Inside were dozens of letters, each one addressed to Victoria in Catherine’s unmistakable handwriting. The pages were yellowed at the edges, some creased from being handled and read many times.
The first letter, dated three years ago, looked as though it had been opened and refolded countless times.
Emerald’s hands shook as she read the opening lines: “Victoria, I know what you did. Did you think I wouldn’t notice the missing money?”
Her stomach dropped.
“That I wouldn’t check my accounts? Month after month, I watched small amounts disappear. At first, I told myself there must be some mistake.”
The letter continued: “That my own daughter wouldn’t steal from me. But we both know the truth, don’t we? Your gambling has to stop.”
Emerald’s vision blurred as the words sank in. Gambling? Her mother had a gambling problem?
“You’re destroying yourself and this family. I’ve tried to help you, to understand, but you keep lying to my face while taking more.”
The letter went on to mention a Christmas promise broken within a week—$5,000 gone despite tearful vows to change.
Catherine’s words were filled with heartbreak rather than anger. She’d been trying to help, trying to save her daughter from herself.
But Victoria had kept taking. Kept lying.
A Pattern of Betrayal
Emerald read letter after letter, each one revealing more of a story she’d never known. The dates spread across years, showing a pattern of theft and deception.
The tone in Catherine’s letters shifted gradually—from concern to anger to resignation.
One letter mentioned a family dinner where Victoria had sworn she was done gambling for good. Emerald remembered that night vividly.
Her mother had seemed so sincere, tears streaming down her face as she hugged Catherine and promised to change.
Now Emerald wondered if those tears had been real or just another performance in a long series of manipulations.
Another letter detailed specific amounts stolen over months—$200 here, $500 there, occasionally larger sums when Victoria thought she could get away with it.
Catherine had kept meticulous records, documenting every disappearance while her heart broke over her daughter’s addiction.
The letters painted a devastating picture of a mother watching her child self-destruct while being powerless to stop it.
The Final Letter From Grandmother
The last letter from Catherine made Emerald catch her breath. It was dated just three months before she died.
“Victoria, you’ve made your choices. I’ve made mine. Everything I own will go to Emerald—the only person who’s shown me real love, not just used me as a personal bank.”
“You may think you’ve gotten away with it all, but I promise you haven’t. The truth always comes to light.”
Catherine’s words grew more personal: “Remember when Emerald was little, and you accused me of playing favorites? You said I loved her more than I loved you.”
“The truth is, I loved you both differently but equally. The difference was that she loved me back without conditions, without wanting anything in return.”
The closing lines were the most painful: “I still love you. I’ll always love you. But I cannot trust you. Mom.”
Emerald’s tears fell onto the yellowed paper, blurring the ink slightly.
Leave a Comment