Chapter 102. The Funeral

Aurora’s POV

I stand there, my fingers loosely interlaced with Riley’s, his quiet presence grounding me as the flames consume what was left of my father. The air is thick with the scent of smoke and ash, but it doesn’t choke me—it feels almost cleansing, like the end of something long overdue.

Riley’s small hand wrapped tightly around mine. He hasn’t said much since we arrived, but I can feel his quiet relief, the weight that has lifted from his young shoulders.

Telling him about our father’s death hadn’t been as hard as I’d feared. I thought he’d cry, that he’d be scared or confused. Instead, when I told him our father had become a star, just like Mom, he looked at me with those wide, knowing eyes of his and asked if that meant he couldn’t hurt us anymore. When I said yes, he just nodded, his expression one of quiet satisfaction. It broke my heart and mended it all at once, seeing him so wise beyond his years.

All along…he had known of my suffering, a