THE FRACTURE

The rain had not stopped since morning.

The cemetery lay beneath a gray sky, while the cold wind gently moved the branches of the tall trees. The sound of rain was the only thing breaking the heavy silence of the funeral.

Rows of men and women dressed in black stood silently beside one another, their eyes fixed on the coffin as it was slowly lowered toward the grave.

Among the mourners stood a large photograph of a man.

His name was written beneath it:

Richard Carter.

For years, Richard Carter had been one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the city.

Now, in silence, he was beginning the final journey of his life.

Ethan stood among the crowd.

He wore a black suit, his eyes never leaving his father’s coffin. His thumb unconsciously moved across his father’s old watch—the same watch Richard had given him on the day Ethan graduated from the police academy.

Years ago...

Richard smiled.

“You made it, son.”

He placed a small velvet box on the table.

“Open it.”

Ethan opened the box with curiosity.

A silver wristwatch gleamed beneath the sunlight.

Richard picked it up and fastened it around his son’s wrist.

“From today on, this watch belongs to you. Not just because you became a police officer... but because from this day forward, every second of other people’s lives will be part of your responsibility.”

Ethan looked carefully at the watch.

Richard continued.

“A real police officer doesn’t rely on his gun before he relies on his conscience.”

Now...

The priest’s voice pulled Ethan back from the memory.

A tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

Adrian, his younger brother, stood beside him.

He wore a simple black outfit, and as always, his long hair was tied behind his head. His head was lowered, his eyes fixed on the wet ground of the cemetery.

There was no obvious emotion on his face.

It was as if his mind were somewhere far away from the cemetery.

The priest continued the prayer, while the mourners listened in silence.

A few moments later, the prayer ended.

Four men lifted the coffin and lowered it into the grave.

The priest turned toward the family.

“The family should be the first to place the soil on the coffin.”

Everyone looked at Ethan.

But Ethan didn’t move.

He couldn’t.

Then Adrian slowly stepped toward the grave.

He bent down, reached into the wet soil, and picked up a handful.

For several seconds, he stared at the coffin.

Then he whispered,

“Goodbye, Dad.”

He released the soil.

The sound of dirt striking the wooden coffin broke the silence inside Ethan’s mind.

One question kept repeating itself.

Who had killed his father?

The question hammered against his mind again and again.

No clues.

No witnesses.

No answers.

The rain had become so heavy that even the cries of some of the mourners disappeared beneath it.

The priest closed his prayer book and quietly announced the end of the ceremony.

One by one, people approached the Carter family to offer their condolences.

Some had known Richard Carter as a successful businessman.

Others had known him as a generous and charitable man.

Ethan answered their condolences with small nods, but he barely heard a word they said.

His eyes instinctively moved toward Adrian.

His younger brother was still standing beside the grave.

The wind gently moved his tied hair.

His eyes remained fixed on the fresh soil.

There were no tears on his face.

The same emotionless expression he always carried.

And the same silence everyone interpreted in their own way.

Ethan walked toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s go... Mom’s alone.”

Adrian didn’t look away from the grave.

“We can go to Mom so she won’t be alone...”

He paused.

“But who’s going to stay with Dad so he won’t be alone?”

Ethan said nothing.

Adrian continued.

“You know Dad never needed us.”

A faint smile appeared on Adrian’s face.

“Yeah... he didn’t.”

He looked at Ethan.

“But we needed him.”

Silence settled between them.

Adrian spoke quietly.

“Whoever did this... shouldn’t be walking free.”

Ethan nodded.

“He won’t.”

They walked away from the grave.

A few meters away, a pale-faced woman stood barely able to keep herself upright.

A young woman with tearful eyes held her hand.

Adrian reached them and gently took his mother’s arm.

Ethan stood beside them.

For a few moments, no one spoke.

Four people.

Four survivors of the Carter family, still unable to accept that the pillar of their family was gone.

Their mother slowly raised her head and looked at her two sons.

Her eyes were filled with tears, but she was trying to remain strong.

“Let’s go home...”

Adrian supported her arm.

“Mom, walk slowly.”

She said nothing.

She simply nodded.

Olivia, however, remained where she was.

Ethan looked at his sister.

She was still staring at their father’s grave.

“Olivia, aren’t you coming?”

She raised her head and looked at Ethan for a few seconds.

“I am.”

But she still didn’t move.

Her eyes returned to the grave.

“Just... one minute.”

Ethan said nothing.

He knew they all needed a minute.

A minute to say goodbye to a man whose voice they would never hear again.

Ethan turned toward his mother and Adrian.

Adrian helped their mother to the car and made sure she was seated.

Then he said,

“Mom... I have to go to university.”

She looked at him in disbelief.

“University? Today? Adrian, today is the day your father died.”

Adrian lowered his gaze.

“I know, Mom. But today is the deadline for my project. If I don’t go, they won’t accept it. I’ll have to wait until next year.”

His mother said nothing.

Adrian continued.

“I promise I’ll be back soon.”

Then he looked toward the front seat.

“Emily, take care of Mom.”

Emily nodded.

“Of course. Don’t worry. Go to university.”

Adrian nodded in thanks.

Then he turned and looked at Ethan.

He raised his hand in farewell.

Ethan stood there, watching his brother walk away.

Then his eyes fell on Olivia.

Their sister stepped forward and knelt beside the grave.

She slowly placed her hand on the fresh soil.

It was soft and wet.

She closed her eyes.

“You promised you’d come back...”

Her voice trembled.

“You said you’d come back early this time.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

“You lied...”

Her breath shook.

“Dad... for the first time, you disappointed me.”

Ethan watched her from a distance.

For a moment, he wanted to walk over and say something.

But what could he say?

That everything would be fine?

He knew it would be a lie.

Nothing would be fine.

His father wasn’t coming back.

From now on, they would have to live with his absence.

And his killer...

was still somewhere in this city, breathing.

Ethan reached for his father’s watch again and touched it.

The quiet ticking disappeared beneath the sound of the rain.

But to Ethan, every tick was a reminder of a promise.

He still didn’t know who the killer was.

He didn’t know why his father had been killed.

And he didn’t know what the killer had taken with him.

But he knew one thing.

This case was never going to be just another case for him.

Olivia stood.

She looked at her father’s grave one last time.

“Goodbye, Dad.”

Then she turned toward Ethan.

“Let’s go.”

Ethan took one final look at the grave before walking toward the car with Olivia.

A few minutes later, the cemetery was almost empty.

But somewhere among the rows of trees, far from the Carter family, a shadow stood still for several moments.

A man whose face was hidden beneath his hat and the rain.

His eyes remained fixed on the family.

A few seconds later, without anyone noticing his presence, he turned away and disappeared among the trees.

But he was watching the Carter family.

And this was only the beginning.