{"id":9477,"date":"2026-10-07T20:10:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=9477"},"modified":"2026-10-07T20:10:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:10:30","slug":"part-2-213","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=9477","title":{"rendered":"Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThat\u2019s good. Because there isn\u2019t any for you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

I climbed the steps, but he blocked the doorway with his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hear me? Get off this property before I call the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall them,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019d love to ask why you\u2019re throwing her clothes in the trash before probate\u2019s even started.\u201d<\/p>\n

His jaw tightened. For a second, he glanced toward the neighborhood, perhaps checking for witnesses.<\/p>\n

That was enough.<\/p>\n

I ducked under his arm and entered the hallway.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey. HEY.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hurried down the hall, past the kitchen where Marianne had poured me bitter tea every Sunday and the chair where she\u2019d once tucked a blanket around my shoulders without turning it into a kindness I had to repay.<\/p>\n

The sewing room door was still ajar.<\/p>\n

Arthur followed close behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou touch one thing in here and I swear\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll what?\u201d I turned. \u201cSue me? Please. I want a lawyer in this room as badly as you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

His face reddened, but he stayed in the doorway as I crossed toward the tall antique cabinet in the corner. I\u2019d never seen it open before.<\/p>\n

The brass key slid smoothly into the lock.<\/p>\n

It clicked.<\/p>\n

Inside hung a thick cream envelope from a thin ribbon, my name written across it.<\/p>\n

My hands shook as I broke the seal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d Arthur stepped into the room. \u201cWhat are you holding?\u201d<\/p>\n

I silently read the first page.<\/p>\n

Then the second.<\/p>\n

My knees weakened, and I sat on Marianne\u2019s sewing stool.<\/p>\n

Dear Addie,<\/p>\n

I told you that I used to work in my own store in the city, but what I didn\u2019t tell you was that I still own that store. I left it in the care of Simon, the last person I mentored before retiring.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m leaving you the deed to that store, on the condition that you learn the trade and work there.<\/p>\n

I have been telling Simon about you for almost a year. He agreed to take you on. The arrangement is his promise to me, and mine to you. You owe neither of us anything but the work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked you a question!\u201d Arthur snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe left me the deed to her store in the city,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Arthur stared at the paper. Then at me. Then at the cabinet, as if calculating what else might be hidden in the house. \u201cThat\u2019s not legal. She wasn\u2019t in her right mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

I raised another document. \u201cHer lawyer notarized it eight months ago. Her doctor signed the competency letter. It\u2019s all in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou manipulated her.\u201d He took a step closer. \u201cGive me that envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive it to me before I take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stood. I wasn\u2019t tall and had never won a fight in my life, but I held the envelope to my chest like the only piece of family I\u2019d ever been given\u2014because it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cTouch me,\u201d I said, \u201cand you\u2019ll find out exactly what Marianne taught me about standing up for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arthur\u2019s shoulders sagged briefly before his anger returned. He pointed a trembling finger toward the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out. Take your papers and never come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

I gathered the envelope against my chest and walked past him without another word.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Weeks later, after the lawyers finalized probate, I took the train into the city.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Simon waited outside the small shop on a quiet corner. He was a gentle man in his 50s, with kind eyes and ink-stained fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must be Addie, the one who visited Marianne every Sunday,\u201d he said softly. \u201cShe told me you\u2019d come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe talked about me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConstantly. She said I\u2019d recognize you by the way you held your shoulders. She was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

I followed him inside, breathing in fabric and lavender. Bolts of silk lined the walls, while half-finished gowns rested on wooden forms.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026 how is this going to work?\u201d I asked as I ran my fingers over a bolt of cloth.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarianne asked me to teach you everything I know,\u201d Simon replied. \u201cShe told me you were a bright and honest woman with a ton of unfulfilled potential. She said you needed a chance to prove yourself and build something special, so that\u2019s what I\u2019m giving you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears burned my eyes.<\/p>\n

Marianne hadn\u2019t only shown me love.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d left me a future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThat\u2019s good. Because there isn\u2019t any for you.\u201d I climbed the steps, but he blocked the doorway with his arm. \u201cDid you hear me? Get off this property before I call the police.\u201d \u201cCall...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPart 2 - Welcome<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/awestories24.press\/?p=9477\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Part 2 - Welcome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThat\u2019s good. Because there isn\u2019t any for you.\u201d I climbed the steps, but he blocked the doorway with his arm. \u201cDid you hear me? 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