Thomas never forgot what had happened.
Years later, he learned that I had returned to town.
He also discovered that Raymond had started calling me regularly and asking questions about my finances.
Thomas understood what Raymond was planning.
“He knew?” I whispered. “Thomas knew Raymond was trying to take advantage of me?”
Walter nodded.
“That is why Thomas arranged to be transferred to your hospital ward. He wanted to see you again, but he also wanted to protect you before it was too late.”
The wedding had not been a rushed decision made by a dying man.
Thomas had planned everything.
He knew that becoming my legal husband would give him a powerful way to protect me.
He had placed his estate inside a secure trust and appointed an attorney who would prevent Raymond—or anyone else—from gaining control of my life.
“The trap was never meant for me,” I said.
“No,” Walter replied. “It was meant for Raymond.”
I pressed Thomas’s letter against my chest.
For more than fifty years, I had avoided saying his name.
Now it was the only name I wanted to speak.
