The Day Our Promise Breaks

Chapter 192

Brooks' arm, which had been raised in a moment of concern, suddenly paused mid-air. Reality settled back in. He quietly withdrew his hand. Evelyn was lost in her thoughts while gazing out the window and didn't notice a thing.

She turned away from the window, reached into her bag for her phone, and hesitated for a moment when she saw the caller ID. After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she answered, "Hello, ma'am."

The call was from the pottery studio. The ceramic mug that Charlie had crafted before she passed was ready, and they were wondering when she might come to pick it up. "I'll head over now," Evelyn replied before ending the call.

Before she could say anything else, Brooks chimed in, "Where to? I'll drive you." Evelyn accepted his offer without a second thought and gave him the studio's address. Brooks relayed the information to the driver, who promptly turned at the next corner, steering towards the pottery studio.

...

owner warmly greeted Evelyn, "Ms. Evelyn, so good to see you!" She glanced behind Evelyn, searching for

like playing with clay. They found it fun at first but soon lost interest. Not Charlie. The owner couldn't even recall how many times Charlie had tried and failed. But

wasn't in the best health,

had said the coffee mug was a birthday gift for her dad. It took her over two months, but she finally managed to shape it just

lip, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, lowered her gaze to mask the pain, and forced a smile. "I was nearby,

Adults have their unspoken

Charlie, but their brief encounter was not deep enough to share such heartbreak.

you take the mug home, Charlie will be over the moon," the owner said, blissfully unaware of the truth. Charlie had been so excited about seeing the final product, and it was odd that

mug to Evelyn. She accepted it, and through the clear wrapping, she saw the family portrait Charlie had painted on

ached almost to