On Our 21st Birthday, We Received a Mysterious Box—We Gasped When We Saw What Was Inside

died. I had not even noticed when it happened. Silence had settled over me so slowly that I mistook it for growing up.

The letter continued.

“Gia, you feel things very deeply. Sometimes you pretend you do not, but I know you. You hide when you are hurt because you think it makes you easier to love. Please do not do that continue reading …