CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR - HEADSTONE

ALPHA ASHA

The grass was slightly damp under my knees, and the air had cooled enough to make the hairs on my arms stand. But I didn’t mind.

The headstone was rough beneath my palm, and I felt the guilt burn the inside of my chest. I hadn’t taken care of Naomi’s headstones at all over the years, and the stone had become weatherworn, roughened by the snow and storms beating down upon it season after season.

I hadn’t really spared myself enough time to visit her, too scared of how much it might destroy me to face her headstone knowing that there was nothing I could have done to save her.

And now, I knelt before her, her name I’d carved into the stone myself smooth and almost invisible. I would have to replace it, and take care of it this time around.

“I know it’s been a long time,” I said sadly, the guilt weighing on me heavily. “I’ve missed you so much, more than anything.”

The chilly breeze caressed my cheeks, lifting the pressure in my chest a little. It was almost as if I could sense