James’s breath caught. “She… she’s gone, Sophia. Eliza died eighteen months ago.”
Sophia’s eyes glistened with tears. “I’m so sorry, James. I didn’t know.”
Emma tugged at James’s sleeve. “Daddy, why is she sad? Is she missing Mommy too?”
James forced a smile for his daughter, but inside, questions swirled like a storm. How much had Sophia known? Why hadn’t she reached out?
Sophia glanced at Emma, then back to James. “I’ve wanted to find you both for months. Eliza left something for you—something important.”
Before James could ask what, Sophia reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small envelope, worn at the edges.
“For Emma,” she said softly, handing it over.
Emma’s eyes sparkled as James carefully opened it. Inside was a drawing—Eliza’s handwriting scrawled beneath: “For my little star. Keep shining.”
A letter followed, revealing Eliza’s secret plans to ensure Emma’s future, a final act of love Sophia had promised to deliver.
In that moment, James knew Eliza had never truly left them. And sometimes, the ones we lose find ways to come back—not in flesh, but in the heartbeats they leave behind.
