I never became her friend.
But I didn’t hate her either.
She had been deceived by Jason too.
Just differently.
Months passed.
The house became quieter.
My mother planted white lilies in the backyard.
My father built a small wooden bench beneath the old oak tree.
And I became Noah’s guardian.
My nephew was born healthy.
A tiny boy with dark hair and Lily’s eyes.
The first time I held him, I whispered,
“Your mother loved you.”
He couldn’t understand.
Not yet.
But one day he would.
I kept every letter Lily had written.
Every photograph.
Every recording.
Every piece of evidence.
Not because I wanted revenge.
But because truth mattered.
One year after Lily’s death, I returned to the church.
The same church where Jason had walked in with Rachel.
The same church where Lily’s will had been opened.
I stood alone near the front pew.
Mr.
Hayes joined me.
