My chest tightened.
I looked at Mark, hoping he would say something. But he just stood there, silent, staring at the floor.
So I told the truth—or at least part of it.
“Charlie’s gone,” I said quietly. “He isn’t here anymore.”
For the first time since I had known her, Emily cried.
Not loudly. Not angrily.
Just soft, broken tears that slipped down her cheeks while she stared at the empty space beside her bed.
She passed away later that night.
The house felt hollow after that
