Monroe walked through Bright Park as she made her way over to Bright Park cathedral. She had gotten up early that morning, getting up before Darcy had even woken up. She was wearing a black hood and cape, to keep the sun out of her face. Her black mermaid dress flowed all the way to the floor, dragging slightly behind her. Once she reached the cathedral, she stood outside for a moment, deliberating whether or not she wanted to go in. She took a deep breath and walked through the front door.

The sight before her was shocking. The cathedral was empty; no people stood on the pews. No one came. The only person in the church was Catherine Black. She stood at the center of the room, by Dave’s casket. Her eyes shot up, meeting Monroe’s as she wiped tears from her face.

Monroe made her way over to her silently. Monroe had always viewed Dave as someone who was beloved by people, they always thought so well of him. On the surface, Dave was a handsome, charming guy. But Monroe knew that façade only went skin deep. She saw who he really was, and she always wondered how people couldn’t see the real him. This moment was eye-opening, it seemed like everyone did see him for who he was. So much so that not a single person besides her and his mother had attended his funeral.

“Monroe? You came.” Catherine said through tears.

Monroe stood before her, adjusting her red, circular sunglasses as she spoke. “Yeah. I’m…not really sure why. I think I just needed to see his face one last time.”

Catherine nodded. “I understand. I know he…I know that he hurt you terribly, so if this can bring you some sort of peace.”

Monroe’s eyes fell to the side. Peace? “I don’t know if this will bring me peace. I feel like since I’ve met him, I haven’t had a moment of peace. But now he’s gone. And I don’t know if I’ll ever forget him. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel peace.”

Catherine wiped her tears with a handkerchief as she spoke. “I’m so sorry. I…feel responsible for his actions. I must have made tremendous mistakes as a mother for my son to end up who he was. If I did more. If I was a better mother, my son wouldn’t have been a drug addict, an abuser. He wouldn’t be dead.”

Monroe sighed. There was plenty of guilt to go around, but she knew Darcy had been right all along. Some people were just evil. “I…don’t think it would have mattered. Something was broken inside Dave. He was missing something deep inside his heart. So, nothing you could have done would have changed anything. He was just…a bad person. Please, don’t blame yourself. I don’t.”

Catherine averted her eyes. She couldn’t believe Monroe was being so understanding and kind to her, despite everything. “Thank you for saying that. Would…would you like to see him?”

Monroe nodded, inhaling deeply as she removed her hood from her head. She walked over to the casket, exhaling as Dave came into view. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a red bow. Dave was very pale when he was alive, but now? He looked ghostly. His long signature side cut was gone. His hair was short and neatly styled to the side. She could see his white streaks running through his hair. His bridge and philtrum piercings were gone; he had been stripped of everything that had made him Dave.

Monroe examined his face closely. His face did not look peaceful, his lips were turned downward, almost frowning. Monroe began speaking to him. “I…don’t have a single good thing to say about you David. You were a plague upon my life. You were a plague upon the life of any woman you came across. The only thing you ever did with your life was hurt women. But it was different for the women that stood by you. I was…your girl. I’m sure now it meant nothing. You probably said that to every woman you preyed on. So now, I’m finally shedding that skin. I am not your girl. I never was and now that you’re gone, I never will be. Despite everything, I—I hope you find peace.”

She turned her head up, letting the soft lights in the cathedral light up her face. “And I hope…I hope to one day not feel your influence in my life. I hope to bury you here today and perhaps one day never think of you again.”

“Um, hello. Is this the funeral service for David Black?” Hannah asked shyly.

Monroe’s head snapped toward Hannah. She hadn’t seen her in a long time; she looked different now. Her hair was blonde again and had grown down to her shoulders.

Catherine watched her carefully. “Yes, this is his funeral. Who are you?”

Hannah wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke. “I’m Hannah Robinson. I was Dave’s girlfriend for a year and a half.”

A year and a half? Then Dave had been seeing Hannah for six months before he broke up with Monroe. She wasn’t surprised. Nothing he did ever surprised her anymore. Her heart hurt for Hannah; she knew that a year and a half was a long time to be under Dave’s grasp.

Hannah continued. “I read his obituary in the paper. I just…I don’t know why I’m here...”

Monroe approached her slowly, offering her comfort as she spoke. “You’re here for the same reason as I. Closure.”

Hannah looked at Monroe sympathetically. If there was anyone in the world who understood what she was feeling, it was Monroe. “I read about what he did to you. I followed the case closely. I’m so very sorry that happened to you. I just want to thank you. For helping me. You opened my eyes. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be Davey’s doormat or maybe something even worse. Thank you.”

Monroe was crying now. Hannah was a sweet girl, she only wished she could have helped her sooner. “You don’t have to thank me. It was the natural thing to do. You needed help.”

Hannah fidgeted with her hands as she spoke. “I was wondering if maybe…you’d like to exchange numbers? We could go out sometime and get some coffee…just to talk.”

Monroe smiled at her. “I’d like that.”

After the funeral, Monroe made her way home, feeling lighter than she had felt in years. She walked through the front door and found Darcy sitting on the couch reading Pride and Prejudice. “I’m home.”

Darcy set down the book as he turned his attention to Monroe. “Hey you! You left early in the morning and didn’t say anything. I was starting to worry.”

Monroe sighed, as Darcy stood, walking toward her. “I woke up early this morning and went for a long walk. After a while I decided to go to Dave’s funeral.”

Darcy brought a hand to her belly, rubbing gently as he spoke. “Oh, how was it?”

Monroe’s eyes crinkled remembering the feelings she felt at the funeral. “It was strange. When I arrived, I noticed no one showed up. The only people there were his mom, Hannah, and I. I spoke to Mrs. Black and Hannah, gave my final parting words to Dave and I exchanged numbers with Hannah. Then I left.”

Darcy’s eyebrows pinched together. “How do you feel about the whole thing?”

Monroe thought about it for a second. “I think I’m okay. Dave is gone. I buried him today and with that, I buried nine years that I spent with him. I’m not saying every day is going to be easy. I’m sure it’ll take me a long time to heal. Maybe a lifetime. But it’s truly over. I’m free. He will never be able to hurt me again. It feels like my life can finally begin.”

Darcy smiled at her, bringing his lips to hers as he leaned down. “I’m happy to hear that Mon, you deserve to feel safe.”

Safe? I am safe.