Mark found the twelve words scribbled on a scrap of paper. He typed them into a wallet app, not expecting anything.

Balance: 8.61 BTC

His chest tightened.

That was worth more than his dad had earned in years. More than they ever had.

His father was a stacker!

All the lean years.

The quiet birthdays.

The long pauses before “maybe next time.”

His eyes dropped to the old shoebox beside him, the one the lawyer gave him after the funeral, two weeks ago.