Chapter 155: The Unforseen
Diane’s POV
I stood up slowly, my body feeling heavy, like I was moving through water. The house was quiet except for the soft sounds of Dylan and Danielle playing in their nursery down the hall. My beautiful children, who would now grow up without ever really knowing their father.
"Sarah," I called out, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Sarah, could you please get the children ready? We need to go to my father’s house."
Our nanny appeared in the living room, her kind face filled with concern. She’d obviously heard my sobbing earlier and was tiptoeing around like she was afraid I might shatter at any moment.
"Of course, Mrs. Hemsworth. Should I pack anything special for them?"
"Just... just something comfortable. We might be there for a while." I couldn’t bring myself to tell her why. I couldn’t say the words out loud again. Not yet.
Noah squeezed my shoulders gently. "I’ll help her get them ready. You should call your father, let him know we’re coming."
I nodded, grateful for his steady presence. Even in our grief, I marveled at how he always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. He kissed the top of my head before following Sarah upstairs, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the terrible weight of what I had to do.
I couldn’t tell Dylan and Danielle last night. How do you explain to a one-year+ old that their father is dead? How do you tell them that the man they saw in prison just months ago decided he couldn’t live with himself anymore? The thought of their innocent faces made me sick.
And my mother... God, my mother. She was already so fragile, her health just gradually recovering since Sophie’s death. How could I deliver another blow like this?
As I moved through getting dressed, my hands trembled as I reached for the black dress hanging in my closet. It seemed appropriate somehow, this color that would become so familiar in the weeks to come.