If Alphonse and Bethany knew about the illness, the family could have pulled their chairs closer, sharing soup, stories, and the final slow sunsets.

But life rarely grants do-overs, and fate never rewinds the reel.

The days in Drocver blurred-flowers ordered, eulogies written, earth turned. After the final hymn drifted over the fresh mound, Cecilia lingered before the granite headstone. Footsteps crunched behind her, and Jonas-ck suit crisp, eyes kind-extended a sealed envelope edged in silver.

"Ms. Smith, your mother asked that this reach only your hands," he said.

Cecilia epted the envelope with trembling fingers, slit it open, and unfolded the single sheet. Queenie''s looping script swam before her eyes.

"Ceci, my darling girl, I''m sorry. I wanted so badly to give you more time with me, but my hourss ran empty. Perhaps this is justice for the mistakes I made once power dulled my conscience. I nearly cost you and Jon your lives, and the shame gnaws at me every dawn. You were right: had you not been my daughter, I might never have recognized my own sin. Forgive me, Ceci-truly, forgive me. To atone, I asked Scorpius to build orphan charities across the country. May those children find the safety I failed to give you. If any mercy remains in heaven, let it keep you and my grandchildren safe."

When Cecilia reached thest line, grief welled so fiercely she could scarcely breathe. She brushed her thumb across the indigo ink, tracing each curve of the handwriting the way one might memorize a loved one''s face in the dark.

"Mom," she whispered, voice catching on the winter air, "you carried this guilt all the way to the end."

A mother who once wanted her child dead would struggle to pardon herself— Cecilia knew that truth. If she were in Queenie''s shoes, she would feel the same.

She folded the letter with reverence, tucked it inside her coat, and lifted her gaze to the polished memorial picture embedded in the stone.

"Mom, let the regret go. I forgave you long ago, and Jon has, too. None of us me you anymore."

After all, no one is perfect. Who among the living can swear they have never stumbled into darkness, even once?fn514d This content belongs to find~novel/fn514d

Vivian adjusted her sses and spoke in a tone as steady as the autumn air around the cemetery. "Ms. Smith, Mr. Jiminez turned himself in early this morning. He says atonement is the only peace he can still buy."

Cecilia remembered Queenie''sst request-she had warned her not to block Scorpius'' path to confession.

Only by facing the bars, Queenie had insisted, could that restless man ever quiet the storm inside him.

"All right. I understand," Cecilia answered, her reply calm but edged with finality. She gave a small nod that closed the subject the way a book was shut and set back on the shelf.

She turned away from the graveside and headed for the waiting car. Once inside, Nathaniel draped a coat over her shoulders with the care of someone shielding a me from the wind.

"Don''t catch a cold," he murmured.

"Mm-hmm." The syble was soft, almost absent, but it carried gratitude.

As the sedan eased down the gravelne, Cecilia watched the rear-view mirror, holding her mother''s tombstone in her gaze as though eye contact could stretch the goodbye.

Only when the marble silhouette dissolved into distance did she let her eyes fall to herp.

At the Jamieson residence, Alphonse and Bethany had waited all afternoon for Cecilia''s return, ordering the kitchen to cover the long oak table withfort food and gentle aromas.

"Come, eat," Bethany said, squeezing Cecilia''s hand-mourning etched in her own eyes, yet her smile reserved solely for the girl.

Cecilia sat between the two elders.

No one mentioned Queenie''s

passing. In the hush between clinking dishes, it almost felt as i Queente were simply in the next room, about to join them at any moment.  s

"You may need to stay here a while," Alphonse remarked, voice steady but kind.

Cecilia understood at once. Jamieson Group''s headquartersy in this city, and with Queenie gone, someone had to hold the reins.

"I know." She inclined her head.

"If anything troubles you,e to me," he added, then shifted his gaze to Nathaniel. "With Nathaniel beside you, my heart rests easier."

Before leaving, Queenie had slipped Cecilia a dossier thick with the executives'' hidden scandals. With such leverage, bringing the senior staff to heel would cost her barely a breath.  s

?

Nathaniel felt the slight tremor in her hand and tightened his grip. "Trust me, Ceci. We''ll steer the ship

together he said, letting the promise settle over the room like warmmplight.  s

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