Chapter 22 It was a day of drizzle when Theodore was laid to rest . Clarisse did not wear black . Instead , she was in the same white dress she had worn the first time they met , a bouquet of roses in her hand . She did not step forward . She simply watched from a distance as the small casket was lowered into the ground before it was slowly buried beneath the soil . When the ceremony ended , the mourners began to leave . Only then did Clarisse walk up to the grave . She stood there for a long time . Staring at the photo of Theodore etched into the headstone , her mind drifted into a haze . The man who had once held every ounce of her love and hatred was gone forever from this world . Clarisse bent down and placed the roses gently on the grave , her voice soft as she said , " Theodore , I forgive you . " Her hand reached out , fingertips brushing over the cold , engraved letters , almost like a final farewell . Then , she turned and walked away from the cemetery without a backward glance , her steps steady and resolute . All the love … All the pain … In the end , all had turned to ash , buried deep beneath this earth .