Chapter 6: A Life I Had Left Behind
Marcus had belonged to a life that felt like another lifetime.
Before marriage.
Before motherhood.
Before grief reshaped the walls of my world.
Years ago, he and my late husband, Daniel, had worked together at the same repair shop. Marcus was funny then, loud, full of plans he never quite finished.
He had been at our wedding.
He had once helped Daniel fix our porch after a storm.
Then life happened.
Layoffs.
Bad choices.
Silence.
People disappeared from our lives slowly enough that we didn’t always notice the exact moment they were gone.
Now he stood in front of me holding the sneakers Emma had bought for his son.
His hands trembled around the box.
“I came to return these,” he said.
His voice cracked.
“I thought Caleb stole them.”
Emma’s eyes widened.
“He didn’t steal anything.”
Marcus looked at her then, and something in his face broke open.
“I know that now, sweetheart.”
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