When Cassie returned from a much-needed family vacation, the familiar comfort of her home was replaced by a cryptic message from her mother, directing her to watch a video. This seemingly innocuous instruction would unravel a truth that shattered Cassie’s understanding of her past and her family.
Cassie had always held her father in the highest regard. To her, he was a flawless figure—distant due to his constant travels but undeniably devoted in the time he did spend with her. Their family dinners were a cherished ritual, a stark contrast to the fractured families of her peers. The stability of these dinners and her father’s affirmations were her anchor amid the chaos surrounding her friends’ lives.
Her teenage musings on divorce, which she discussed casually with her mother one afternoon, seemed to pass without consequence. Yet, those words, spoken in youthful ignorance, unknowingly cast a shadow over her family. Shortly after, Cassie’s father died suddenly during a business trip, a death that was both tragic and enigmatic.
Her mother’s decision to forgo a traditional funeral in favor of a beach ceremony seemed odd at the time, but Cassie accepted it. The ceremony, though unorthodox, became a point of solace for her, and she tried to move on despite the heavy grief she felt. The months that followed were a period of quiet suffering, as she grappled with the loss of her father and the emotional void left behind.
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