He placed the bouquet beside the fading one Lucas had left last week and the ones Emilia picked yesterday, then smoothed the petals with a strange tenderness. Daniel stood slowly, brushing his hands off on his jeans. His gaze lingered on the headstone a moment longer before he spoke again.
“Lucas… I know you’re going through a lot already. But there’s something I need to say.” Lucas looked up at him, brow furrowed. “I told you your mom and I were friends,” Daniel said, his voice steady but quiet. “But that’s not the whole truth. We were more than that. We were together. Not for long, and not perfectly—but it mattered. A lot.”