Six hours later.

After Caroline wakes up from her sleep, it's already early evening.

She immediately placed a call to her son Gabriel. "Hello, son! How are you doing there in the funeral homes?" she asked.

"Everything is good here at my end, Mom," replied Gabriel. "Did you have a good afternoon sleep?" he asked.

"Yes, I have..."

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" he asked again.

"Not yet. But I will go downstairs to the restaurant and eat dinner in a while," she replied. "I will also go to the front desk and inquired if there still a schedule for the bus returning to the city so that I can be with you and your father tonight," she said.

"No need to rush coming here, Mom. Just stay there in the hotel tonight, then tomorrow morning you can check-out from the hotel and come back here in the funeral homes so that we can catch our flight going back to Manila in the afternoon," he suggested.

"How about you?" she asked.

"I already booked one of the rooms in the nearest hotel here for 24 hours so that I can take a bath and have a place to put my things into, don't worry about me. I'll go out later to eat dinner in the fast-food restaurant nearby," he responded.

"Okay, thanks, son! Bye..."

"Bye, Mom. Please take care of yourself," he said.

"I will. Take care of yourself, too. Bye..." Caroline said and put the phone on the table. She went inside the bathroom, took a short shower, and change into casual clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, she was already walking in the hallway of the hotel going to the elevator, to eat breakfast in the restaurant situated near the pool area.

Inside the restaurant.

While eating her dinner. She contemplated in her near-death decision to end her life. Thanks to her ex-husband Mike, he saved her life this time! Without his call, she might already be dead today.

Maybe...

God still has other plans for her.

Or maybe...she still has many unfinished things to do in her life that's why she's not meant to die yet today.

Alex's sudden passing left a deep vacuum in her heart.

She just realized a life lesson today... that you can't hold on to perfect happiness for a long time because sooner or later it will end... it's just a matter of time.

So...just be grateful for what you have today, cherish your loved ones, and try to live a fulfilling life while you still can because tomorrow you will never know when death will come knocking at your door and everything will end quickly.

When it comes to Alex, she loves him dearly with all her heart. She was able to make him happy with her love when he was still alive. His happiness radiated from his eyes every time he looks at her. Yeah... she has been a good wife to him through the years, she has no regrets loving him.

Then her thoughts come back to her ex-husband, Mike.

He's right... she still needs to repair the widening gap between her and her daughters Cathy and Suzanne, and also her son Justin.

She's never been a good mother to her other children.

It's about time to repair the gap between them and try to keep herself visible in their lives. She has been living a happy and blessed life with Alex, together with their children Gabriel and Jasmine that she has forgotten that her other children were also yearning for a mother's love. She only saw the children when they were still young but when they grow into their teenage years and a.d.u.l.thood they kind of drifted apart from each other.

After Alex's burial... she will try to get in touch with them again.

Time to devote her time reaching out to her other children and shower them with her love and affection, this way even if she will die one day, she was sincere in repairing her relationship with her children.

That what she's going to do!

But right now...she still wants to continue grieving for her late husband and reminiscence about their happy moments together.

She released a deep sigh and resumed eating her cold diner.

Fifteen minutes later, she left the restaurant going back to her hotel suite.

Inside her hotel room.

She began packing all her things including Alex's so that tomorrow morning she's ready to leave the hotel.

One hour later, after done packing.

She stood in the middle of the room - she can see her smiling husband everywhere. Her heart aches painfully as intense yearning gripped her entire being.

She lies in bed... "I miss you so much, hubby!" she said and began crying hard again.

She cried for hours... until her tears dried up and there are no more tears left to cry.

By 10:00 in the evening, she finally fell asleep in her tear-soaked pillow.

~

The following day.

Caroline was greeted by a beautiful morning... a new day!

She got up from the bed and went into the bathroom.

She changed into her casual attire and ordered room service for breakfast.

She eats breakfast for half an hour then took a bath.

After she finished her shower, she's getting ready to leave the hotel!

A few minutes later, the room boy arrived and took her luggage, putting them in a trolley. She exited the room, check-out at the front desk of the hotel, and walked into the lobby.

She boarded the bus going back to the city.

The six hours drive filled Caroline's vision with the picturesque landscape of the countryside. A new perspective in life sprang forth in her heart. She still has some purpose left in her life, a reason to keep living. She will put her life to good use instead of dwelling on the negative side.

Alex is a good person, she was confident that God has already set aside a place for her deceased husband in heaven.

With those thoughts in her mind, she finally achieved calmness in her mind.

~

The six hours journey finally ended, they reached their destination safely. The bus parked in the parking station inside the bus terminal.

Caroline hired a taxicab and gave the driver the address of the funeral homes.

When she reached the funeral homes, the taxi driver helped her in bringing all her luggage inside. She gave him a nice tip on top of her meter fare.

She saw her son, Gabriel sitting on the bench facing the coffin. "Son, I'm back!" she announced her presence.

Gabriel looked at his mother and smiled. "How's the travel, Mom?" he asked.

"It's great! The scenery of the countryside is always a visual feast to the eyes," she replied.

"I'm glad that you have a safe and nice journey, Mom. Have you eaten lunch already?" he asked.

"Yes! The bus made a stopover in a nice restaurant along the highway that serves delicious food." She walked towards the coffin and gazed at her deceased husband's face lovingly. "You go now and eat your lunch somewhere. I'll watch over your father," she ordered.

"Okay, I'll be back later after I finish eating lunch. I'll bring your luggage to my hotel room first," Gabriel said and went to the location of the luggage.

A few minutes later, Gabriel exited the door, leaving her mother behind to deal with her grief.

Caroline stared at her husband inside the coffin, her hands were itching to caress his face. But it's prohibited to open the glass of the coffin. She'll just keep gazing at his face until she gets tired.

"I love you so much, hubby! Rest in peace!" she said over and over again.

One hour later, Gabriel returned inside the funeral homes to be with his mother and father.

Hours went by.

Caroline and Gabriel left the funeral homes and arrived at the airport, boarding the commercial plane going back to Manila.