Ethan
The air in my office was heavy as I waited for Nathaniel and Grace to arrive. It had been days since Dylan’s funeral, and this was the first time the three of us would be together in the same room since that painful night. I wasn’t sure how to approach what I needed to say, but the weight of it pressed down on me, demanding resolution.
A knock came at the door, sharp and hesitant. “Come in,” I called, my voice steady despite the turmoil in my chest.
Nathaniel entered first, his shoulders squared but his face betraying the exhaustion he carried. Grace followed closely behind, her movements subdued, her expression clouded with grief. They sat in the chairs across from my desk, their silence a reflection of the still-fresh wound Dylan’s absence had left in all of us. Dark circles sha
