Chapter 4

Cecily McNeil POV:

The wrought-iron gates of the McNeil family cemetery, usually a picture of serene, timeless elegance, now felt like the entrance to a battlefield. My heart hammered, a frantic drum against my ribs. I pulled my car to the side of the winding path, partially concealed by a dense cluster of ancient oaks. I cut the engine, the sudden silence heavy with unspoken dread.

And then I saw them. Harris, standing beside a freshly dug plot, his expensive suit jarringly out of place against the raw earth. Beside him, Jessica Casey. She was dressed in a pristine white sundress, a wide-brimmed straw hat framing her face, giving her the air of a grieving ingenue. Her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, her eyes hidden behind oversized sunglasses. She clutched a small, velvet-lined box, a macabre jewelry case for a deceased pet. It was Buttons.

Harris was gesturing to two groundskeepers, giving them instructions. His voice carried faintly on the breeze. He looked stressed, his movements stiff, but he was there. Doing Jessica' s bidding. The groundskeepers, burly men in work overalls, seemed uncomfortable, their shovels resting against the fresh mound of soil. They probably thought this was strange, too.

Jessica, meanwhile, was playing the part of the sorrowful pet owner, occasionally dabbing at her eyes with a delicate lace handkerchief. It was all a performance, a grotesque charade. She looked up at Harris, a fragile, trembling hand reaching for his arm. He patted it, a gesture of comfort that made my stomach churn.

They were oblivious to my presence, caught in their own twisted drama. My gaze flickered to the plot. It was unmistakably my father's. The empty space, perfectly manicured, nestled between my mother' s headstone and a small, antique bench I had placed there myself. The groundskeepers finished smoothing out the base of the small hole. They stepped back, looking expectantly at Harris.

Jessica then knelt, her white dress contrasting sharply with the dark soil. She opened the velvet box, revealing the tiny, still form of Buttons. She stroked the cat's fur, her lips moving in a silent farewell. It was an act of profound disrespect, a perverse ritual played out on sacred ground. She lifted the small cat, holding it close to her chest for a moment, then lowered it into the shallow grave. A single, performative tear traced a path down her cheek.

A guttural sound escaped my throat, raw and primal. My blood ran cold, then boiled with a rage so potent it threatened to consume me. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. My vision narrowed, tunnel vision, focusing solely on Jessica. This was not grief. This was a declaration.

I flung open my car door, the sound echoing through the quiet cemetery. My legs moved before my mind registered the command, carrying me towards them like a vengeful storm.

"You bitch!" The word tore from my throat, hoarse and raw.

Jessica shrieked, her head snapping up. Her sunglasses flew off, revealing eyes wide with shock, then a flash of genuine fear. She scrambled to her feet, clutching the empty velvet box.

I reached her in three strides, my hand shooting out to grab her arm, my fingers digging into her flesh. She winced, a soft cry escaping her lips. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I hissed, my voice low and venomous.

"Cecily!" Harris's voice, full of shock and alarm. He started towards us, but I ignored him.

Jessica tried to pull away, her eyes darting frantically between me and Harris. "Let go of me! You're hurting me!" Her voice was shrill, laced with false distress.

I tightened my grip, twisting her arm until she gasped. "Hurting you? You have no idea what 'hurt' is, Jessica. You're desecrating my family's memory. You're burying your damn cat in my father's grave plot!" My voice was a furious whisper, an uncharacteristic loss of control. I, Cecily McNeil, who prided myself on my composure, was shaking with unbridled fury. This wasn' t just a plot of land; it was an extension of my very soul, a place hallowed by generations of love and loss.

"It's just a cat!" Jessica cried, resorting to outrage now. "What's the big deal? It's not like your father's actually in the ground yet! He's still alive!"

"Still alive?" I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping me. "This plot, Jessica, is reserved for Arvel McNeil. My father. It' s been set aside for decades, next to my mother, Eleanor McNeil. It' s a place of honor, a symbol of enduring love, not a dumping ground for your dead pet! How dare you? How dare you disrespect my family, my mother, my father, with this disgusting stunt?" My voice rose, each word a hammer blow.

Jessica's eyes filled with tears, tears that looked too quickly summoned. She turned to Harris, her voice trembling. "Harris, darling, she's gone mad! She's attacking me! Make her stop!" She clung to his arm, burying her face in his shoulder, feigning utter terror.

Harris, who had been frozen in shock, finally moved. He pulled away from Jessica, his eyes wide as he looked at me, then at Jessica, then at the freshly disturbed earth. A slow dawning horror spread across his face. He finally understood the gravity of the situation. He tried to put his hand on my arm, a placating gesture. "Cecily, please. Let's just talk. Calm down."

Jessica, sensing his shift, immediately stepped in front of him, physically blocking his path to me. "Don't touch her, Harris! She's unhinged! She's just looking for someone to blame for her own misery!" Her voice, though still feigning distress, held a triumphant edge.

Harris' s jaw tightened. He opened his mouth, a rebuke poised on his tongue, but then he caught Jessica' s tear-filled gaze, and the words died. He swallowed hard, his eyes flickering between us. He was torn, but the ingrained habit of protecting Jessica, of seeing her as the fragile victim, was too strong. "Cecily," he started again, his voice softer, "there's clearly been a misunderstanding..."