Black Dahlia (The Dahlia Trilogy of The Gilded Flower Series Book 2) by Vivian Winslow
Authors: Vivian Winslow
Ads: Link
Chapter 2
Four days of crying haven’t numbed Dahlia’s pain. It feels as sharp and cold as the moment Sebastian told her Shane drowned at Cortes. And it cuts as deep as it did seven years ago when she learned their baby had died. That was the worst day of her life, or so she thought. Now, as she is forced to let go of the man she believed was hers forever , she’s reliving the devastation all over again.
“D,” Lily says. “It’s time.”
With her sister’s arm around her and Sebastian to her left, she opens the small silver urn filled with Shane’s ashes and pours them into the Pacific. The ocean was his great love, he once said—after Dahlia, of course. It gave him life when Dahlia left, and took it back when she returned to him. She curses it silently as his ashes scatter in the wind.
Shane’s friends flew in from all over the world to pay their respects. For two days they held a life celebration on the beach as a tribute to him. To Dahlia, the bacchanalian revelry seemed to be less about honoring Shane’s life and more about them celebrating the fact they haven’t yet succumbed to his fate. Dahlia stood behind the sea of faces, wondering if any of them question whether their sport, the very thing they live and breathe for, is worth the risk.
“Shane was so happy to have you in his life again, Dahlia,” his mother, Pearl, says to her as they hug good-bye outside the house. Dahlia attempts a smile but falls short with each passing day. She’s grown weary of the soothing words and hugs that bring little comfort. And when Shane’s mom had cried in her arms, she felt only resentment. She wanted to be the one to cry, not comfort. Instead, she felt she had to be strong in the face of this “tragic accident”.
Tragic, so the surfing community had termed it, because it shouldn’t have happened to a pro like Shane. What was tragic to Dahlia was that it wouldn’t have happened if he kept his promise not to surf big waves again. But he didn’t. Once again, her world is completely shattered, and the one man who helped her rebuild her life the first time isn’t around to help her now.
Dahlia swallows her anger as she pulls away from Shane’s mom. The anger is just part of her grief, Lily had reassured her that morning. Dahlia knows that. She knows it better than anyone. She’s been through it before. That’s tragedy for you , she thinks bitterly.
She manages a weak smile for Shane’s older brother, Troy. A pro-surfer himself, he was Shane’s idol and the one who taught him how to surf.
“I know it’s no consolation, Dahlia, but he died doing what he loved. We’d all prefer to go that way.”
Dahlia looks down, fighting back the tears that are welling. “I have trouble believing that.”
“The ocean’s our home. It means more to us to be there than anywhere else.”
“But he had a home with me too.” Dahlia shakes her head.
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry,” Troy says, pulling her into his arms. “Shane wouldn’t want you to mourn him, Dahlia. Take care of yourself, alright?”
“You too,” she answers, squeezing him tight, tears falling down her face once again.
Chapter 3
“Can I get you anything, D?” Vi asks, sitting next to her on the deck overlooking the beach.
Dahlia shakes her head, not bothering to take her eyes off the sunset. The eighth one since his death.
Lily, sitting across from Dahlia, looks at her sister helplessly. She wasn’t there for Dahlia when she returned from California all those years ago. She tried to be, but Dahlia didn’t want her or anyone else around. Instead Dahlia shut out the people close to her until she had lost all her friends and burned every bridge from New York to California.
“Is there anything I can do?” She asks.
Dahlia glances up, her eyes swollen from the endless crying. “I already told you. I’m fine.”
Lily sits down and takes her hand. “You’re not fine.”
“Okay, then I’m not. Is that what you want to
Four days of crying haven’t numbed Dahlia’s pain. It feels as sharp and cold as the moment Sebastian told her Shane drowned at Cortes. And it cuts as deep as it did seven years ago when she learned their baby had died. That was the worst day of her life, or so she thought. Now, as she is forced to let go of the man she believed was hers forever , she’s reliving the devastation all over again.
“D,” Lily says. “It’s time.”
With her sister’s arm around her and Sebastian to her left, she opens the small silver urn filled with Shane’s ashes and pours them into the Pacific. The ocean was his great love, he once said—after Dahlia, of course. It gave him life when Dahlia left, and took it back when she returned to him. She curses it silently as his ashes scatter in the wind.
Shane’s friends flew in from all over the world to pay their respects. For two days they held a life celebration on the beach as a tribute to him. To Dahlia, the bacchanalian revelry seemed to be less about honoring Shane’s life and more about them celebrating the fact they haven’t yet succumbed to his fate. Dahlia stood behind the sea of faces, wondering if any of them question whether their sport, the very thing they live and breathe for, is worth the risk.
“Shane was so happy to have you in his life again, Dahlia,” his mother, Pearl, says to her as they hug good-bye outside the house. Dahlia attempts a smile but falls short with each passing day. She’s grown weary of the soothing words and hugs that bring little comfort. And when Shane’s mom had cried in her arms, she felt only resentment. She wanted to be the one to cry, not comfort. Instead, she felt she had to be strong in the face of this “tragic accident”.
Tragic, so the surfing community had termed it, because it shouldn’t have happened to a pro like Shane. What was tragic to Dahlia was that it wouldn’t have happened if he kept his promise not to surf big waves again. But he didn’t. Once again, her world is completely shattered, and the one man who helped her rebuild her life the first time isn’t around to help her now.
Dahlia swallows her anger as she pulls away from Shane’s mom. The anger is just part of her grief, Lily had reassured her that morning. Dahlia knows that. She knows it better than anyone. She’s been through it before. That’s tragedy for you , she thinks bitterly.
She manages a weak smile for Shane’s older brother, Troy. A pro-surfer himself, he was Shane’s idol and the one who taught him how to surf.
“I know it’s no consolation, Dahlia, but he died doing what he loved. We’d all prefer to go that way.”
Dahlia looks down, fighting back the tears that are welling. “I have trouble believing that.”
“The ocean’s our home. It means more to us to be there than anywhere else.”
“But he had a home with me too.” Dahlia shakes her head.
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry,” Troy says, pulling her into his arms. “Shane wouldn’t want you to mourn him, Dahlia. Take care of yourself, alright?”
“You too,” she answers, squeezing him tight, tears falling down her face once again.
Chapter 3
“Can I get you anything, D?” Vi asks, sitting next to her on the deck overlooking the beach.
Dahlia shakes her head, not bothering to take her eyes off the sunset. The eighth one since his death.
Lily, sitting across from Dahlia, looks at her sister helplessly. She wasn’t there for Dahlia when she returned from California all those years ago. She tried to be, but Dahlia didn’t want her or anyone else around. Instead Dahlia shut out the people close to her until she had lost all her friends and burned every bridge from New York to California.
“Is there anything I can do?” She asks.
Dahlia glances up, her eyes swollen from the endless crying. “I already told you. I’m fine.”
Lily sits down and takes her hand. “You’re not fine.”
“Okay, then I’m not. Is that what you want to
Similar Books
