For a moment, we stood in silence, two souls standing on the precipice of what was and what could never be. Then, with a deep breath, I understood.

“Be happy,” I said, my voice choked with emotion.

She nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. “And you, James. Raise Lily to be the incredible woman I know she can be.”

As she turned to leave, a gentle peace settled over me. Life had taken an unexpected turn, and though Emily was gone, Amara had her own path to walk. I returned to Lily, who looked at me with her mother’s eyes. “Daddy?”

I smiled through the tears, pulling her close. “Just remembering someone wonderful, sweetheart.”

And with that, we turned back to the celebration, the echoes of a past love mingling with the possibilities of the future, as the stars watched over us all.