Chapter 109

• ASHLEY’S POV
• The silence at the cemetery was deafening, the kind that settled deep in your bones and refused to leave. I stood beside my dad, clutching a bouquet of white lilies in my hands, the breeze tugging slightly at my dress. Today marks another year since we lost her—my mother. And somehow, the ache hadn't dulled one bit.
• “She would've loved these,” I whispered, kneeling down to place the flowers gently at the base of her grave. The headstone was clean, polished and simple…just like her. My fingers traced the letters engraved on the marble like I always did, as if memorising them would somehow bring her closer.