“But you gave those lines a purpose. You showed me that a space can’t heal people unless there is love inside it.”

The sincerity in his voice made my breath hitch in my throat.

The wind swept a few fallen leaves past our feet, the dry rustling sound the only noise between us.

“When Sarah died, I locked my heart in a dark room,” Daniel said, his voice dropping to a quiet whisper.

“I told myself that my only job left was to protect Chloe, and that I didn’t need anything else.”

He stepped closer, his boots clicking softly on the stone.

“But then I met a nurse who had her own hurts, her own scars, and yet she poured every ounce of her soul into saving my daughter.”

I looked down at our joined hands, my eyes stinging with tears that I didn’t want to hold back anymore.

“I was so lost, Daniel,” I admitted softly. “After my divorce, I felt like a failure. I felt like I was meant to care for everyone else’s families because I couldn’t have my own.”