The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 60

She walked over with the boy, standing behind Hackett like a truly heartbroken widow, and let out a mournful sigh.

"Yes, Anne. You have no idea how pitiful my poor Manuel is."

"He hasn't seen his father since the day he was born. All I can do is point to a picture and tell him, *That's your dad. That's our family's hero.*"

Her eyes grew red again, her voice choking with heartbreaking emotion.

What a touching performance—a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law united in grief, jointly raising a martyr's orphan.

Annelise nodded in "understanding," her face softening with sympathy.

"So that's why. It really is a shame."

Stepping into the room, she bypassed Hackett and walked straight up to Clarissa.

"Can I hold him?" she asked softly.

Clarissa stiffened, clearly not expecting the request, but unable to refuse with Hackett right there, she awkwardly handed the boy over.

This was the first time Annelise had been so close to the child.

He smelled faintly of milk. The small, soft body in her arms felt like a warm ball of cotton.

Having cried himself out, he rested quietly against Annelise's shoulder, his big, dark eyes staring at her without blinking.

He was chubby and adorable.

Yet, as Annelise held him, it felt as though a massive boulder had been dropped into her heart, sending up a tumultuous, unspeakable tidal wave of emotion.

This could have been her own child.

If that man hadn't turned a scalpel on her four years ago.

If her child were alive, they would be exactly this big.

A sharp, piercing agony spread from the deepest part of her heart, suffocating her.

Yet, on her face, she maintained a gentle, maternal smile.

She rocked Manuel gently, even humming a lullaby her mother had taught her.

Manuel seemed to like her, quickly drifting to sleep in her arms.

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