Two days later, Aria sat stiffly in the small interview room at the police station. The walls felt cold, the air too still. Detective Hayes entered with a thin file in his hand.
"Miss Dawson," he greeted gently as he took a seat across from her. "Thank you for coming."
Aria nodded weakly, her fingers trembling in her lap.
He opened the file. "I'll get straight to it. We received the medical examiner's preliminary report this morning"
Aria held her breath.
"Your mother Iris Presley had a mild heart condition, right?"
Aria whispered, "Yes."
He continued, voice soft but firm. "The report shows she suffered a sudden cardiac episode near the window… and fell."
Aria's eyes immediately watered.
"So… it wasn't suicide?" she asked shakily.
Detective Hayes shook his head. "No. There's no sign of self-harm or foul play. It's being ruled as an accidental fall caused by a medical episode."
Aria covered her mouth with a trembling hand, a silent sob breaking through.
Detective Hayes closed the file gently. "I'm very sorry for your loss. The case is officially closed. If you ever need the full report, it's available."
She nodded, unable to speak.
He stood. " Please take good care of yourself very well Miss Dawson."
After Aria left the station, the detective's words kept echoing in her mind.
Accidental fall.
A medical episode.
Her mother didn't mean to leave her.
The next day, a small funeral was held. The little money Aria had saved from her part-time jobs went into buying a coffin and paying for a space at the cemetery.
Only a few people attended. Her mother had no family. Aria's parents divorced when she was a baby, and her father never contacted them again. Her mother always said he abandoned them completely.
After Mrs Iris was buried, the few attendees comforted Aria before quietly leaving.
Only Rowan stayed. His arm rested around her shoulders, holding her steady as she stared at the fresh grave.
He knew exactly what kind of pain she felt. She had cried until her voice died, and since yesterday, she hadn't spoken a single word.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
A man dressed in a black suit walked toward them. Neither Aria nor Rowan could see his face. He knelt at her mother's burial ground and placed a bouquet of flowers of white lilies on the fresh soil.
Then he stood up, when he finally lifted his head toward them, Aria froze.
She knew that face.
From old pictures her mother once showed her, pictures she never thought she would see in real life.
Her voice cracked.
"D... Dad…?"
The man's eyes softened with guilt, regret, and something unreadable.
"Aria."