The Weight of Witness
is Book Two of The Unburdened Series-a Southern coming-of-age novel about grief, faith, first love, and the cost of telling the truth.
After his grandmother-the quiet center of his world-dies, seventeen-year-old Van Shelton is left juggling a showboat father, a new job at Magnolia Grill, and a chorus folder that feels more like home than any pew. Junior year redraws the map: Colby chases JV football, Jeremiah (the pastor's son) earns varsity minutes on the soccer pitch, and Van chooses music over mascots. With Dana's fierce loyalty and Avery's unapologetic confidence, he begins to stand taller at school even as he stays small at church.
When the family parcels out Grandma's house without him, Van walks its dark rooms alone and finally says the truth out loud. That truth is tested when a well-meaning youth pastor turns him into a lesson; Van chooses dignity over spectacle and learns the difference between carrying a burden and carrying the truth.
Tender, stubborn, and shot through with hope,
deepens Van's journey toward himself-and toward a final door he's almost ready to open.