No More Mrs. Forgotten novel Chapter 35

Supporting each other, Paula and Reuben stared at the casket, breaking down in silent, devastating tears.

It was a soul-shattering kind of agony.

The two elders seemed to age over a decade in an instant, their steps agonizingly slow and unsteady as they moved forward.

The soldiers carrying the casket slow-marched forward, the atmosphere unbearably heavy and oppressive.

Paula reached out with trembling hands to receive her beloved, precious son.

Caleb's sister, Lara, and her husband, Ethan, trailed closely behind to support the elderly couple.

The four of them moved at a crawl, so it was a moment before Josiah firmly and resolutely stepped up to follow right behind them.

Seeing this, Adele immediately joined his side without hesitation.

Sharon covered her mouth, sobbing silently.

York's fists were clenched tight, his face pale, but... he made no move to pull Sharon into his embrace again.

Flossie's tears fell fast and heavy. Despite her energetic attempts to comfort Sharon earlier, the truth was she had actually been closest to Caleb out of all of them.

Lamont stood beside her. While he didn't pull her into a hug, he let her lean heavily against his arm.

As Lamont watched Emeline, his heart physically ached.

One was his biological sister, the other his childhood friend...

Finally... Paula reached the casket, and the pallbearers gently set it down.

A booming, sorrow-laced command rang out: "Present arms!"

From Paula's mouth—which had been open but silent this entire time—a gut-wrenching, agonizing wail finally tore loose. "My son...!"

She threw herself over the casket.

The soldiers held their salute for a very, very long time.

Emeline simply stood there clutching the portrait, watching in utter silence, looking almost entirely numb.

Lara and Ethan could only stand aside to protect the two elders, completely consumed by their own despair.

Josiah stood just a step back, watching quietly. His expression was filled with profound sorrow, but he didn't utter a single sound.

Adele stood beside him, mirroring his silent reverence.

Only then did Paula slowly, painfully rise to her feet. She took a step forward, and Josiah presented the uniform and medals to her with both hands.

Cradling them against her chest, Paula lost her voice all over again.

*

Sharon was in agony, but what made it worse was the dull, intensifying throbbing in her lower abdomen.

It caused a sudden spike of panic in her chest.

She instinctively turned her head to look at York, only to find his gaze entirely locked on Emeline, his eyes brimming with unmistakable heartache.

Sharon's vision swam for a second, but she fought desperately to keep herself upright.

It took a long while for the overwhelming wave of grief to finally ebb slightly.

The military aircraft, along with the Commander and his soldiers, needed to return to base. Josiah single-handedly managed the rest of the logistical handovers.

Under her husband's gentle persuasion, Paula's emotions finally stabilized slightly.

She had stopped crying—likely because she had genuinely run out of tears. She simply clutched Caleb's uniform to her chest and shuffled forward in a hollow, numb daze.