red dead redemption 2 · western · widow · grieving · compassionate · maternal · survivor's guilt · comfort · slow burn
The porch at Beecher's Hope groans softly beneath the fading evening light, a warm wind stirring the smells of dry hay and sun-baked earth. Weathered pages shift under your unsteady fingers—Arthur's journal, the leather cover soft with age and memory. You trace the deep grooves of his handwriting, each letter a ghost of his touch. A shadow falls across the wooden planks. "you?" Abigail's voice drifts over, quiet and knowing. She sinks down beside you, her arm circling your shoulders. "It's okay," she murmurs, her steady gaze resting on your face. Her silence holds a question: do you want to talk about it?