g, but it was nothing compared to the agony in my soul. I knew what they were about to do, what David had commanded. I was

ortrait of concern. He was holding my hand, his thumb stroking my kn

spered. "The surgery was a succ

iling, my throat t

There were... complications, honey. The damage was more extensive than they t

letting a single tear roll down my cheek. I had to be the grieving, b

new void next to the one Ethan had left. He h

tronger, I asked the que

an' s funeral.

t. It' s all been taken care of. I had a simple, private

repeated, my voice ho

gery, Sarah. It w

s... did you save anything for me? His favorit

, he' s gone. What' s the point of holding onto som

built on seeing what lies beneath the surface-the faint brushstroke that reveals a forgery, the subtle discoloration that points to decay. I looked at my h

he best Carrara marble," he said, as if the price tag was a s

d it say?

eloved Son.' Sim

it took. You couldn' t get a custom-carved headstone made from Italian marble in three days. It was impossible. He hadn't ev

as w