope.
I watched as my family crumbled right before me; wealth... so much wealth, and yet we lacked so many things, it was never enough. My grandson, Benjamin, seemed more obsess
ed with money than love, perhaps following in his grandfather and mother's footsteps—and this is no rebuke, my dear Lucy. I am to blame. It is a mistake I have made, and I do not wish for it to be repeated.
I hope by now you would have found your true self again and realized the value of family and love. I hope to God that my grandson did as well, found love and a purpose, is building his own empire as the man he truly is—at the side of his loving wife.
I pray to all that is holy to me that I haven’t backed the wrong horse, that this letter finds you all in the middle of a family dinner, loud voices laughing and making jokes.
Whatever happens, hold on to family.
Take good care of yourself and our Benjamin. Goodbye.
—Elijah Radcliff
A lone teardrop rolled down her cheek and stained the edge of the paper.
"Whoa…" Barney said and looked at his sister. "Creepy. But the old man is right if you ask me. This isn't us, sis. You not talking to your son because of Ava, he not talking to you because of some old fight. He loves her, is happy. You’re miserable. It's time to set things straight, Lucy."
For the first time in years, Lucy could not agree more with what Barney had just said. She nodded enthusiastically, sniffling. "You are right. This is not us. It's time to be a family again."
“Can you believe it!” Benjamin said putting down the pink towel he'd been holding to baby Josephine’s face.
“Old Mike thought he could trick me, Benjamin Radcliff, with a fishy real estate deal. Ha!”
“So, you didn’t buy the property?” Ava asked shouting from the kitchen. Their apartment was cozy and filled with love, yet it was also quite small, so it was almost as if they were in the same room.
“Of course, I did… but for half the price.”
Ava laughed. “If you keep going at that pace, we will be rich again in no time,” she joked.
“You almost sound disappointed.”
“I have to admit… I do like the sweat of real work on your forehead.”
Benjamin wanted to counter with something funny, but the doorbell rang through the apartment.
"I’ve got it, sweets," he said and stood up from the couch holding little baby Josephine close to his heart. The baby cooed in his arms as he looked around for his slippers, muttering something about always misplacing them, before heading for the door on the second ring.
As soon as he opened the door, he let out a grunt of surprise. He'd been expecting a package delivery, so it was nothing short of astonishing to him when he saw his mother standing there.
She looked up at him and tried to speak when he tightened his grip on the door, ready to shut it again.
"What are you doing here?" He would have shouted if he wasn’t holding the baby. His mother's eyes went straight to Josephine. Her eyes widened as her shaking lips wrestled for words. She reached out to touch her grandchild, but he responded with a scowl, moving her out of reach.
"Benjamin... please," she started when he cut her short.
"Just go back to wherever you came from. We don’t want your poison in this home."
Uncle Barney emerged from beside her. “Hey kiddo. "
"Did you bring her here?" Benjamin’s tone was accusatory.
“I'm sorry, kid. But she's your mother."
Benjamin made to respond to that when Ava came up behind him.
"Who's that, darl—" She stopped short when she saw Lucy whose eyes started filling with tears. Ben was still blocking the way when Ava gently squeezed his arm.
"Let them in."
Without saying another word, he turned around, moving back to the couch.
"Benjamin," his mother said as he looked away impatiently. He wanted to leave the room, but Ava’s sweet smile made him stay and holding his baby seemed to placate him, so he listened.
"I know you probably hate me," she almost whispered.
"I don't hate you, Mother," he cut in. “Not completely anyway.”
"Ben…" Ava frowned at him.
“No, no, he's right," Lucy said in a sad tone. "I have been a terrible person. I'm so sorry, both of you," she pleaded, looking at the two. "After Ben’s father died, I lost myself as much as I lost him. I was angry for so long. It blinded me. When the whole thing with the will happened, I thought I was losing my son, and I got scared that I'd die alone. Money was always a quick gratification. I thought it was important, that it would make me happy." Her words shook and broke as she sobbed. “But it means nothing to me without my family.”
Ava patted Benjamin's arm once more and then went over to Lucy. "It's alright, really."
"No, it's not." She held a hand over her mouth, crying gently. "I was foolish, please forgive me. Please."
Benjamin tried to look away, but he couldn't. Seeing his mom like this, so scared and vulnerable, it broke his heart. He went to her as well.
"Mom, it's alright."
“Please Ben,” she begged. “I miss you so much,” she cried out loud as her voice echoed through the room. Her gaze found the baby once more and she smiled, her lips quivering. Out of nowhere, Ben let out a loud sigh and handed her the baby.
“This is your granddaughter, Josephine.”
Lucy’s tears intensified again as she pressed little Josephine to her cheek. She let out a soft coo in return.
“She is so precious.”
“She is everything to us,” Ben said softly running his hand over Josephine’s head.
Lucy’s face brightened, turned to pure joy. Suddenly she grew serious again. "Benjamin… your inheritance… you can have it. All of it. What do I need it for if I would die alone?” She looked over to Barney. “Or with him,” she joked.
“Yeah that would be pretty bad,” Barney said with a grin, being uncharacteristically quiet.
"Thanks, Mom," Benjamin replied and shook his head. "But you hold on to it. I've got all it takes to build my own empire. I've got my family, and that's the most important thing to me."
Lucy beamed with pride. He looks different, she thought. In a good way. Maybe things could be different after all... maybe things could be good, maybe there was no such thing as cursed money. Maybe people just got lost on their path of life at times and needed a little, or a lot, of help to find their way back to what truly mattered.
“Now that we are all a happy family again… does that mean I can stay at the mansion with you?” Barney asked Lucy.
“No,” she said loud and clear.
“We shall see about that,” Barney muttered to himself as he walked by Ava and Ben to see if there was beer in the fridge. Lucy followed with the baby in hand. Ava wanted to go after them as well, but Ben pulled her back.
“Do you know that I love you?” he asked her with a grin on his face.
“You think giving up a billion dollars for me was all you had to do to prove that to me?” she teased him back.
“Well you are out of luck then, because I have some other things in mind to prove it to you once the fam is gone and the baby is asleep.” He smiled at her but then became serious again.
“I love you,” she said looking deep into her eyes.
“I love you, too,” she whispered back and gave him a gentle kiss.
“NO BEER IN THIS HOUSE?!” Barney yelled from the kitchen as if the world had come to an end. Ava rolled her eyes and rushed after them.
As Ben watched his entire family in the kitchen, happily babbling away, joking and laughing, he knew that his grandfather had not been insane, nor did not he go crazy before his death. He didn’t want to punish him from the afterlife, nor did he hate him. Quite the opposite. He had remained the genius Elijah Radcliff the world had known him for to the very minute he had left this world for his next adventure—hopefully somewhere where he could see Benjamin now and rest assured that for the first time in his life, he was truly happy and grateful for all his grandfather had done for him.
He had finally become the person he was meant to be—a lo
ving husband, father, son, and nephew.
After an accident, Emma Washington wakes up in Victorian England — and in order to survive, she must do the one thing she’s been avoiding her whole life: get married. But what if her betrothal to notorious Lord William Blackwell leads to true love?
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Denise graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from an Ivy League school and has spent many years of her life supporting families and individuals in need of assistance. She has always had a passion for writing, but it wasn't until her own baby boy was born that Denise turned her passion into her profession. Whenever Denise is not typing away on one of her books, you can find her caring for her son (aka one of the toughest jobs in the world), binging Netflix with her beloved husband, or chasing after her puppy (who should technically be an adult dog by now).
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