Chapter Text
Worry. That’s what I felt when I watched my husband pick up the phone call. That’s what I felt as he hung up, dropped the phone on the counter, and covered his mouth with his hand not to wake the children with his cries. I wanted to comfort him, hug him, hold him, kiss him, and tell him everything was going to be okay. But I couldn't. Because truth be told, I had no idea if it was. I had no idea what had shattered the heart of the man I loved, causing him to sob harder than I’ve ever seen him do. He didn’t even cry this hard when his father had died. I wanted more than anything to help him as I watched him cry his soul onto our kitchen counter.
I didn’t hear what the phone call was about until a week later—the day of the funeral. Oliver wanted me to stay home; he said it would be better if he went alone. But I refused. He’s my husband, and I could tell he was grieving and couldn’t be alone. On the way to the funeral home, Oliver told me about the girl, Elizabeth Beck. He didn’t go into detail, but I could only feel sorrow for the poor girl.
Once we arrived, I followed Oliver to a group of people in all black. Once they saw Oliver, a woman with red hair, and tears streaming down her face, opened her arms and hugged him tight. A boy who looked almost identical to her, yet much younger, approached me. He introduced himself as Elizabeth's brother, making me assume the woman was his mother. After that, we talked for a while, taking our seats once the rest of the attendees arrived. As people paid their respects and talked about how much they loved this girl I had never even met, I felt out of place. Yet, when I looked over at my husband, I could see tears brimming in his eyes. I grabbed his hand and held it for the remainder of the funeral.
Once we got home, I thanked my mother for watching the children and followed Oliver to his office, where he locked the door behind him. I could feel myself start to tear up. Before I walked away, I could hear the faint sound of a keyboard clicking.