I returned home from deployment three weeks ahead of schedule to surprise my husband and our four-year-old daughter

Instead, the sound brought me happiness.

A few weeks later, a letter arrived from Derek.

He had written it while in custody.

For three days, I left the unopened envelope on the kitchen counter.

Eventually, I decided to read it.

Derek claimed that the burden of his debts had overwhelmed him.

He explained that Patricia had persuaded him that moving Lily overseas temporarily would somehow solve their financial problems.

He maintained that he had never wanted our daughter to be harmed.

According to his letter, he had panicked when I returned ahead of schedule because everything was moving too quickly for him to manage.

Then I reached a sentence that proved he still had not understood what he had done.

“I wish you had just waited until your scheduled return date. None of this would have happened.”

I read those words a second time.

Then I carefully folded the letter.