CHAPTER 1
A beautiful woman was getting ready to visit her late husband's grave for the very last time.
She stood in front of the mirror, watching her reflection with a quiet, almost reverent stillness. Her fingers hovered over the delicate chain around her neck before she let her hand drop, exhaling slowly. Today was the last time she'd visit the grave. The final goodbye.
It had taken her three years to reach this moment. Three years of clinging to a promise made in grief — that she'd never love another man, that her heart belonged eternally to the one she'd buried. But promises made in the depths of sorrow weren't always promises that could live in the light.
She loved him. Still did. Maybe she always would. But grief had stopped feeling like devotion and started feeling like a prison. She was ready now — not to forget, but to breathe again.
Her gaze drifted to the bouquet on the table. White lilies and soft purple irises. The same arrangement he used to bring her. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Tuesdays, just because. She pressed them to her nose, eyes closed, letting the scent drag her back through the years. Then she blinked it all away, tucked the flowers into the crook of her arm, and headed for the door.
Sunlight hit her face like a blessing or maybe a warning as she stepped outside. Warmth slid across her skin, and she was glad she'd left the black dress in the closet. Today wasn't about mourning anymore. It was about reclaiming something of herself.
And there he was. Derrick. Standing by his sleek black car, arms folded casually over his chest, as if waiting outside her home was the most natural thing in the world. His eyes flicked up, caught hers, and for a beat too long, he just stared.
"Hey," he said, stepping forward and offering his hand.
Sandra slid her fingers into his without a word. The squeeze he gave her was light, familiar. Comforting.
"You look… different," he said after a pause. "Good. Really good."
She smiled softly. "Thanks."
He took the bouquet from her with the same quiet care he did everything, placing it in the backseat and holding the door open for her. It was all so seamless, so practiced, it nearly broke her heart. He'd always been this way. Solid. Steady. Her safety net when everything else had collapsed.
As he slid into the driver's seat, the scent of him filled the air. Earthy. Clean. Masculine. No cologne, no pretense. Just Derrick. Where Clement had been polished, Derrick was all quiet storm. No edges softened, but none unnecessarily sharp either.
They drove in silence, her hand fitting naturally into his when he reached for it. It had become a ritual, this drive. Each year, he brought her to the cemetery. Sat with her. Took her home and stayed until the shaking stopped. He never asked for anything. Never pried.
She turned to him at a red light, catching him studying her again.
"I'm okay," she murmured, her voice barely above the hum of the engine.
His expression eased. But his hand didn't let go.
It wasn't just about Clement anymore. It was about Derrick, too. About how much she'd leaned on him. About how long she'd kept him tethered to a promise he never made but never walked away from either.
He deserved better than to live in her shadow.
When they arrived, she got out before he could circle around. Reached into the backseat for the flowers.
"I've got it," she said when he moved toward her.
He froze, brows lifting slightly. "You sure?"
"Yeah." She smiled, firm and kind. "I need to do this one on my own."
He didn't argue. Just gave her that unreadable look he always wore when she surprised him. She could tell he was watching her carefully, trying to read the shift in her.
If he knew what she was really planning, he'd probably think she'd lost her mind.
She wasn't ready to tell him. Or anyone, really. Not until later. First, she had to face the man beneath the headstone. One last conversation with the past before stepping into whatever came next.
The grass crunched beneath her shoes as she walked. The flowers trembled in her arms, or maybe it was just her hands. For the first time in years, she didn't cry on the way to Clement's grave.
She knelt down and swept away the leaves scattered at the base of the marble. The sight of his name still struck her, but today it didn't crack her open. Today, she felt… ready.
The inscription read, Beloved husband, brother, and best friend. She'd insisted Derrick be mentioned. He'd been just as much a part of their lives. He was still part of hers.
Her fingers drifted over the carved letters. Her voice, when it came, was hoarse but steady.
"Hi, Clement," she whispered. "It's me."
A silence followed, filled only by the soft brush of wind through the trees. She closed her eyes and let it wrap around her like his arms used to.
"I still love you. I always will. But I can't keep living like this. You gave me so much, but there were pieces of me I never showed you. Parts of myself I buried because I didn't want you to feel like you weren't enough."
Her throat tightened. She cleared it.
"You were everything you could be, and I know you loved me. But you were afraid, and I understood. I really did. I never blamed you. I want you to know that."
A long breath shook free of her lungs.
"I need to move on. Not because I'm forgetting you. But because I remember you — all of you — and I want to honor that by living again."
Her hand flattened over the cool stone.
"I won't be coming back here. Not because this doesn't matter, but because I want to carry you with me — not visit you like I left you behind. This place… it doesn't feel like you. You were warmth and light and laughter. Not a cold piece of marble and a patch of earth."
She stood slowly, brushing off her knees. For a moment, she just stood there, staring down.
"I'm going to try something new. Tonight. Something you could never give me, and something I never asked you for. Please don't hate me for it. I just… I have to find out who I am without you."
A soft breeze stirred her hair, and she imagined — just for a moment — that it was his way of saying goodbye.
She turned toward the car. Toward Derrick.
Toward whatever came next.