Braelyn’s POV

I loved the winter, it was weird but the cold, crisp air made me relax. After Raphael’s death and the scandal associated with his death, it took months to finally settle everything and for Lucien to officially take over the company.

New Horizon was merged with Volkov Apex, and with the Orlov and Voss blacklist lifted, it took less than 2 months for Lucien to boost productivity to even more than it originally was.

Lucien was pretty busy with the company and the merger. After he succeeded Gregor’s will, Ronan resigned from the company, giving him the chairman position.

As for me, the trial took a lot from me and I needed to recover mentally from everything that happened to me, the miscarriage and Raphael’s death.

I took an indefinite leave from work and also started therapy. I didn’t want to be a burden on Lucien when he had so much on him and I was getting a lot better.

Although I was still a bit upset about the miscarriage, I was pretty cool.

Since Raphael and I’s divorce wasn’t done at the time of his death, it made me the sole beneficiary of his estate, well, what was left of it. Life was stable and the day finally came to put him to rest.

His funeral was held at the same cathedral as Gregor’s funeral since Ronan insisted on burying him at the same ancestral estate of the Volkov family.

As Raphael’s wife, he needed my approval since I was the one in charge of the arrangements. I saw no reason to refuse.

The priest was presiding over the sermon, I was seated in front as the chief mourner. Ronan was seated by my side, Natasha was quietly crying next to him.

Lucien stayed quiet by my left holding my hand. Honestly, I didn’t know how to face Raphael’s funeral.

He was a man I loved with all my heart and hated with equal intensity. My mind was blank as the priest continued, there were muffled sobs ringing from all over the hall.

I had prepared myself for this moment and told myself multiple times that I was done crying for Raphael but my eyes still stung.

A question rang in my mind, why did we end up this way? Was it karma for Natalia’s actions or the fact that my mother was manipulated into treating Nadia horribly?

Why did children have to suffer for their parents’ actions? Lucien’s hold remained on my hand, he didn’t say anything and just drew lazy circles around my hand.

He knew I needed the closure. The Volkov family dynamics changed during this funeral too. Natasha was more timid after it was made known she wasn’t a Volkov by blood, although it was kept within the family.

Olivia was less passive aggressive and a bit scared of Lucien. He made her sell half her shares, reducing her influence to put her in check.

Soft whispers drifted towards me from behind. I tried to ignore it but it was hard when the person didn’t know how to keep their voices in check.

"He was so young, barely 30. He didn’t deserve to die by that psycho’s hand," a voice said.

Another sighed, chirping in, "I heard Amelia is dead."

"No way," the first voice gasped in disbelief. "Wasn’t she given a life sentence?" My brows furrowed. I had no idea what happened to Amelia and Natalia after the court date.

Lucien didn’t say anything and I never asked. I didn’t care even if they died but honestly I was a bit disappointed that Amelia died so soon. It was just a few months.

Ronan frowned hearing the gossip but could only act oblivious. Natasha paused for a second, clearly picking up interest.

"She was given a life sentence but rumours had it she killed herself," the other sneered like she had the juiciest details. I could definitely tell almost everyone close by was eavesdropping because the area turned eerily silent.

The person continued, oblivious to the attention or they just didn’t care. "How did she do it?"

"They said she ran straight into a wall headfirst and cracked her skull. They said she died with a smile," the details gave me chills. Lucien’s hold tightened on my hand, I glanced at him with a look asking for confirmation.

He nodded at me and I shuddered. What did Amelia go through that she chose to end her life in such a brutal way?

"Oh my God, that’s brutal," someone gasped. I could only imagine the look on their faces. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

By the time my eyes opened again, my gaze was calmer. The sermon was rounded up and the funeral procession was led to the gravesite. Outside, the cold was biting, cries filled the air.

Natasha sobbed the hardest. It wasn’t that I stopped myself from crying or didn’t cry. I actually cried even with everything, although I wasn’t hysterical because in the end he was just a victim of manipulation.

Soft music was played as his coffin was gradually lowered to the ground. I stared at it, watching it slowly lower into the soil.

A hymn was being sung in the background. The cold made my silent tears sting my cheeks. Once the coffin was lowered, the priest said some final words.

The priest signalled for me to walk over. I gripped the flower in my hand and proceeded forward. Eyes were on me, at this point me and Lucien were no secret, everyone knew about the scandals and affairs.

The open marriage and Amelia. I dropped the white daisy inside the hole then accepted the shovel, my mind went back to when Amelia’s false pregnancy was announced, how Lucien had come with mourning flowers.

It was sarcastic because Amelia never got a proper funeral or flowers. My gloved hands tightened on the shovel. I dug the sand and paused for a moment.

Memories flooded my mind and one particular night emerged. The winter night on campus while being harassed by thugs, he saved me, the day I started falling for him.

Truth be told, he was the reason I loved the winter. I threw the dark soil on the coffin. "Goodbye Raphael," I whispered then turned around to give Ronan the shovel. He nodded at me and I walked away.