Daniel’s expression softened, and for a moment, he looked at me with a mix of sympathy and understanding. “I see it now,” he said quietly. “You know, when I first met her, I thought the same thing. But she’s her own person, unique in so many ways.”

Suddenly, the truth of his words hit me. Mary was not Emily, but perhaps she was a reminder—a gentle nudge from the universe that life continues, that love can find a new form, even amidst loss. As I watched Lily dance with other children at the reception, her laughter like a balm to my aching heart, I realized that this moment was not about clinging to the past, but about embracing the present.