Chapter 3 - The Wall of Deceit
"What are you doing?!" Elias wanted to scream, but the words died in his constricted throat, coming out as a strangled gasp. The three figures froze instantly, their hands still pressed flat against the glossy white enamel of the coffin. The matriarch’s eyes darted toward Elias, her face draining of color, replaced by the pale, guilty sheen of a cornered predator. The middle-aged woman shifted her weight, subtly trying to block his line of sight to the interior of the casket.
The silence that followed was heavy, toxic, and suffocating. Why were they rushing? Why the sudden, desperate physical effort to seal her away before the funeral had even officially begun? Elias took a slow, heavy step forward, his eyes locked on the narrow, dark gap between the lid and the base. His wife was in there. But the frantic, terrified energy of her family suggested they weren't trying to protect her dignity; they were trying to hide a devastating secret. The psychological weight of their collective stare bore down on Elias, a silent, invisible wall designed to keep him in the dark.
