Page 67 of The Devoted Husband

New Year’s Eve

That got a smile out of him. “I’m trying to stay locked in. Just got a lot on my mind.”

“This is about that boy?”

“Yeah. I’m watching her grieve the man I killed. I don’t know what to do.”

“Is she really grieving him, or is she grieving that situation?”

“Is there a difference?”

Deandre chuckled and took a sip of his drink.

“Oh, there’s a big difference. If she’s grieving the man, that’ll take longer for her to process.

And there’s a chance she never will. If she’s grieving the situation, she’ll heal from that with time.

It’ll just take her mind connecting with her heart and shutting some of those negative feelings off. ”

“She says she needed closure and that learning about his condition gave her that, but she also said she felt guilty over not questioning what was going on with him.”

“That sounds like she’s grieving the situation. Give her time. She’ll come out of it eventually. There’s nothing you or anyone else can say to her. I’m sure you’ve already said it all.”

Dante nodded his agreement with a smile. “Yeah, I have. She said it helped and that she heard me. So, I guess I just have to wait and see.”

“Just give her some time. One day, she will wake up and not think about it at all. And when she does think about it, it’ll be processed in a healthy way. One that won’t make her feel responsible in any way. Until then, just continue to give her grace.”

“I will. Thanks, Pops.”

“You’re welcome. Now get out of this corner sulking and come socialize with ya people. You know you’ll be ready to go soon.”

Dante laughed as he stood and followed his father, not even bothering to disagree.