Pretending To Be In A Tight Spot, I Asked For One Safe Night Indoors. My Well-Off Kids Said It Wouldn’t Work. Only My Youngest Son, A Teacher, Took Me In, Ready To Sell His Wedding Ring To Cover Groceries. Next Morning, My Lawyer Arrived With A $100m Check, And Their Expressions Changed…

We’d had a brief intense affair after Richard’s death, one that had ended when he’d moved back to Portugal to care for his aging mother. “Miguel,” I breathed, sinking back into my chair. “How did you find me?”

“I never stopped looking,” he said softly.

“I heard about your illness through mutual friends. I wanted to call sooner, but I wasn’t sure if you’d want to hear from me.”

“You know about the cancer.”

“Elena, I know about everything. The diagnosis, your daughter’s plans, the way they’re circling like vultures.

I also know about the money from the business sale.”

My blood turned to ice. “How could you possibly know about that?”

“because I never stopped caring about you even after all these years. I have friends who keep me informed about the people I love.

When I heard what was happening, I had to reach out.”

The line went quiet for a moment. Both of us processing the weight of his words. Love.

After 30 years, he’d said it so easily, like no time had passed at all. “Miguel, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying that you have options, Annie. You don’t have to let them steal your dignity along with your money.

I’m saying that there are places in this world where $6 million can buy you not just comfort, but freedom. Real freedom.”

I closed my eyes, feeling something I hadn’t experienced in years. Hope.

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting that you disappear, Elena. I’m suggesting that you let them think they’ve won and then you vanish into a life they can never touch. I’m suggesting that you come to Portugal where I can take care of you the way you deserve to be cared for.”

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