Chapter 24: The Anniversary
Six months to the day after the funeral, we gathered at the cemetery again. This time, we brought flowers for both graves—for the unknown man, and for Lucas’s parents.
Lucas knelt by his mother’s stone. “I forgive you,” he said soft. “I understand why you were scared. But we’re going to live differently now.”
We stood there in silence for a long time. The wind blew through the pines, soft and steady.
On the way home, Ethan pointed out the window. “Look—two eagles flying together.”
Lucas squeezed Jude’s shoulder. “They never fly alone if they don’t have to.”
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