24

Rosalinda stood in the large area the funeral was being held in. Many people she knew from her childhood and new friends came to give their condolences. Even Alistair's family came, even though they didn't have the chance to meet the beautiful woman Rosalinda was raised by, they knew they would've loved her as much as they loved her.

Alistair stuck by Rosalinda's side the whole time during the viewing, holding her from behind, but only letting her go when she was hugging and thanking others for coming.

The Maltese woman was a frantic mess, still trying to let the feeling of her mother's death set in. She took a deep breath, leaning back into Alistair, as people mingled and talked about the woman who just died.

After a while it was time for Rosalinda to give her eulogy about her mother, as she was the only person to give one, as most people were just friends. She took a deep breath, her hands shaking, as she looked down at the paper sitting on the podium in front of her.

"T-thank you all for coming out today," she began with a shaky voice, trying to gulp down the large wad of sadness building in her throat.

"I-I can probably only get a few words out, before I begin to choke on them, so let me start now." She said with a small laugh, as the other guests gave a courteous laugh.

"M-my mama was a woman with a huge heart. So forgiving and so kind to all that came into her radiant path." Rosalinda started, taking a shaky breath and looking out into the crowd of people, as she looked at Alistair.

The man gave her a smile and nod, encouraging her to continue, as Rosalinda looked down at the paper and sighed. She grabbed the paper and crumbled it up into her hands, throwing it to the side, as she looked out to the people with a different type of determination.

She wanted to tell them from the heart about what an amazing woman, Luċija, was. Not the words she forced out onto paper to describe her mother's life.

"Luċija was a woman of many traits. She could cook you a meal like you've never seen! Could force you to eat it all too, even if you didn't want it." She said, as the guests laughed a little at this comment, causing Rosalinda to give a small smile.

"My mother was someone who would volunteer for the needy, even if we weren't far off from being as poor as them. But, this gave me a small light into the precious life I had with both parents at the time. My mother's love for me and all the people that she cared about was so deep, that I can't even describe it to you. I-I loved this woman with all of my heart, and she understood that even when I was trouble, and still am," she laughed, looking over at the urn her mother's ashes lay in.

"I could never be half the woman my mother was. I could never be as strong-headed and stubborn as she was made to be. B-but I do know that she has taught me valuable life lessons, that I could've never learned without her. She taught me how to be forgiving and to not hold grudges." Rosalinda's voice began to crack, as her vision started to become mildly blurry from the tears resurfacing.

"Honestly, I could never be half the woman she tried to teach me to be. But I do know one thing; no one could ever love her as much as I do. Because I will never stop loving you, mama. A-and I will n-never stop t-thinking about you. M-May you r-rest i-in peace, and tell p-papa I l-love him dearly." Rosalinda had to stop, as she began to break down into sobs at the podium.

Alistair quickly raced up from his seat, grabbing her shoulders gently, and turning her into a tight embrace. Rosalinda gripped Alistair's black jacket tightly, as she continued to sob loudly into his chest. She shook and gasped for air for a few more minutes, then began to calm down, turning back to the people and wiping away her tears.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't think I can finish this. B-but may Luċija Scott Rest In Peace for e-eternity." She stuttered, walking away from the front, as people began to stand and hug her tightly, apologizing for her loss again.

Alistair continued to stand by her side, watching his girlfriend break bit by bit by each hug. Once his sister, Berkleigh, came over with open arms, Rosalinda finally broke again. She crashed her face into the younger girl's shoulders, as she let out sobs of hurt.

Berkleigh hugged her tightly and rubbed her back, whispering soothing words into her ear. Alistair just simply watched, as his mother and father, Valentina and Adrian, came over, creating a wall around the Maltese with hugs. Alistair sighed, as his shoulder was gripped tightly, turning his gaze to his brother, Eli, as Eli gave a small smile.

"If you need me to stay at the office longer, I don't mind. She needs you more than you think, and if that means you have to take off or leave work early for her, then I'll be there to take over in a heartbeat." He smiled, as Alistair turned and hugged his brother tightly. They patted each other's backs, as they pulled away.

Alistair began to watch Rosalinda give her goodbyes to each guests as they left, as Alistair's family stayed behind. She walked up to the urn slowly, about to grab it with shaky hands, until Berkleigh grabbed her wrist.

"Why don't I carry it to the car for you? You're a bit too shaken up to do it, and I know you don't wanna spill it." She said, as Rosalinda gave a small nod, and turned to Alistair.

He felt as though his heart stopped beating at the moment with the look she had on her face. She looked pale and sickly, as her cheeks and nose were the only things that gave her skin some color. Her puffy and bright red face looked so miserable, and he could tell she was on the verge of crying again, by the way her lips trembled. He watched her walk up, as he quickly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Why don't we get you home? You look exhausted." He commented, as she leaned against him.

He began to led her out of the funeral home, Berkleigh holding the urn out, as Alistair helped his girlfriend into her seat.

She looked over and whispered a small "thank you" to Berkleigh, when she was handed the urn over through the window. Valentina then walked up to Rosalinda's door, resting her hands on the open window.

"Why don't you come over tomorrow night for dinner? It'll be good for you to get out for a bit and have people that care about you around." Valentina suggested, as Rosalinda gave her a small smile.

"I-I'll get back to you on that." Rosalinda swallowed, her throat feeling raw and dry from all the crying. Valentina leaned into the window, kissing the top of Rosalinda's head, and telling her to call if she needed anything.

Once Valentina backed away from the door, Alistair started the car and drove off. He glanced over at Rosalinda from time to time, as she hugged the urn tightly to herself.

"C-could you spend the night at my apartment for a couple of nights? O-or I could stay at your house?" Rosalinda asked softly after the heavy silence that fell into the car once they began to drive.

"Of course I can. You know I would do anything for you." Alistair stated, glancing over to her.

Once they got to a red light, he grabbed her cheeks gently and turned her face to look at him. He saw the fresh tears running down her cheeks, as he wiped them away with his thumbs gently.

"I love you so much," Rosalinda sighed, leaning into his touch. Alistair smile with a small blush, quickly pecking her nose and turning his attention back to the road when the light turned green.

"And I love you more than you can imagine." He sighed, glancing over at her with a smile, as she actually smiled back.

"So, when we get back to my apartment, can we listen to sad music and cuddle? Cause that's all I wanna do right now." She mumbled, as Alistair laughed a bit.

"Well...That doesn't sound very healthy, but I guess for today we'll do it. But, we should go to my parent's house for dinner tomorrow. It could help get you out of your grove. Also, you know Luċija wouldn't want you to drown in your own tears forever." Alistair hummed, as Rosalinda nodded and sighed.

"You're right..." She mumbled, as Alistair chuckled and rested his right hand on her thigh.

"Well, love, for today lets just mourn and remember. Tomorrow, we can begin to move on, but never forget." He smiled sadly, as Rosalinda sniffled and took in a deep breath.

After another few minutes, Alistair parked in the apartment's parking lot, and helped Rosalinda get out. He held the urn of Luċija's ashes for her, as she was still a bit shaken up. They headed inside and up the elevator and inside the apartment. Rosalinda then took the ashes and placed them in the middle of her coffee table.

"There, the brightest room in this home for the brightest person in my life." She smiled, turning to Alistair. He smiled back, taking his shoes and jacket off, and helping Rosalinda do the same.

Once settled, Rosalinda turned on her sad music, and sat down on the couch, as Alistair sat beside her. They both stared at the urn for a while, leaning against one another for support while they thought. Rosalinda took a deep breath after a moment and turned to Alistair.

"Can we order a whole bunch of chocolate milkshakes?"

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Gosh! I could not fully get through writing this without crying! Luċija to me was such a beautiful soul to write about, and I hope you enjoyed her as much as I did to write her! But, as we get deeper into the book, I wanna get deeper into the love as well. Can't forget about Rosalind and Alistair's crazy love life! So, I'm hoping to move past some of this sadness and maybe write another smutty chapter??? Let's find out!

Done forget to vote and comment, please! Thanks for reading!