I dressed the body in one of my favorite dresses. Then, with shaking hands, I placed my wedding ring on its finger. And finally—I unclasped the delicate gold necklace Jason had given me when he still loved me. The one I had cherished even after everything. The one Noah used to tug on as a baby while giggling, his small fingers tracing the pendant.
"Mommy, I like this! Is this magic?"
"No, sweetheart," I had laughed. "But Daddy gave it to me, so it’s special."
"Then it’s magic!" Noah had grinned, curling up in my lap.
A lump formed in my throat. That was years ago. Now, Noah clung to Lily instead.
I draped the necklace around the corpse’s neck, swallowing the pain. It was done. The woman on the bed was no longer a stranger. She was Emma Romano.
That night, before I set the house ablaze—
I picked up my phone with trembling fingers, hesitating only for a second before dialing Jason’s number.
Ring.
Once. Twice. Three times. No answer.
Of course. I already knew why. My mother had told me everything when she called me earlier.
"Oh, Emma… I didn’t know how to tell you, but Jason, Lily, and Noah… they left for Paris this morning."
Paris.