The Black Dahlia | BTS 🔞

A never ending funeral

Skinny love

Last summer ...

Dahlia woke up that morning, her whole body aching. She didn't sleep well, the nightmares of her life coming back to haunt her every night for the last weeks.

Sitting up on her bed, she looked for her phone on the bedside table, hoping there would be any messages or any calls from the detectives. They had put her off the case, her involvement and condition making it dangerous for her. Still, she would call every morning and every night before bed to know if they had found anything; anything about who was responsible for the murder of her son and husband. They had a general idea, knowing for a fact it was the Cuban cartel of the city, but as to who exactly, that was the billion dollar question.

They couldn't seem to find any clues, and this only made her worse.

Nothing was on the screen, no messages from the detective, no calls. Only the reminder that today was the day of the funeral.

Getting out of bed, she struggled to get on her feet. Her pregnancy was hard on her body, with all the stress the events had brought on her.

Anything could cause her to go into a mislabor. She had to move-in with her mother, sleeping in her old childhood bedroom, as she couldn't live in her old house anymore. All the memories were coming back, and she couldn't do anything by herself anymore.

Walking to the window, she looked outside. Children were playing soccer in the streets under the strong summer sun of Miami. Even if it was early in the morning, it was already hot as Hell outside. But she liked it that way, she was used to it by now. She had lived there for her whole life.

She retained a sob from passing her lips, as she realized her son Kyle would never be able to play in the streets with his friend. All of it had been taken from him at such a young age, and she hated herself for still being alive and not him.

Her mom had already put her outfit for the ceremony on the back of the door. Her belly had started to show, as she was now in her second trimester. Dahlia had chosen a baggy black dress, as not to show any of her body. Some people knew she was pregnant, but she didn't want it to become public knowledge. She hadn't even told Maevy, her best friend, about it and she didn't know yet if she would.

Everything was already so messy in her life, and she didn't know how to handle telling any more news to anyone. Looking at the dress, she sighed, not ready for this day to come. People would come to her, people she had never seen before, telling her how sorry they were and how fantastic her husband was. If it was up to her, she wouldn't even have had a public ceremony. Just her, her mom, her brother.

Juan's parents were deceased and the only family he had left was still living in Columbia. Still, she had invited them to come. It was the polite thing to do. It was her duty.

She sat in front of her mirror, braiding her hair on the side and applying waterproof mascara on her lashes.

You can do this Dahlia...

She kept repeating to herself. She needed to get through it. For the sake of her daughter to come. She honestly had no idea how she would be able to be a good mother after all of this. She had failed her son, how could she protect her daughter?

Her gaze fell on her thighs where her nails had engraved her skin forever. As a tear fell down her cheek, she entered the tip of her right index into the freshest cut. The reviving pain spread through her body, a feeling of control erupting in her mind. If she could control this pain, perhaps she could control any other.

A tear fell down her cheek, proving her mascara worked well, as she got up to put her black dress on. She hated the fact she had to wear black, and go out as if she hadn't spent the last weeks locked inside and crying herself away. She hated everything about this day.

Knock, knock...

- Mija, are you ready? It's time to go!

Her mom opened her door, passing her head through to look at Dahlia with the most pitiful smile she had ever seen. Another thing she hated. Everyone was looking at her with pity, as if she were simply a ticking bomb of emotion, able to explode at any moment.

Dahlia didn't answer, simply taking her bag and her phone before following her outside. Her brother was waiting for them in the car. Without a word, she sitted in the back seat, looking out the window as her mom started chatting with her brother, the car moving away to rejoin the neighborhood church.

That was where she got married, where Kyle got baptized and where she intended to have only her happy memories. But as from this day, she wouldn't be able to look at the monument without a sudden nausea plumbing her throat.

Her brother stopped in front of the church, letting her mom and her out before he went around to park the car somewhere else.

- I can't do this mama... It's too hard.

Dahlia grabbed her mom's hand, squeezing hard in between her fingers as anxiety took over her body. There again, the sob got up her throat, her heart racing against itself.

- Please, I just want to go to bed... Mama...

Her mother shushed her calm, as they made their way to the front row of the church. She had to brace herself for the pity festival.

Everyone came to her, wishing her their best and asking if she was okay. She lied ninety-seven times, saying she had hope in the future, saying that she would be okay now. Everyone believed her, even though she was lying. Truthfully, no one really wanted to know how she was really doing. They were just trying to be polite, and some were even there to gossip about the widow. Dahlia didn't care much about that, only dreaming the whole day to simply leave and go to bed.

That day would soon become a blur in Dahlia's mind, only the pain and fake smile printed on her mind. 

What do y'all think happen to the baby?