Chapter 6 - The Safe In The Private Study Finally Opens: Graham Finds His Father's Watch
Graham abandoned the gala thirty seconds later.
He sped home through the pouring rain, running red lights, his hands shaking so violently against the steering wheel that he nearly spun the Maybach off the Ashley River bridge.
He tore through the front doors of the mansion, bounding up the grand staircase three steps at a time, and slammed into the second-floor study.
He fell to his knees in front of the antique safe, his trembling fingers spinning the brass dial to the combination: 0-6-1-4—the date of our wedding.
The heavy steel door swung open.
On the top shelf sat the navy velvet box.
With tears stinging his bloodshot eyes, Graham lifted the box with shaking hands and flipped back the lid.
Resting on the white silk cushion was his father’s 1968 Patek Philippe chronometer—its platinum bezel polished to perfection, its second hand ticking with flawless mechanical rhythm.
Graham flipped the watch over.
Engraved on the caseback were the six words: Every moment still begins with us.
And taped beneath the watch was the printed receipt from the master watchmaker in Zurich, dated four months ago, along with the timestamp from the Charleston Harbor Yacht Club: 10th Anniversary Gala — 9:15 PM.
Graham clutched the watch against his chest, collapsing forward onto the Persian carpet, and let out a broken, agonized howl of grief that echoed through the empty, desolate mansion.
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She had spent months bringing his father’s ghost back to life for their tenth anniversary.
And he had shattered her heart into a million pieces for a cheap laugh among hyenas.
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