The morning of Eric’s funeral was heavy with gray, amplifying the silence around me. I stood at the front of the chapel, squeezed between my parents, feeling the weight of grief: my brother was gone. My mother sat like stone, her eyes fixed on the casket, while my father whispered to a cousin, avoiding my gaze.

After the service, Laura, Eric’s wife, approached me with a sealed envelope in Eric’s handwriting. She handed it to me without explanation, and I drove home, unable to open it. Memories of Eric flooded my mind—he was always there, quietly present but never affectionate.

Finally, I opened the letter, which revealed a shocking truth: Eric was not just my brother; he was my father. He had watched me grow from the sidelines, bound by a promise to protect me. Overwhelmed with emotion, I cried, realizing he had loved me all along.