Chapter 175. The Burial and the Surprise

Teyana’s POV

The burial came faster than my heart could keep up with. It was only a day after her death. My stepdad said she had told him she wanted to be buried soon after her death. Learning that my mum had been preparing ahead of her own death had only made me cry deeper.

I stood there under a dull sky, dressed in black, sunglasses hiding eyes that were swollen and aching. Carol stood beside me, her arm around my back, steadying me when my legs forgot how to hold my weight.

The pastor spoke about heaven, rest and peace.

All I could think about was how my mother used to hum when she cooked. How she used to braid my hair even when I pretended I was too old for it. How she used to say my name like it was something precious. When she told me about the lords…how she cared for me in her own faulty way.

‘Mum.’

The word echoed painfully inside me now, unanswered.

John stood a few steps away, grief carved deep into his posture. When he came