Chapter 13

Micah wasn't entirely drunk. He had heard Laris' question but couldn't find the words to answer her. He looked at the tiny body still floating in formalin on the table and gently lifted it into his arms. "I'm sorry, my baby. I'm so sorry." The apology hung in the air. No one knew if it was for the child or Lena. "Micah, why don't we give the child a proper burial?" Laris' voice cut through the silence as she stood in Micah's home, watching him stare blankly at the tiny figure. She couldn't bring herself to look at it. Micah stayed silent for a long time before giving a slow nod. … At Kiermont's most expensive cemetery, Micah bought a plot for the child. He didn't hire anyone to help. Instead, he placed the small urn into the ground himself. The headstone bore no photo and name. There was only a simple engraving that read, "Micah and Lena's Beloved Child." After the burial, he knelt before the grave, his fingers tracing Lena's name on the stone. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm