A single tear slid down Marley's flushed cheek, her heart aching as if it were being physically crushed within her chest. The pain was unbearable, a weight she could no longer carry alone. She looked at Dane, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and shouted indignantly, "My mother Abegail Smith, she died of suicide!"
"Marley..." Dane's voice trailed off, unsure of what to say or how to console her. He had never seen her so vulnerable, so raw with emotion. It made him feel helpless, something he wasn't used to.
As more tears threatened to fall, Marley clenched her fists, trying to keep control. But the memories of her mother's death were too much to bear: the police cars lining their quiet street, the whispered conversations behind closed doors, the empty space at the dinner table where her mother once sat.
