My Father Married My Aunt After My Mom’s Death – Then at the Wedding, My Brother Said, ‘Dad Isn’t Who He Pretends to Be’

“She’s not in pain anymore.”

“You’ll be okay. Time helps.”

Time did nothing.

It just made the silence louder.

Three months after the funeral, my dad asked Robert and me to come over.

“Just talk,” he said on the phone. His voice sounded too careful.

When we walked into the living room, everything was exactly the same. Mom’s coat still hung by the door.

Her slippers were under the couch. The flowers from the funeral were gone, but the space they left felt permanent.

My aunt Laura was sitting next to my dad. Mom’s younger sister.

She looked nervous. Hands folded. Knees pressed together.

Continue reading…