?<strong>Chapter 417:</strong>


    Lily was someone Katherine had introduced to Shawn for a blind date. Though romance had not blossomed between them, they had remained amicable. “What brings you here?”


    Lily seemed to ignore Katherine’s downcast mood. “I heard something happened, so I thought I’d check in on you. You haven’t eaten, have you? I brought food.”


    Shawn epted it from her with a nod. “Thank you.” Lily understood that Shawn’s heart was not hers, and staying longer would only make her an unwee guest. “I’ll be off then.”


    “I’ll walk you out.”


    Shawn left without saying goodbye to Katherine, leaving her with a profound sense of emptiness.


    Realizing this, Katherine quickly wiped her face.


    Why should she feel disappointed? Lily was someone she had personally introduced to Shawn. Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted?


    With newfound rity, Katherineposed herself and made her way to Joelle.


    Joelle had Adrian by her side and had gone to sleep early. The following day, she showed no major emotional shifts. When the doctor visited her, shey quietly, submitting to various examinations. Once her health had improved, she threw herself into making arrangements for Rnd’s funeral with determined resolve. She couldn’t summon the courage to face his tiny, lifeless body in the morgue a second time.


    Adrian had already chosen a burial plot and consulted with Joelle on the funeral arrangements.


    During those days, Joelle seemed unfazed, managing everything with methodical precision.


    But Adrian sensed that she was on the verge of breaking. Every time he tried to have a heartfelt conversation with her, Joelle found excuses to avoid it. She neither cried nor smiled.


    On the day of Rnd’s funeral, Joelle dressed in ck for the solemn asion, determined to present her best self for her son’s final farewell.


    Unexpectedly, a group of reporters was waiting for them at the cemetery entrance. Without permission, they relentlessly snapped photos of Joelle. Although Adrianter had Can disperse them, the images of her at the funeral still circted online.


    Joelle, a minor celebrity, had endured online harassment before. But now, with her son’s death, the attention intensified, and it sparked widespread discussion across the inte.


    As Rnd was being lowered into the ground, Joelle finally copsed. She had been holding it together while watching the coffin descend, but no one expected her sudden rush forward.


    She clung to the coffin, desperately wing at the dirt with her hands, her cries scattering the birds around the cemetery. “Rnd! I’m so sorry!”


    Katherine tried to help her to her feet, but Adrian raised his hand, signaling for everyone to stay back. He approached Joelle alone, gently consoling her, “Joelle, let Rnd rest in peace. Let him begin his final journey.”


    Joelle clung to the coffin, heartbroken. “My son…”


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