This felt like losing a part of myself I would never get back.
I stood by the window now, staring out without really seeing anything, my thoughts drifting somewhere between memory and emptiness.
And then something pulled me back.
A car.
Black.
Parked on the street… watching.
It hadn’t been there before.
I frowned slightly, narrowing my eyes as I tried to focus through the haze in my mind.
Something about it felt… off.
And for the first time in days, something other than grief stirred inside me.
Liam calledme the following week.“Hi,” he said softly, his voice carrying a heaviness that mirrored my own. “How are you doing?”
I swallowed, forcing the words out as I blinked back the tears already gathering in my eyes.“I’m alright.”
It was a lie.
A fragile one.
The kind that barely held together.
I hadn’t seen him since the funeral reception. We had exchanged a few messages, brief and careful, but even that had felt overwhelming. Facing him… facing someone who shared this loss so closely… felt like reopening something that hadn’t even begun to heal.
Three weeks had passed.
And yet, it still felt like it had just happened.
“I was wondering if you would be free on Monday,” Liam continued, his voice faltering slightly as he sniffled. “Cole’s lawyer would like to speak to us regarding his will.”
My chest tightened at the mention of it.
His will.
Another reminder that he had known.
That he had prepared.
That he was gone.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment before answering.“Yes… I’ll be there.”
We agreed on noon.
After the call ended, I stared at my phone for a long moment, my reflection faintly visible on the dark screen.
There was a finality to it.
Something about this meeting felt like another step forward… whether I was ready for it or not.
And I wasn’t sure I would ever be ready.
