Chapter 4 - A Quiet Farewell
The day of the funeral was overcast, the sky a bruised, heavy grey. I refused to let it be a media circus or a networking event for Garrett’s elite business circles. I banned him from attending. When his family protested, Evelyn sent them a copy of the hospital log alongside the hotel receipt from the night of Ethan's death. They stayed away, terrified of public exposure.
It was just me, a few close friends, and the nurses who had stayed past their shifts to hold my hand in the ICU.
I stood by the small, white casket. In my hands, I held Ethan’s green dinosaur. I placed it gently inside, kissing his favorite toy one last time.
"I love you to the moon and back, my brave boy," I whispered. "I promise you, Mommy is going to be okay. I'm going to live a life that would make you proud."
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As the casket was lowered, a gentle rain began to fall, mixing with the tears that finally broke free from my eyes. For the first time in days, the freezing ice around my heart thawed, replaced by a deep, aching sorrow—but also a profound sense of purpose. I wasn't just surviving for myself anymore. I was surviving to honor the little boy who had loved life so completely.
Across the cemetery, standing just outside the gates under a black umbrella, was Garrett. He looked devastated, watching from afar like a ghost locked out of paradise. I didn't look at him twice. I turned my back on him and walked toward the light.
