A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust by Sally Garcia

Chapter 824

"This is the place you picked. The view's really something," Lance said, glancing around the gentle slope of the cemetery, where wildflowers nodded in the breeze and old oak trees cast dappled shadows.

"You like it, don't you?" Calliope replied with a soft smile.

"I'll come visit you often," Lance promised, his voice thick with emotion as he spoke to the headstone.

Calliope stepped forward and addressed the grave with quiet conviction, "Hudson, don't worry. I'll make sure Lance is taken care of."

Their friends and family lingered with them for a long time, sharing memories, hugs, and the silence that only grief can bring. Eventually, one by one, the crowd dispersed, leaving just Calliope, Silas, and Lance among the rows of weathered stones.

...

Back at Lance's old house, Calliope and Silas tried to persuade him to stay at the Myers Manor for a few days, just so he wouldn't be alone. But Lance shook his head. “Really, I'll be okay here. This is home."

After a quiet conversation in the hallway, Calliope let Silas know she'd stay with Lance for a few days. Silas didn't love the idea of being apart from her, but he understood.

most wasn't something you just bounced

kissed her forehead and told her to call if she needed

Lance. He talked for hours, sometimes about Hudson, sometimes about everything and nothing. To her surprise, he

was just...quiet. He didn't try to hide his sadness, but he wasn't falling apart either. He told stories, shared memories, and when he got tired, he simply said, "I'm heading to bed. You should get some sleep

knew it would hurt. Losing someone close to you always did. Even years after her own grandfather had passed, she still dreamed about him sometimes, still felt a pang of regret when she stumbled across something he would've loved. That ache never really went away. It just

Lance had a hard road ahead, learning to live without Hudson. But she also knew he'd get

s

was exhausted from the funeral and all the emotion. She

head hit

...

next morning, when

into the kitchen, she

every bit is sunny self, like the world

bacon, toast, and a plate of fresh fruit.

Come eat!"