The burial started without any announcement.
No priest. No loud crying. No dramatic speeches like the ones in movies.
Just men in black suits moving with quiet understanding, like they all knew their roles already.
The grave was already open.
Fresh soil piled beside it.
I stood beside Zander, my hands clasped in front of me because I didn’t know what else to do with them. My fingers kept rubbing against each other. I couldn’t stop it.
The coffin rested on thick straps above the grave. Polished wood.
My stomach twisted.
She was inside that.
She was inside that because of me.
I swallowed and forced my eyes away from it.
Men stood in a loose circle around the grave. Some of them were older. Some younger. All of them stayed quiet. Alert. Watching everything.
Not grieving the way
