I walked away, leaving him and his hollow promises behind. The air was cold, but for the first time in years, I felt free. No more waiting. No more sacrificing pieces of myself for someone who didn’t deserve them.
I glanced back one last time, not at Scott, but at my mother’s grave.
No more Scott in my life...
I was halfway to the cemetery gates when my phone rang. The cemetery manager’s frantic voice cracked through the line, trembling with panic. “Miss Ariana, someone’s... someone’s digging at your mother’s grave!”
The air seemed to vanish from my lungs. My mother—my gentle, selfless mother—had endured so much heartache and had given me everything without asking for anything in return. Even in death, she deserved peace. I turned on my heel and ran back, my legs pumping harder with every word replaying in my mind.
She had been my rock after my father’s death, her mateless heart never wavering in its devotion to me. Even when she was diagnosed with heart disease, she never let the weight of her illness darken my life. Her last wish had been simple: “Don’t engrave my name. Just write, ‘May my daughter live a safe and happy life.’” And now, that wish was being trampled on.