Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

In truth, Lorna understood the situation better than anyone.

"I'll handle the rest with the police," she said, looking gravely at Briony.

Briony nodded.

Cedric Clarke's eyes were rimmed red as he glanced at her. "What about the kids? How are you going to tell them?"

Briony hesitated a moment, then spoke softly. "Let's keep it from them for now. Today, Stewart just told them he had to go abroad for a while and they're already upset. Let them settle down a bit. I'll wait for the right moment to tell them the truth."

Cedric struggled to keep his composure, but his voice still caught. "Stewart always said he didn't want a funeral. He just asked me to scatter his ashes at Pearbrook. But now..."

There was nothing left of Stewart to bury-his life had ended in a violent crash, with not even a trace of him remaining.

Not even his last wish could be fulfilled.

The abandoned pier was far, far from Pearbrook-so far it might as well have been another world.

But could they really let Stewart drift with the tide into the endless sea?

with every breath. He still couldn't accept that the stubborn, headstrong man

divorced," Cedric continued, voice trembling, "but you still have two children together. They're still little. For their sake—help us figure

At last she said, "Let's give

want there to be a headstone. That way, when the kids are older, they'll have somewhere to go each year to remember their father-a place to mourn, to

been disowned. He can't be buried in the

and the room lapsed into

away with his sleeve, voice shaking. "Fred is heartless! Doing this is like erasing Mr. Wentworth's whole existence. I grandmother always said that when a person passes, their soul follows the path they took in life, and at the end, their loved ones wait

continue, burying his face in his hands. The tall man, usually

of his success

Stewart was more than a boss-he was the rarest of mentors, a

that a man like Stewart-proud, aloof, misunderstood-should meet such a

loss all the more real for

the room was palpable. Eyes brimmed with

quietly as

moment, she said,

past. The Wentworths were never really to Stewart. He has two dren-that's his real