Michael
The house is silent, colder than it should be. I stand by the window, watching the last of the sunlight disappear behind the horizon. The shadows stretch long across the room, and I can feel the weight of grief pressing down on us all. Sophia is gone, and nothing feels right anymore.
We just got back from the mortuary, leaving her body there. It's been a day since she died, but it feels like it happened in another lifetime. Her last breath keeps playing in my mind, a reminder that we failed her. I clench my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms. We can't stop now. Sophia wouldn't want that.
Across the room, Luca is huddled in a corner, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. He wants to mourn, to lose himself in grief, but that's not an option. Not for us. Not now. If we stop, we won't find the strength to continue. And we have to keep going. We have to finish this.