FAZER LOGINThe day of the burial, the weather was beautiful.My mother didn't bring white eustomas.She said everyone had already sent enough.She brought a small pot of mint.It was the one I'd kept on my apartment windowsill.I always forgot to water it. Every time the leaves wilted, I'd carry it to her.She'd take it, scold me, and trim away the dead leaves.A few days later, I'd be able to carry a pot of lush green mint home again.Now, she placed it beside my headstone."Mom will take care of it from now on."My father pressed down the loose soil in front of the grave.He'd been busy all morning.Helping my mother find her coat, gathering the documents, checking whether the car had arrived.Even after everyone else had left, he was still crouching there.My mother called him.He answered, but didn't stand up."Is this place too far?"He asked."What if she wants to come home at night?"My mother covered her mouth.My father looked up. His eyes finally reddened."When she was little, she'd cr
My funeral wasn't held at Black Pine.My father chose the little church in the city.When I was little, I'd taken part in the winter charity sale there, selling hand-drawn cards for two dollars each.My mother had kept one of them.It showed three crooked little figures holding hands in front of a house.She put that card in my coffin.Along with my first design medal.A worn-out pencil.And a pair of ordinary canvas shoes."No wedding shoes."She straightened my collar."Those were uncomfortable."She didn't put me in the wedding dress again.She chose my favorite light blue dress from the closet.The year before last, when I first took her to see my studio, I'd worn that dress.Claire came to do my makeup.This time, no one rushed her.She sat beside me and talked to me quietly for a long time.She said after she went back to the city, she'd returned all the work she hadn't finished that day.She said in the future, if she ever came across something that felt wrong, she wouldn't step
Three days later, I saw Blair again.The investigators arranged a testimony verification session in neutral territory.My body hadn't been buried yet, and my spirit didn't seem able to go far.My parents went there with my photo, so I followed.Blair's father had hired a defense advocate for her.The advocate didn't deny the video.He said it was a prank that got out of hand.No one could have predicted the cake's support structure would cause fatal injury.Blair sat beside her father, her eyes swollen."If I had known, I never would have done it."The investigator placed another record in front of her.It was the chat log provided by the cake maker.After the cake was delivered, Blair had asked if it could be used for a face-smashing video.The cake maker had replied clearly:[Not recommended. This isn't a cake for roughhousing. It has a hard internal support structure.]Blair had replied with a smiley face.[Got it. I won't break it.]The room went quiet.She stared at those lines."
When the paramedics carried me out, the guests in the hall all stood up.White petals were still scattered along the corridor.My mother walked in front. My father followed the stretcher, one hand always on the edge of the blanket.Noah came after them.He was holding the suit jacket."It's cold outside."My father turned around."She was cold in there too."Noah's steps stopped.My father didn't look at him again.At the exit of the hall, my mother suddenly stopped.The huge wedding photo was still standing there.In the photo, I was wearing the wedding dress I'd tried on, and Noah was looking down at me.The day it was taken, he wouldn't let go of my hand.The photographer told him to look at the camera.He said:"Just a minute."Back then, I thought I'd chosen the right person.My mother looked at the photo for a long time, then said to the staff:"Give me her photo."The staff hesitated.It was a photo of two people.My mother understood."It's fine.""I'll take it home and cut it
Blair's first instinct was to reach for her phone.Ethan was right beside her.He saw it, but he didn't block everyone's gaze the way he used to."Did you send it?"Blair stared at him."I didn't tell her to play it!"The coordinator had already opened the tablet."I didn't have time to download it, but the receiving end kept the file.""Delete it."Blair's voice went shrill."That's my video. What right do you have—""Play it."Noah said.He stood up and walked over to her.Blair looked up at him, tears falling immediately."You don't believe me?"I'd heard that sentence many times.Before, whenever she asked it, Noah would hesitate.And then things would always turn into something else.She was just outspoken.She'd had too much to drink.She meant no harm.I waited for him to say it again.But this time, he only repeated:"Play it."When the video started, Blair's laughter was the clearest sound.She held up her phone. The camera swept over the six-tier cake, then focused on me.I w
When my mother knelt, her knees hit the floor.It was loud.I lunged to help her up.But she passed right through my arms."Emma, Mom's here."She reached to touch my face, felt the frosting stuck in my hair, and carefully stopped beside my left eye."What happened to you?"No one answered.She looked up at the doctor."Let's go to the hospital, okay?"The doctor's lips moved.My mother immediately shook her head."Hospital first.""When she was little, she had a high fever once and wouldn't wake up. We took her to the hospital and she was fine."My father stood behind her and didn't move.His gaze moved from my face to the overturned cake, then to Noah's bloodstained hands."What happened?"Noah opened his mouth."I...""I asked you, how did she end up like this?"My father's voice suddenly rose.Noah lowered his head.Blair took a step back."We were just playing a joke."My father looked at her.She rushed to explain."Smashing cake at a wedding is common. We've always done that. No







