dreams whisper through silence by mae 342

Chapter 342 

Ellie’s POV 

The day of the funeral arrived far too quickly for comfort. But then again, I supposed it would have felt too soon whether it was in a week or in a year. 

In true tragic comedy fashion, the day itself was bright and sunny and warın. It was the exact type of day my mother would have loved: balmy and comfortable, with a gentle breeze blowing through the treetops. Birds were chirping, and the flowers in the garden swayed in the wind. 

I spent the morning getting ready in Lucas’s guest room, putting on the black dress I’d picked up yesterday. My hands shook as I clasped my mother’s necklace around my neck, the one Vivian had brought in that box. 

It felt wrong to wear it. Like I was doing my mother a disservice by wearing her jewelry when she was supposed to be wearing it herself. But I wore it anyway, because deep down, I knew she would want me to. 

Lucas drove us to the cemetery. Neither of us spoke much during the ride. There wasn’t much to say. My mother was dead, and no amount of talking was going to change that. 

When we pulled up to the cemetery gates, my stomach twisted. There were already cars lining the road, people dressed in black gathering near the freshly dug grave. I recognized some of them from the pack. Dominic’s car was near the entrance. 

Lucas parked and turned off the engine. He looked over at me. 

“You ready?” he asked. 

“No,” I muttered, twisting my hands in my lap. 

He turned more fully to look at me. “I’ll be right beside you the whole time. Dominic won’t be able to-” 

“It’s not Dominic I’m worried about,” I said. “It’s having to watch that fucking casket get lowered into the ground.” 

I immediately winced at the bitterness in my tone. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Lucas squeezed my shoulder and offered me a wan smile. 

We got out of the car and walked toward the gathering. People turned to look as we approached, their expressions ranging from sympathy to curiosity. I kept my head up and my face blank, refusing to show them anything. 

Vivian was standing near the front, dressed in a designer black dress with a veil covering her face. She looked the part of the grieving daughter. I wondered how long it had taken her to practice that expression in the mirror. 

Dominic was there too, standing off to the side with his Beta. He was wearing a black suit, his jaw tight and his eyes fixed on the ground. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. 

Good. 

Our eyes met for a brief second, and something flickered across his face. Pain, or perhaps regret. I looked away before I could try to figure out whether it was an act or not. 

Lucas and I found a spot near the back, away from everyone else. The priest began speaking, his voice low and somber as he talked about my mother’s life and her contributions to the pack. I barely heard any of it. All I could focus on was the casket sitting at the front, polished wood gleaming in the sunlight. 

My mother was in there. She was really gone. 

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The priest finished his speech, and Vivian stepped forward to give her eulogy. She talked about how much our mother had loved us, how she had always put her family first, how she had been the strongest woman she’d ever known, and how she lived every day striving to be just like our mother. 

I snorted at that last part. 

Vivian’s eyes snapped up to meet mine. 

“Something wrong?” she asked. 

“No.” I clenched my jaw. “Keep going.” 

Vivian looked at me for a moment longer before she looked back down at the page in her hands and kept reading 

When she was finished, she stepped back and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. A few people went up to speak after her, sharing memories and stories. I didn’t listen to those, not for lack of wanting, but because my ears were roaring. 

Finally, it was time to lower the casket into the ground. The cemetery workers moved forward with their ropes and pulleys, and everyone watched in silence as my mother was lowered into the earth. 

I felt Lucas’s hand on my shoulder. I didn’t look at him. I just kept staring at the casket until it disappeared from 

view. 

Once it was over, people began to disperse. Some lingered to talk, offering condolences to Vivian and shaking hands with Dominic. No one came up to me, although whether out of fear of what I might say or simply choosing to give me the space, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care to find out. I stayed where I was, watching them leave one by one. 

After the crowd had thinned, Lucas squeezed my arm. “Do you want to go up?” he asked quietly. 

I nodded. 

We walked over to the grave. Someone had left a basket of flowers nearby for people to lay on the fresh dirt. I picked up a bouquet of white lilies and knelt down, placing them carefully on the mound. 

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I just… I’m sorry.” 

The words felt hollow. Empty. Because I’d said them that day I held her in my arms, and I’d said them when she was laying on that cold metal table, and I had been saying them in my head and in my dreams over and over again since then, and I knew she couldn’t hear any of them, so they were meaningless. 

I stayed there for a moment longer, my fingers brushing against the dirt, before I stood and turned to leave. 

Dominic was standing a few feet away. 

I stopped. 

“Ellie,” he said. His voice was hoarse. “Can we talk?” 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said. 

“Please. Just give me five minutes.” 

Lucas moved closer to me, his hand hovering near my elbow. “She doesn’t owe you anything.” 

“I’m not asking you,” Dominic said. His eyes stayed on me. “Did you get my letter?” 

I frowned. I didn’t know what letter he was referring to, but I didn’t care to ask. Instead, I reached into my purse 

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and pulled out the envelope I’d been carrying since yesterday. The divorce papers Lucas had helped me draw up. I held it out to him. 

“My decision hasn’t changed,” I said. “I want a divorce.” 

Dominic stared at the envelope like it was a weapon. He didn’t take it. 

“Just sign it,” I said. “Let me go. Don’t cause a scene.” 

“I can’t.” 

“You can. You just don’t want to.” 

Dominic’s jaw feathered. He kept looking at the envelope without taking it. Finally, Lucas snatched the envelope away, walked over to him, and pressed it firmly to Dominic’s chest. 

Dominic froze and looked up at Lucas with hate in his eyes. 

“Just sign them, man,” Lucas whispered. “She doesn’t want to be with you anymore.” 

Dominic glared at Lucas for another moment before he took the envelope. He said nothing. 

With that, Lucas turned and walked back over to me. He offered me his arm, and I took it, letting him guide me back to the car. 

I didn’t look back, but I knew Dominic was watching me the entire time. 

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