As soon as we reached the crematorium, Thomas and Nancy made their move, blocking the door. They stood in front of the gurney, their eyes wide with desperation. “You can’t cremate him!” Nancy shrieked, her voice shrill. “We haven’t said goodbye properly! His friends, his family—they need to see him one last time.”
I raised an eyebrow, my patience wearing thin. “Mom, it’s the middle of summer. William’s body can’t be kept like this for long. The sooner we cremate him, the better. Do you really want people to see him like this?”
Without warning, I pulled back the sheet, revealing William’s broken and bloodied form. His once handsome face was now unrecognizable, twisted by the force of the accident. Nancy gasped, recoiling in horror, while Thomas turned away, his face pale.
“You see?” I said softly. “Do you want this to be the memory everyone holds of William? He cared so much about his appearance. Let’s preserve the memory of him as the strong, charming man he was.”
Nancy stammered, her voice cracking. “That—that won’t do. Emily hasn’t arrived yet. She deserves to say goodbye to her father.”