{"id":23602,"date":"2025-12-10T15:43:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T15:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=23602"},"modified":"2025-12-10T15:43:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T15:43:28","slug":"23602","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=23602","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Pastor John<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0began the service. His voice was a drone, speaking of God\u2019s plan and heaven\u2019s newest angels. Each word felt like a serrated knife dragging across my skin. My four-year-old daughter,\u00a0<\/span>Emma<\/span><\/strong>, sat beside me. She was swinging her legs nervously, picking at the hem of her scratchy black dress. She had been at Diane\u2019s house that night, too. She was the only survivor of the sleepover.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, Diane stood up to give the eulogy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The air in the room shifted. She approached the podium with slow, deliberate steps, gripping the wood until her knuckles turned white. She began by speaking about her \u201cprecious grandbabies\u201d and how she had prayed for their souls. It was standard, performative grief.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pastor John\u00a0began the service. His voice was a drone, speaking of God\u2019s plan and heaven\u2019s newest angels. Each word felt like a serrated knife dragging across my skin. My four-year-old daughter,\u00a0Emma, sat beside me. She was swinging her legs nervously, picking at the hem of her scratchy black dress. She had been at Diane\u2019s house…<\/p>\n

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