The woman beneath it wasn’t a stranger.
It was Natalie.
The wife I’d buried. The mother who had vanished.
She looked out at the crowd and locked eyes with me. Her smile faltered. Her hands trembled. She took one step back, then another — and ran.
Emma, confused, tugged on my sleeve. “Daddy, why are you crying?”
I couldn’t answer.
A Ghost Returns
I left Emma with Stefan’s sister and found Natalie in a hallway, still in her gown, breathless and pale.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” I said, barely recognizing my own voice.
She looked stricken. “I didn’t know they told you that.”
“They?” I scoffed. “Your parents. I begged to see your grave. I mourned you for years. I raised Emma alone. I thought you were gone.”
“I just… I wanted a way out,” she whispered. “My dad took care of it.”
Rage welled in my throat.
“He let me believe you died,” I said, stepping closer. “I had to explain to our daughter why her mother was never coming back. And you were here this whole time? Starting a new life?”
She tried to speak, but the words failed her.
Then Stefan appeared.
“What’s going on?” he asked, eyes darting between us.
Next
