CHAPTER 519: THE WILL

The living room was a quiet space, filled with an emptiness that seemed to echo Maddy's grief. Soft light filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on the room's simple furnishings—a worn couch, a few mismatched chairs, a coffee table strewn with old magazines, and a half-finished puzzle that had been abandoned. The air was still, save for the occasional rustle of the magazines' pages stirred by drafts from the open window. Maddy sat on the couch, her posture slumped as if the world's weight had settled on her shoulders. She wore a dark, oversized sweater that hung loosely on her frame, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her hair was messy, and she had not bothered to brush it. A box of tissues sat beside her, nearly empty from the tears she had shed over the past week. Susan was curled up on the floor with her stuffed animal, drawing quietly in a sketchbook. She glanced up at her mother occasionally, her small face filled with concern but unable to fully underst