Page 39 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

She just watches.

Like she’s waiting for it to finally feel real.

The minister speaks in vague, practiced tones. Words like “legacy,” and “complicated man,” and “pillar of the community.”

Bullshit.

I feel Ally shift beside me. I glance at her, and she rolls her eyes just enough for me to notice. I want to reach for her hand, but I don’t. Not here.

After the service, the crowd filters out to the front lawn, mingling under the cloud-heavy sky. The air smells like wet stone and the faint perfume of fresh-cut flowers. There’s a chill in the wind brushing against the back of my neck, unsettling in its softness. Spring can be weird; some days, it’s warm, and others, it’s cold enough for a hoodie.

I catch Ally watching Ashley, concern flickering behind her eyes. She starts to move towards her, but I squeeze her hand and nod.

“Let me talk to her first.”

Ally nods and lets me go.

Ashley stands near a tall arrangement of lilies and white roses that doesn’t feel earned. They don’t match her. Don’t belong here. She looks like a statue carved from grief and steel.

“Hey,” I say softly.

She turns to me, lips pressed into a flat line. Her eyes are dry but glassy. Her makeup pristine. Her voice is even when she says, “You came.”

“Of course I came.”

She swallows, glancing back at Jasper, who gives her a soft smile and walks a few steps away, giving us space. I may not like him, but it’s clear he cares for his sister.

Ashley crosses her arms. “I thought maybe you wouldn’t. After everything.”

“Ash.”

She sighs. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then let me.”

She looks at me, tired and worn. Not broken, but not whole either. She hasn’t been whole for a long time.

“It’s over,” I tell her. “All of it. The pretending. The arrangement. The lies. It’s done now.” I confirm out loud everything we already know.

She nods. “I know.”

I pause. “Are you okay?”

Ashley exhales. “I don’t think I’ve ever really been okay. But I’m getting there. Caitlin helps.”

I glance towards her girlfriend, who’s watching us carefully from a distance. They can’t be seen together yet, but Caitlin showed up despite everything. “She seems good for you.”

A smile finally graces Ashley's face. “She is. She was the only part of my life that felt real. And I was so scared he’d find out. That he’d do something to her. To me.”

I reach out, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Ashley nods, blinking quickly. “I never got to tell him. Never got to tell him I’m not sorry for who I am.”

I don’t say anything. Because what is there to say?

“I hated him,” she says quietly. “And I hate that a part of me still wanted him to love me.”

Tears finally start to fall. One. Then two. She doesn’t wipe them away immediately.

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