My Lost Hero (Angels of War Series #1) REWRITING 2024

Chapter Twenty-one*

**Mature Content**

I hated funerals with a vengeance. There had been many people to leave me in my life, and each one left an irrevocable scar. The bad luck started on my twelfth birthday when my grandad Tim died of lung cancer. My parents kept his illness a secret from us for months, on grandad's wishes, until his final few weeks where my father prepared us for his death.

It devastated me and looking back, I never really got the chance to grieve before my grandma Mary passed just under a year later. It spiralled from then on with my nanna Paulina and Uncle Jerry dying within the space of six years later. And today had all of those sad feelings rushing back to me.

I wondered now if I were too young to understand my emotions at that point, and those feelings had festered over the years until situations like this one became hard for me to process.

I pushed the half-eaten sandwich around my paper plate, watching a few people mill around the catering table from my seat near the door. It was Megan's wake, the last celebration of her life, but there was nothing to celebrate.

Trisha and Mick were making appearances with forced smiles and laughter with a haunted look in their eyes. I doubted that look will leave them for a very long time.

The funeral service was as expected. Mick stood up along with Trisha to give a speech on their daughter's short, but colourful life, followed by Joshua who struggled to carry on more than once. I had to stop myself from getting up every time he choked back the sobs by clinging on to Markus's arm so hard that it bound to hurt him. Not that he complained, though, holding me until my chest burned with the tears.

My family were here to pay their respects, mixed in between the other guests, trying to be as supportive as they could give the circumstances. Damon stayed close to Joshua most of the day, only leaving him alone when he needed to do.

The guy was in absolute bits. You couldn't speak to him without a breakdown, and whenever someone mentioned Megan's name in conversation, he looked ready to commit a murder. It was still raw for everyone. The wounds would take a long while to heal over.

I glanced down at my phone to see the day was coming to an end and sighed in relief. I no longer wanted to be here and needed some space to think and to breathe.

Leaving my plate on the table, I grabbed my purse and coat, saying goodbye to everybody before leaving. Trisha held me so tightly I could hardly breathe, and Mick struggled not to cry when we looked at each other in the eye.

I promised to visit them whenever I could, and there was slight mention of moving Megan's stuff from the flat. No one was ready for that hurdle just yet, so we brushed it under the rug for another day.

My sister and Bruce were getting ready to leave when I got to them and offered to give me a lift back to the flat, which I accepted. Walking didn't seem too appealing right now.

My parents saw us to the car and told Hanna they'd see her in a few days. They wanted to stick around a while longer, and I was grateful for it. I didn't care what people said, no matter how old you were, you always needed your parents in times of need.

"Let me walk you up," Bruce said when we pulled into the complex carpark. "You've had a terrible day."

I opened the car door with little strength and shook my head at him. "We've all had a terrible day. You two get driving. You have to work early tomorrow."

"It doesn't matter, let Bruce see you upstairs. I'll only worry if you don't," Hanna replied, turning in her seat to get a better look at me.

"Okay." I gave in, opening Hanna's door wider to lean in and give her a big hug. "Love you to the moon and back."