Chapter 216. Death

Riley

As we sat down and listened to the sermon, my eyes darted between the casket beside the pulpit and the pew where my mother and her siblings sat.

I knew how much Grandma’s death affected my mother, even if she didn’t show it. “She was crying earlier today.” Rowan’s voice replayed in my head.

I barely saw my mother crying, even though I knew she had been through so much. She never let us see that part of her.

While growing up, she always made sure to be secretive about her struggles. Initially, my brother and I didn’t understand why she kept so much stuff away from us. But as time went by, we realized she just did it to protect us.

My mother didn’t want to worry us with any of her burdens. But now that we were older, I wanted to know everything that was bothering her. I wanted to be there for her.

For the first time since we walked into the chu