Chapter 33 - A Conversation with Claire
While waiting for the admission letters, Richard visited the cemetery alone.
It was early spring, the grass bright green and the air smelling of blooming rain. He stood before Claire's grave, holding a small bouquet of her favorite yellow daisies.
"She is almost eighteen, Claire,"
Richard whispered to the silent stone.
"She is brilliant. She is fierce. She has your stubbornness and your absolute refusal to back down."
He knelt down, tracing the engraved letters of his late wife's name.
"She's leaving soon. Going out into the world. And I realized something today."
A gentle breeze rustled the trees above him.
"I'm going to be okay,"
Richard said, his voice thick with emotion but remarkably steady.
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"Sarah and I... we are building something good. I just wanted to come here and tell you that I kept my promise. I kept her safe. And I will never, ever stop loving you."
He placed the flowers on the grave, stood up, and walked back toward his car, finally, entirely at peace with letting the past rest.
