The sky matched the mood. Grey. Still. As if the world itself had paused in mourning.
The Grantham family’s private cetery, nestled atop a green hill, was quiet save for the soft patter of rain and the low murmurs of grief. The ceremony had ended, but no one moved. The small white coffin now rested beneath a bed of wilting flowers and rain-slicked soil.
Lunara hadn’t moved either.
Dressed in a black coat soone else had buttoned for her, with her hair pinned neatly back, she looked more like a statue than a woman. Her eyes were dry, but empty. Her hands were cold and still. She had neither spoken nor blinked when Mila was lowered into the ground.
Eryx stood close behind her, his umbrella forgotten by his side, his eyes on her, helpless. It had been like this since the hospital. She had collapsed in his arms and never co back. Not truly.
Then ca the sound of a car.
An older black sedan stopped near the entrance. Out stepped three figures, the one who was unfamiliar to most. The woman in front wore a tight-lipped frown. Amara. Her parents followed, faces pinched with the strain of forced mourning.
They hadn’t visited Mila once in the hospital. Not a single call. And now they were here. For the finale.
Regina, standing a few steps behind her son, whispered, "Did you call them here?"
Eryx’s jaw tightened. "No. They’re here because they think they have a right to be."
The rain began to fall heavier, soft droplets splattering against the umbrellas. Lunara didn’t even glance in their direction as Amara made her way toward her, eyes narrowed in disdain.
Amara’s parents lingered behind her, barely more than shadows at this point, adding to the discomfort of the scene. They had always played the part of dutiful family, pretending to care for Mila in front of Eryx, but their actions had spoken louder than their words.
Lunara stood motionless, her hands still clenched at her sides, eyes locked on the small white coffin that had been lowered into the earth.
"Isn’t it a little late for all this?" Regina suddenly broke the silence, her voice laced with contempt.
But Regina’s words went unanswered. Amara continued striding forward with a determined pace, and without warning, she slapped Lunara across the face.
The air went still. Silence hung heavy between them.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Eryx shouted, his voice raw with anger as he shoved Amara aside, his attention imdiately turning to Lunara. "Are you okay?"
Lunara stood there, looking blankly ahead, her face stinging from the slap. Her mind seed distant, as if everything had been stripped from her in that mont. She didn’t respond, didn’t move, just stood there in the cold rain, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.
Eryx’s face darkened as he gently cupped her cheek, forcing her to et his eyes. His heart ached seeing her so broken, her expression lifeless, as if the pain was too much to bear.
"Lunara," he said softly, his voice now quiet but urgent. "Please, say sothing."
But she didn’t. Not a word, not even a hint of recognition passed across her face.
Amara, fuming, tried to step forward again, but Eryx quickly blocked her path, his fury boiling over. "You have no right to touch her, Amara. Who the hell do you think you are? Don’t you dare co here now and make a ss of this!"
Amara sneered, her eyes flashing with anger. "I am Mila’s aunt, and she killed my niece. She was the one who couldn’t protect her."
Eryx’s eyes blazed with outrage as he took a step forward, his voice cold and cutting. "Suddenly?" His gaze was sharp, almost jabbing into Amara’s face as he continued, "I notified all of you when Mila was rushed to the hospital, where the hell were you then? Where were you?"
He leaned down, his presence towering over her, fury radiating from him. "Don’t put the bla on my wife!" he hissed, his voice tight with rage and pain. "She did everything she could! She protected Mila, acted as her mother when she needed one the most. Mila—" He paused, gritting his teeth, fighting to hold back the torrent of emotion. "Mila, even for such a short ti, knew what it was like to feel a mother’s love."
His voice cracked slightly, a reflection of the ache in his chest, but he held it together, staring at Amara with an intensity that left no room for argunt.
Lunara crouched down, her knees giving up as the weight of Eryx’s words, and everything that had led to this mont, overwheld her. Her body shook with the force of a sob that tore through her chest, deep and ragged.
She had kept it all in, her guilt, her grief, her pain as if striving to remain strong, always hiding behind the mask she wore for herself. But when she heard Eryx’s words, sothing inside her shifted. His voice, full of raw conviction and defense for her, cracked through the wall she had built around herself.
It was as if, for the first ti since Mila’s death, she realized she wasn’t alone in her grief. His words wrapped around her like a lifeline, pulling her out of the isolation she had buried herself in.
As Lunara’s sobs grew louder, the mont of emotion was broken by a voice that felt so out of place. Amara, still standing near the grave, wiped her hand across her forehead, trying to maintain her composure. But her words ca out cold, calculating.
"Mr. Grantham," Amara said, her tone suddenly shifting. "It is not only you and your family who are sad about the loss. We do too." She paused, her eyes cold and calculating, as if trying to asure the weight of her words. "But I think it’s ti to discuss about Mila?" She looked at Eryx, her gaze assessing, not with sorrow, but as if she were discussing the weather. "Mila was part of the family, and now that she’s gone, there’s... a matter of compensation."
Eryx’s brow furrowed, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Compensation?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)