Chapter 23
Seeing the house empty hit Avery harder than he expected. He hadn’t been so naïve as to think he wouldn’t get emotional. In fact, he’d spent some time with a therapist over the past few weeks to prepare for that eventuality. She’d been helpful and had given Avery some coping techniques to make sure he could deal with it. He’d been using them for the past few days, and it had made a difference.
But the empty house nearly tore him apart.
The last time it had been nothing but walls and floor was the day he and Luke moved in. Luke was excited to decorate, because he had a great sense of aesthetic, and he was convinced it would be their forever home. Avery hadn’t been quite as attached to the house then, but after Luke passed away, he held onto it with an iron grip. He needed it j
