Chapter 4

Charles lay unconscious in the hospital for three days.

When he awoke, he was a changed man. The sharp, cold edge had vanished from his eyes, replaced by a deep, unsettling stillness and sorrow.

His first act was to collect Nina's ashes.

The urn was small, shockingly light in his hands. He cradled it against his chest as if holding the world's most precious treasure, finally understanding just how fragile she had been.

He buried Nina in the most scenic cemetery in Harbor City. The headstone bore no mention of "Charles Sterling's wife." It simply read: [Loving Mother, Nina Summers.]