See You In Afterlife(by Kim Luna)

Final Goodbye

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Chapter Title: Beneath the Shadows

The cemetery was eerily quiet. The sky, cloaked in dark clouds, threatened rain, but for now, it only loomed-silent and heavy, much like the weight in Yuna's chest. She stood at the edge of Dante's grave, her heels sinking slightly into the soft earth, but she didn't care. The world outside her felt distant, irrelevant, as if nothing mattered anymore.

The grief she carried was heavier than the empire she now ran alone. As the CEO, Yuna was used to handling the weight of responsibility, making impossible decisions, and being in control. But here-at his grave-she felt powerless. She could control the boardroom, the markets, even her own fate, but not this. Not the loss of him.

The headstone bore Dante's name in bold, unyielding letters. She had read it so many times that it was etched in her mind, but every time her eyes fell on it, the pain was fresh, raw. He had been more than just a doctor; he had been her anchor, her reason to believe in something beyond work and ambition. Now, all she had left of him was buried beneath the cold, unfeeling ground.

She knelt beside the grave, her knees pressing into the dirt, and ran her fingers lightly over the stone. Her throat tightened as she whispered, "I miss you, Dante." The words were soft, broken, but in the silence of the graveyard, they seemed to echo back at her.

Yuna's hand trembled as she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a single white lily-the kind of flower Dante had once said reminded him of her. She laid it gently on the grave, the petals stark against the dark earth. It felt so small, so meaningless, compared to the enormity of what she had lost.

She closed her eyes, tears threatening to spill, but she held them back. She had to be strong. That's what everyone expected of her. Yuna, the powerful CEO, the woman who never faltered, never wavered. But here, alone with him, she could let herself feel the unbearable weight of his absence.

"You didn't deserve this," she whispered, her voice tight with emotion. "You had so much left to give. So many people to heal, so much life ahead of you..."

Her fingers gripped the edge of the gravestone as the familiar bitterness crept in. Dante hadn't just died; he'd been stolen from her. Murdered. And though she didn't say his name, she knew who had done it. The betrayal stung her more deeply than any business deal gone wrong, more than any professional loss. She had trusted-they had trusted-and it had cost Dante his life.

The thought of it made her stomach twist with anger. But what could she do? The justice system had taken its course, yet no verdict could give her what she truly wanted-Dante, standing beside her, alive, smiling that soft, reassuring smile that always made her world feel safe.

A breeze swept through the cemetery, rustling the branches of the old oak trees that lined the path. Yuna shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her, though the cold wasn't what chilled her. It was the loneliness. The silence where his voice used to be.

"I don't know how to do this without you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She had said it a hundred times since his death, but the reality of it still felt impossible. Every morning, she woke up expecting him to be there, waiting with his coffee in hand and that patient smile on his face. Every night, she lay in their bed, staring at the ceiling, hoping to hear the door creak open, to feel the warmth of him beside her.

But it never came. And it never would.

Yuna's fingers tightened around the lily, crushing its delicate petals in her hand. Anger flashed through her-anger at the one who had taken him, anger at the universe for being so cruel. But most of all, anger at herself, because deep down, she couldn't stop thinking that maybe, just maybe, she could have prevented it.

"I should have seen it coming," she muttered, her voice thick with guilt. "I should have protected you."

But no matter how powerful she was, no matter how many decisions she controlled, she couldn't change the past. She couldn't undo the moment that took Dante from her, no matter how hard she wished she could.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and this time, she didn't stop it. The mask of the CEO, the powerful, composed woman, cracked. Here, at his grave, there was no reason to pretend anymore. She was just Yuna-broken, grieving, and lost without the man she loved.

"I hope you know how much I love you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "How much I'll always love you."

The wind picked up again, swirling around her as if it were answering her. For a moment, she closed her eyes and imagined it was Dante's hand brushing her hair, his soft touch comforting her like it used to. But when she opened her eyes, she was still alone.

Yuna stood slowly, her legs weak beneath her, but she held herself steady. She had to. For Dante's sake, for the company they had built together, for herself. She looked down at the grave one last time, her heart aching with a pain she couldn't put into words.

"I won't forget," she said softly. "I won't let them forget what they did to you."

With that, she turned and walked away, the lily petals crumpled in her hand. The clouds finally broke, and the rain began to fall, light at first, then heavier as if the world was weeping with her. But Yuna didn't look back.

She couldn't. Not yet.

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