Chapter 101 The Story: Grief

• Darren carried Clara’s small suitcase up the crooked steps of their mother’s old house. The key trembled in his hand as he unlocked the door, the hinges groaning in protest when it swung open.
• The silence hit him first.
• No steady beeping of machines, no soft shuffle of nurses, no Clara calling his name in that tired but stubborn voice. Just stillness. The kind that pressed against his chest until it hurt to breathe.