**[Early Morning – Return to the City]**
The skyline rose gray against a lightening sky.
Aileen stared out the window of the car as Nathan drove. The cottage was behind them now, but the quiet still clung to her like a second skin.
“We don't have to do this today," he said, voice low.
“We do."
He glanced at her. “I don't expect anything."
“I know," she said.
And she meant it.
---
**[An Hour Later – Forest Grove Memorial Cemetery]**
The air was cold, clean. A soft mist hovered over the damp grass. They walked in silence.
Nathan carried white lilies.
Aileen held nothing but a blank sketchbook, tied with a black ribbon.
They stopped at the grave together.
**JOLENE LANE HART**
*1988–2020*
*Light, Laughter, Legacy.*
The words stung less than the silence.
Aileen bent slightly,
