While the mother was standing at her son’s funeral, she suddenly heard a voice and ran toward the closed coffin. She had barely opened it when she screamed at what she saw inside, and everyone gathered there froze at the sight…

While the mother was standing at her son’s funeral, she suddenly heard a voice and ran toward the closed coffin. She had barely opened it when she screamed at what she saw inside, and everyone gathered there froze at the sight… 

The autumn wind pierced the air sharply, and cold rain fell in tiny drops. The people who had come to the cemetery to say goodbye to the deceased were trembling, wrapping themselves in scarves and collars. Everyone had only one wish: for it all to end quickly.

And only the mother remained standing near the coffin. She did not notice the cold or the rain. Pain was tearing her apart from the inside. It seemed as if her heart would burst from despair.

Tears flowed down her sunken, gray cheeks and mixed with the raindrops. From time to time, she touched her face with a wet handkerchief and looked only at one point in front of her: the closed lid of the coffin. There, inside, was her little boy, her only child, the meaning of her life, who was no longer there.

And she could not see him one last time. She could not kiss his closed eyes, his forehead, and his cheeks. She could not stroke his hands and shoulders. She could do nothing.

The coffin was hermetically sealed. She had been told that it had to be that way and that it was better like that. But was it really better now? Life was over.

Beside the mother stood another woman, young and beautiful. Surprisingly, the mourning clothes suited her perfectly and emphasized her delicate features, giving her a certain aristocratic paleness. Sometimes the woman wiped away her tears with her slender fingers and let out deep sighs.

And yet, she was not looking at the coffin. Her gaze was directed toward the gray sky, while her slightly swollen lips softly whispered something. Probably words of farewell.

People murmured and wondered how such a beautiful woman could become a widow at such a young age, and how unfair it was. Then they immediately said that it was time to end the ceremony, because the mother, Katherine, might collapse and slip into the grave together with her son.

But Katherine heard nothing and perceived nothing. She was remembering. Images from the past flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope. She felt neither the cold rain nor the wind; only pain and memories remained.

She was only 20 years old. She was running to Michael to tell him that they were going to have a baby, joyful and happy. It was the beginning of spring. Puddles were forming under her feet, and the sun shone from time to time.

Katherine closed her eyes and smiled. She would get there, tell her beloved everything, he would take her in his arms, and together they would run to city hall to submit their application. It could not be any other way, because Michael loved her so much.

But the door of his apartment was opened by another girl wearing Michael’s shirt. Katherine said nothing and took a step back. Michael appeared behind the girl and gave her a mocking smile.

The girl smiled contemptuously and looked at Katherine. She no longer remembered how she escaped. She woke up in the dormitory.

The girls surrounded her, comforted her, and told her that Michael would definitely come back to apologize. But he did not come back. Later, Katherine learned that Michael had married that girl.

Katherine returned home to her mother. There, her Aiden was born — her little sun, her light. Katherine was deeply grateful to her mother for her support and for not rejecting her despite other people’s judgment.

Because it was considered shameful that her daughter had become pregnant before finishing her studies and had left school. But her mother, a strong woman, managed to silence the gossip. People treated her with respect when they saw her, because Martha Wilson was not an ordinary person; she was the chairwoman of the city council.

Having been a young widow herself, she knew how hard life could be, but she always supported her daughter and told her that she would still be happy. But what more happiness did Katherine need when she already had everything she wanted: her little son, the meaning of her life?

Later, when Aiden grew older and started kindergarten, Katherine finished her studies and began working at a school.

Over time, the villagers understood that Katherine was not one of those frivolous girls. She was serious, intelligent, a good mother — she had simply made a mistake. That was all.

It happens. Many good men came to ask for her hand, but Katherine accepted none of them. Who would want someone else’s child? She was sure: no one.

She was afraid that a strange man might hurt her child. No, it was not worth it…