บททั้งหมดของ A Sky Full of Absence: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 7

As it turned out, Elias Rogers' emergency was nothing more than concern for Jeannie Lynch, his old flame, whose dog just died.That was why he dashed off, why my calls went unanswered.After I hung up the phone, I went through the motions of arranging my son's final affairs, feeling like a marionette with someone else pulling the strings.Holding my son's urn, I was numb. How could the little boy who was just whispering "mommy" in my ear yesterday be reduced to ashes in that small box today?Family and friends tried to offer comfort, but they could not hide their disapproval of Elias. They said a father should be there, no matter what, when his child passes away.Elias, the city's celebrated young entrepreneur, was always swamped with work. Everyone assumed that was what kept him away.However, just a minute ago, Jeannie posted a picture on her social media of Elias asleep, captioned with thanks to the one who helped her through her grief, noting his all-night vigil and telling h

The following day, I carried my son's ashes to the cemetery we picked out for his burial.Elias was not in the know.To me, he was the one who drove our son to his death. I would not let him sully the quiet dignity of his final rest.I never imagined I would bump into Elias and Jeannie at the cemetery, of all places."Elias, where do you think Daisy should be buried? They say if you give a pet a proper send-off, they're happier in heaven. We've got to choose the perfect spot."Jeannie clutched the urn, chattering away.I had no intention of engaging with them, but then Elias caught sight of me.He scrunched his forehead, annoyance flashing in his eyes as if I were a stain he could not scrub away."Why are you even here?"Elias had mentioned to me that Jeannie's dog had passed away, so he figured I was there shadowing him.Talking was the last thing I wanted to do, so I spun on my heel to leave.Jeannie, though, put on her best damsel-in-distress look and blocked my path."N

"Hold on, whose headstone?" Elias was rooted to the spot, his gaze locked on the worker in sheer disbelief. The worker looked back, confused. "Ms. Porter's son, Luis Rogers. You're friends of Ms. Porter, right?" Elias stumbled back, his eyes glued to the name etched on the stone, searching for any sign of error. However, there was none. The name Luis Rogers was clearly inscribed: his son's name. By then, I had scooped up all the ashes from the ground, mixed with the dust, into the urn. My hands, covered in bloodstains, were clutching the urn tightly against my chest, allowing no one to touch it.Elias's eyes reddened with fury as he confronted me. "Noelle, why wouldn't you tell me about my son, why?!" Jeannie, caught off guard, quickly tried to soothe him with her touch. "Elias, about this-" However, Elias was having none of it, flinging her hand away without so much as a glance."I'm his dad, and I didn't even get to say goodbye. If I hadn't bumped into you today, would you

I took off for the wild yonder, gazing up at the Milky Way sprawled across the night sky.It was my son's dream. He was a stargazer, an astronomy buff since he was knee-high.On his birthday, he saw his first meteor shower in the wild. Tragically, that same night became his last.I was determined to make his dream come true.The divorce papers, signed by Elias, landed in my mailbox.Maybe it was guilt, but he rewrote the terms, leaving me with a lion's share of our assets. I took it all without batting an eye.Signing my name, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders, a real sense of freedom.Time to head back, I told myself.I would share every sight from my journey with my son, let him know I made his dream mine.Stepping off the plane, Elias's assistant was on the line."Ms. Porter, you need to get to the hospital fast. Mr. Rogers has had an accident."The assistant's voice was tense, filling me in on how Elias unraveled since I had gone. He quit office life, holed up with h