to a crushing wave. Sarah' s vision tunneled, the freshly painted cream walls seeming to close in on her. The air grew thick, unbreathable. She saw David'

iliar, gentle scent of old books and pipe tobacco. She was lying on the

hand was gently

ear girl. Can

ng down at her. His face, usually so stoic, was etched with deep lines o

e whispered, he

y with regret. "I... I am so sorry, Sarah. For what m

is tired eyes, she saw a reflection of her own pain. A dam of unshed tears broke inside her, and s

nce on hers. When her sobs finally subsided into ragged

ut. "He' s erased him. They' re turning his room in

emory be erased," Rich

g with sudden, urgent clarity. "A proper one. Bu

red. "Here. In this house. We will honor th

ed for. It was a memorial, a vigil. They set it up in the grand living room, the one David and Lisa had so recently violated. Sarah

t, staring at the polished wood, remembering her son' s laugh, the feel of his small han

watching, a silent guardian of her grief. He seemed to age ten years in thos

ber ritual. To them, it was just an inconvenient drama playing out i

ift inside her. The all-consuming grief was still there, a permanent hole i

ichard, his head bow

r voice clear and steady

ooke

t a div

David, done with his cruelty, done with the life that had taken everything from her. The vigil f