Ryan’s dog suddenly burst into the chapel, barking loudly at the coffin while Ryan and his family were quietly mourning the loss of his father. The dog’s unusual behavior caught Ryan’s attention immediately. When Bella became fixated on the coffin, Ryan’s instincts told him something was wrong. Curious, he approached and, with a growing sense of suspicion, opened the coffin—only to find it empty. His questions about his father’s true fate began to multiply.
Ryan sighed deeply as he stepped out of his car outside the chapel and said firmly, “Bella, stay.”
He paused on the sidewalk to straighten his dark suit, bracing himself for what awaited inside those white wooden doors. The ordeal was almost too much for his heart. How could a son say goodbye to his dad? Especially under these circumstances—they hadn’t even been able to give Dad a proper, traditional funeral, thanks to the restrictions.
Bella’s sharp bark snapped him out of his thoughts. The Belgian Malinois pawed anxiously at the back of the driver’s seat. Ryan looked back toward the car and frowned. Bella was still young, but this wasn’t how she usually behaved after he gave her clear instructions.
Ryan raised his hand and calmly commanded, “Bella, lie down.” She obeyed instantly, and he reached through the open window to pet her head. “Now, Bella, stay.”
Ignoring Bella’s insistent cries, Ryan left her behind and entered the chapel. The funeral director had cordoned off the immediate area with a delicate white ribbon, and the casket was already closed. Because Dad had died from a highly contagious illness, the doctor had strongly advised these precautions.
Ryan felt deeply unsettled by everything. He took his mother’s trembling hand and sat beside her. As he stared at the coffin, his foot tapped nervously against the cold marble floor, but he forced himself to remain strong—for her.
At that moment, Father Riley stepped forward and approached the pulpit. “We thank everyone for being here today as we say our final farewells to Arnold, Ryan’s beloved father and Emily’s husband. Everyone who knew Arnold will feel his loss deeply; he was a good man.”
At the end of the mass, Father Riley addressed the mourners once more: “The deceased will now be taken to the crematorium.”
Ryan’s heart was heavy and disconnected as the mourners rose to sing the closing hymn. His father had always planned to be buried in the family plot, but due to the circumstances of his death, cremation was now the only option.
As the funeral director and his team approached the casket, Ryan wiped away a tear trailing down his cheek. This wasn’t right—he had never had the chance to say goodbye while his father was alive, and now he couldn’t even say a proper farewell in death. How could he honor his father if he wasn’t even allowed to carry his body out of the church?
He fought to hold back his emotions and lowered his head. Then suddenly, the church echoed with Bella’s loud bark.
The dog leapt against the coffin, knocking the elegant arrangement of white flowers to the floor. Ryan stood frozen, horrified and shocked.
Bella growled fiercely at the coffin, her whole body trembling. She slipped beneath the bier and snarled at the funeral director, who hurried over and tried to push her away.
“Heel, Bella!” Ryan stepped forward, facing the scene of his dog barking furiously at his father’s coffin. “Stop this! Bella, heel. I said, heel!”
Bella flicked her ears but ignored him. She sat alert, barking at the coffin again before turning to look directly at Ryan.
A cold shiver ran through Ryan’s body, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. Something was very wrong. Ignoring the white ribbon barrier, he crossed over and approached the coffin. Bella dashed around the bier and started barking again.
“Is this your dog?” the funeral director shouted at Ryan.
Ryan didn’t answer but instead demanded, “Open the casket.”
“What? No, sir. Respectfully, we cannot do that. We were told—”
“Open the casket!” Ryan yelled again.
“Ryan, what are you doing?” his mother sobbed behind him.
As Ryan turned around, he saw the shocked faces of the guests gathered to mourn his father. His uncle looked like he was about to explode, and two of his aunts whispered anxiously to one another. But it was his mother’s expression that hit him the most—a heartbreaking mix of confusion and disbelief as she looked at him.
