I hope one day she’ll know I always needed her too.” I sat there for a long time, letting the quiet sink in. All the confusion, all the assumptions I had made, melted into something warm and heavy in my chest. This wasn’t a mystery to solve; it was a gift he didn’t know how to give any other way.When I finally stepped out of the apartment, locking it behind me, I didn’t feel sadness the way I expected.
Instead, I felt something closer to peace. The space was more than a collection of memories—it was proof of a love that had been steady, even when it wasn’t obvious. My dad hadn’t left me a hidden life or a burden.
He left me a reminder that every small moment we shared mattered to him more than I ever realized. And now, holding the key, I understood what he meant: this place wasn’t just closest to his heart. It was where he kept mine safe, too.
