Chapter 40

Jake’s POV

It was a beautiful day, and I thought about how ironic life could be sometimes. The sad days were most often the most beautiful ones. I drove through the pristine drive, passing the gentle slopes on either side of me, which boasted a variety of different headstones in an array of different shapes and sizes. I could see a funeral procession on the other side of the cemetery, and it made me feel even lonelier.

I parked the car and stepped down. Noah had wanted to come with me, but that was only because he thought I was making an ice cream run and he wanted to be there to pick the flavors. I knew that one day he would ask to see his mother’s grave, and I would need to bring him here, but today I just needed to be here alone. I wanted to talk to Daphne; I wanted to ask her questions that I knew I would never get the answers to.

“Say hi to her for me,” Isabelle had said, just before I left. “And, tell her I love her.”

“I will,” I replied.

Just bef