NovelStartChapter 552 In truth, Lorna understood the situation better than anyone.
"I'll handle the rest with the police," she said, looking gravely at Briony.
Briony nodded.
Cedric Clarke's eyes were rimmed red as he glanced at her. "What about the kids? How are you going to tell them?" Briony hesitated a moment, then spoke softly. "Let's keep it from them for now. Today, Stewart just told them he had to go abroad for a while and they're already upset. Let them settle down a bit. I'll wait for the right moment to tell them the truth." Cedric struggled to keep his composure, but his voice still caught. "Stewart always said he didn't want a funeral. He just askedto scatter his ashes at Pearbrook. But now..." There was nothing left of Stewart to bury-his life had ended in a violent crash, with not even a trace of him remaining.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNot even his last wish could be fulfilled.
The abandoned pier was far, far from Pearbrook-so far it might as well have been another world.
But could they really let Stewart drift with the tide into the endless sea? Cedric's chest ached with every breath. He still couldn't accept that the stubborn, headstrong man he'd known was truly gone.
"I know you and Stewart are divorced," Cedric continued, voice trembling, "but you still have two children together. They're still little. For their sake-help us figure out how to handle the arrangements." Briony lowered her gaze, silent for a long moment. At last she said, "Let's give him a cenotaph, at the very least. You can decide whether there's a memorial service or not. I just want there to be a headstone. That way, when the kids are older, they'll have somewhere to go each year to remember their father-a place to mourn, to hold onto." "But Mr. Wentworth's been disowned. He can't be buried in the Wentworth family plot anymore," someone interjected quietly.
The words fell like a stone, and the room lapsed into heavy silence.
Carl's tears spilled down his cheeks. He wiped them away with his sleeve, voice shaking. "Fred is heartless! Doing this is like erasing Mr. Wentworth's whole existence. I grandmother always said that when a person passes, their soul follows the path they took in life, and at the end, their loved ones wait to greet them. But now..." He broke off, unable to continue, burying his face in his hands. The tall man, usually so composed, was openly sobbing.
He'd worked beside Stewart for years; every bit of his success was owed to Stewart's mentorship and guidance. To Carl, Stewart was more than a boss-he was the rarest of mentors, a life-changing presence.
He couldn't accept that a man like Stewart-proud, aloof, misunderstood-should meet such a lonely, tragic end. Carl's anguish made the loss all the more real for everyone.
The grief in the room was palpable. Eyes brimmed with tears-even James, who had never liked Stewart, looked stricken.
Only Briony remained calm. She listened quietly as Carl spoke, lost in thought.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter a moment, she said, "Maybe it's better not to dwell on the past. The Wentworths were never really to Stewart. He has two dren-that's his real legacy." The others stared at her in surprise.
Briony's voice was steady. "Let's put up a The content is on.
We spend our days not knowing where we cfrom, and in the end, not The dontent is on novelenglish.net! knowing where we go.
A headstone is just a m symbol-something for the living to hold onto, nothing more.
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