Chapter 73

Orion stood by the grave, watching the soft rain sink into the freshly turned soil. It slid along the sides in small streams, seeping into the ground like the world was trying to bury her faster than he was ready to let go.

His eyes were empty. Not dry, not glassy, just... blank. As if he still hadn’t cried the way he needed to. As if the grief hadn’t hit him yet, but he knew it was coming. The kind that crept in late and stayed too long.

She left too soon.

He could’ve sworn they had more time. Just a little more. He thought maybe they’d still fix things. Maybe she’d come around. Maybe they could go back to being a family.

But that was just a fever dream, and he knew it.

Everyone else had already left. The murmurs, the fake condolences, the back-pats and polite handshakes—they were over. Now it was just him. He and the grave. He and the umbrella Cooper had handed him before leaving without a word.

The only sounds were the wind moving through the tall unc