Chapter 343
[ 528 words ]
Chapter 343:
Caroline’s heart seized at the sight. This was the first time she had been back since the funeral. The house felt hollow, haunted by the absence of the woman who had filled it for thirty years. All thoughts of Jarrod and Elena vanished, replaced by a wave of grief so powerful it nearly buckled her knees.
Jarrod stepped up beside her, his presence solid and grounding. He didn’t speak. He simply placed his left hand on the small of her back, a silent anchor in the storm.
“I’ll go in first,” Caroline said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need to do this alone.”
Jarrod nodded, his jaw tight with understanding. He had seen enough loss in his life to know that some grief could not be shared. He watched as she walked up the porch steps, her hand trembling as she fitted the key into the lock.
The door swung open, and the scent of her mother’s perfume, faded now but still lingering in the air, hit her like a physical blow. Caroline stepped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her.
Jarrod and K. C. stood back, watching from the driveway. K. C. discreetly moved to the trunk and began unloading the groceries and supplies they had brought, practical things Caroline would need while she stayed here alone.
Through the front window, Jarrod could see Caroline pause in the hallway. She picked up the stack of sympathy cards, clutching them to her chest for a long moment before setting them down again. Then she walked slowly toward the living room, where a framed photograph of her mother sat on the mantel.
Jarrod’s own heart ached for her. He had seen that kind of grief before, in the mirror, in the years after he lost everything. He wanted to go inside, to wrap her in his arms and shield her from the pain. But he knew better. This was a battle she had to fight on her own.
After a long moment, he stepped forward and pushed the door open gently. He found Caroline standing in the living room, her mother’s photograph clutched in her hands, tears streaming silently down her face.
а𝘤𝘁𝘪vе 𝗰𝗈𝗺𝘮𝘂𝘯𝗂𝘁𝘆 𝗈𝗻 𝗀a𝗹n𝗈𝘃е𝗹ѕ.с𝘰𝗆
He walked up behind her, his left hand coming to rest on her shoulder. He didn’t offer empty words. He just stood there, a silent, immovable presence, letting her know she was not alone.
Jarrod watched as Caroline walked up the porch steps alone, her hand trembling as she fitted the key into the lock. The door swung open, and she stepped inside without looking back. Her movements were heavy with a grief he recognized all too well, the weight of returning to an empty house, to the silence where a loved one’s voice used to be. He stayed by the SUV, giving her space. This was her home, her sorrow, and he was still an outsider in this landscape of shared memories and private pain.
K. C. finished unloading the last of the supplies, bags of groceries, toiletries, a case of bottled water. He stacked them neatly on the porch, out of the way of the door, then gave Jarrod a subtle nod and retreated to the SUV to wait.
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