Sue swallowed the lump in her throat, carefully cradled her mom’s heart, and made her way to the cemetery.
She buried it.
Kneeling before the tombstone, she gazed at her mom’s photo, eyes red and swollen.
Then, she kissed the tomb—three times.
Once upon a time, she didn’t like crowds.
Didn’t like socializing.
She shut herself away, buried in her studies.
Her life had been dull.
People always said Sue would read herself silly, that she’d turned into a total bookworm.
But her mom would proudly tell anyone who’d listen, “My daughter’s going to be a top lawyer, maybe even a judge one day!”
Sue got into the best law school, aced the bar exam, and graduated with straight A’s. Every prestigious law firm she’d only seen on TV came knocking, offering her a job.
Everyone congratulated her, flattered her. But her mom? She just quietly made her a bowl of pasta and said with a loving sigh, “My dear Sue, happy birthday. You’ve worked so hard.”
Because she couldn’t bear to leave her mom, Sue didn’t take the high-paying offers. Instead, she stayed in a small local law firm, handling trivial everyday cases.
She’d planned to live a simple life—follow the usual path, get married, have kids, and take care of her mom.
But life never goes as planned. The tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop blowing. A child wants to care for her mother, but time waits for no one.
“Mom… I’ve failed you. I spent five years sharing a bed with your killer. Worse, I fell for him!
“I won’t stay by his side any longer. I’ll chase the dream you were so proud of, for both of us.”
Sue couldn’t hold back her sobs, her voice breaking the silence of the cemetery.
A gentle breeze brushed past. A yellow butterfly landed on her shoulder—her mom’s favorite color.
She froze.
‘Mom… have you been with me all along?’
The flight was in two hours, and Sue was still waiting.
But Irwin never came to the cemetery.
Instead, she kept seeing updates from Ava’s Facebook. Each new post chipped away at Sue’s heart.
Half an hour passed. She couldn’t wait any longer.
And finally—finally—Irwin made a move.
Not by coming to see Sue. Not even by calling.
He liked every single one of Ava’s posts. And then, he made his own.
[Time and love with you are both so sweet. No regrets, no doubts.]
The attached photo? Ava’s profile picture.
Sue’s heart turned ice-cold. ‘So this was it? Not even pretending anymore?’