Vera looked at the funeral notice sitting on the dining table. She exhaled slowly, she looked up at Tommy who had just sat down in his seat.

They shared the same thought as Zasha busied herself in the kitchen.

Vera turned her attention to the dining room curtains as she listened to a car drive along the gravel.

Tommy rose up from his seat before silently walking to the front door, he opened the door before speaking "Tony."

Vera looked at the kitchen, catching glimpses of Zasha "Zash?"

The kitchen went quiet.

"Zasha?" Vera carefully stepped towards the kitchen entrance.

Zasha looked down at her hands before wiping them over her apron.

"I know I've apologised too many times this week, but I am genuinely sorry. You know, I love you. Right?" Vera felt like a child who had just been reprimed.

Zasha listened as she looked at the bottom of her apron, forcing herself to take interest in the mixture her hands had placed over her apron. She still wasn't wearing the engagement ring.

"I know nothing I do will ever undo the words I spoke to Antonio." Vera sighed.

Zasha wanted to say something, but she couldn't find her words as she kept her focus on her apron.

"I'd understand..." Vera trailed of her sentence; she didn't want to say I'd understand if you weren't here when I got back. "Do..." Vera softly shook her head, she struggled to ask if Zasha wanted to attend Antonio's funeral "I'll be straight here after the funeral." She turned her attention to Tommy who had just entered the dining room "I love you, Zasha."

Zasha chewed her lower lip as Vera followed Tommy to the front door.

"Vera" Zasha called out.

Tommy continued towards the SUV as Vera stopped at the front door.

Zasha stood in the middle of the entrance of the dining room that connects to the hallway "Please be careful." Were the only words she could muster up.

Vera half-heartedly smiled "I should be more worried about you than you about me."

Zasha half-heartedly smiled.

Zasha watched as Vera turned her back slowly, Vera noticed Tommy leaning against the SUV, but this time didn't reprimand him.

Tony opened the back door of the car for Vera, she lowered her head as she noticed the media out the front of the church, trying to milk the Ariovaldo death for all it's worth.

Vera didn't speak a word as she lead the males to St Stephen's church entrance, she didn't even acknowledge the media as she tried to hold her head high.

She stayed silent as she followed behind faces she recognised, not even a half-hearted smile or a hug.

Vera didn't feel guilty for Antonio, she felt too guilty for telling him to kill Zasha. She didn't feel getting for forcing Mr Tonio to feel the pain she felt when she saw her father shot dead or when she had to bury her father when she was sixteen.

Vera stopped behind a man and his two sons who gave their condolences to Mr Tonio and Marie.

Vera watched as Marie kept dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief to avoid her mascara from running, Mr Tonio respected the condolences.

Mr Tonio turned his attention to Vera and her two males.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr Tonio." Vera acted like she wasn't the one who coldly murdered Antonio. Tommy and Tony stood silently behind Vera.

Mr Tonio didn't shed tears for his son unlike Marie who shed tears for the boy she had raised since birth.

"Thank you, Ms Melana." Mr Tonio calmly spoke, his voice didn't hint at pain or sadness nor even revenge, just content "I just hope the person who murdered my son knows what they're about to get into."

Vera nodded a little as she held back her words.

Marie dabbed her eyes before reaching for Vera's hands.

Tommy carefully watched as Tony stood silently.

"Antonio really couldn't wait to be your husband." Marie unknowingly dug those words in "He loved you so much, Vera."

Vera smiled a little.

Mr Tonio watched for a hint of a disgust but couldn't see anything on Vera's face.

"At least he died with me in mind." Vera calmly spoke as she kept her focus on Marie.

Marie found comfort in Vera's words, not knowing that Vera had pulled the trigger.

Tommy gestured Vera away from Mr Tonio and Marie, Tony gave a slight nod of condolence to Mr Tonio and Marie before trailing behind Vera and Tommy.

The three of them sat in the third row of the church pews. Vera sat in the middle of Tommy and Tony.

The church began to fill with a church choir singing a hymn that Vera wasn't familiar with. Not that Vera was paying attention to the church choir to begin with.

Antonio's pinewood coffin sat alone at the front of the church, no flowers or even photos gave an ounce of love not even the Ariovaldo family crest sat on top of the coffin.

Vera noticed Trouble walk past, she watched as he positioned himself in the front row, she watched as Marie and Mr Tonio took a spot next to Trouble.

The first row on both sides were always reserved for direct family members, the second row was meant for their extended family or their followers, but no one sat in the second row.

The third row was meant for the families who meant something to the deceased, Vera and her family were the only ones in the third row while everyone else squashed into pews behind the third row.

With the exception of Marie, no one was crying in the church. No one but Marie gave a damn that Antonio was dead, many wished it was Mr Tonio instead.

Vera noticed a Priest trying to calm his nerves as he stepped in front of the gathering of mourners. She watched as he didn't have his notes in his hand.

The church went quiet as the priest prepared himself to speak.

The priest hated being in this church at this very moment, he felt like he was coming face to face with the devil himself. "Today we are gathered to bid farewell to Antonio Ariovaldo III. A man whose life was only just starting to begin." The priest tried to keep pace of his breathing as he forced himself the words he had been forced to speak "A man who." The priest tried to hide his fear as he struggled to remember his words "A man who." He avoided Mr Tonio's burning gaze "A man who was on his way to becoming a husband, starting his own family. A man who was positioned to take over what his father had started. A man who was tragically murdered in this very church." The priest swallowed hard as he kept his gaze away from the coffin.

The priest hadn't noticed Mr Tonio stand to his feet or make his steps towards the priest, the priest almost jumped when he did notice Mr Tonio by his side.

"Mr Tonio." The priest swallowed his words "Mr Tonio would like to say a few words." The priest quickly stepped back, almost tripping over his over feet as he forced himself to keep balance several steps away from Mr Tonio.

Mr Tonio looked around to the sea of mourners, he didn't care for any of them. Just like them, he wasn't crying over his son instead he was mentally planning ways to seek his revenge on Vera Melana.

"As the good father has admitted, my son was brutally murdered in cold blood in this church. A place of worship and someone blindsided him." Mr Tonio spoke the words as if they were true "As he sat and paid his respects to the lord above, his head was down and red ran down his face." Mr Tonio shifted his eyes to Vera, he watched as Vera kept her eye contact with him. "I will be seeking justice for my son; it will be swift and just as cold as they were to my son." Mr Tonio looked over to Marie and Trouble, seeing Trouble comfort Marie as she struggled to remain tear free "There is one thing I will say about my son." He struggled to look at his son's coffin, not out of love but rather at trying to find his lies "My son is standing with my wife, his mother and they are both looking down here today." He switched his gaze back to the mourners gathered in front of him "The lord must've known my family was needed somewhere else." It was the only semi-nice thing Mr Tonio could muster up as he stepped back to his seat.

Mr Tonio stopped in front of Marie; he reached his hand out to her. Marie placed her hand into his, Mr Tonio assisted Marie to her feet before walking down the church aisle with her and Trouble tagging behind. The three of them silently made them way towards the church doors.

Everyone turned their gaze to their coffin, but no one dared to touch it, not even the priest or the church choir.

Vera excused herself past Tommy as she stepped out into the church aisle, Tommy and Tony followed behind her as the three of them silently walked towards the front entrance doors.

The other mourners waited until Vera had reached the doors before they took her lead.

Mr Tonio, Marie and Trouble waited by the hearse, none of them were surpised that the coffin hadn't been carried out.

Tommy nodded slightly at Trouble; Trouble nodded in return.

Vera, Tony and Tommy silently walked to their car as they ignored the gaze of the media.

Once the three of them were in their car, Tony had finally found his words.

"For a funeral that was quite short." Tony started to realise; he hadn't been to a funeral that cold before.

Vera looked up at her driver, she couldn't find her words as she agreed with him.

"Is it normal in the families to leave behind the coffin?" Tony questioned as he started the car.

"No. Our funerals are like any others." Tommy found his words as Tony carefully pulled out of the church car park, narrowly missing the media as they hurried out of his way "This is how Mr Tonio shows love."