In the grief process, the stages typically include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, often referred to as the "Five Stages of Grief" by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. However, not everyone experiences all these stages, and the process can vary significantly from person to person.
Among the options provided, “bargaining” could be the stage that is most likely to be absent from an individual's grief process. While some may go through bargaining, others may not find it relevant or may express their grief in different ways without entering that specific stage.
So, the answer is bargaining.