Getting back to work on the cruise ship had been a welcome distraction for Emily. The days had passed in a blur of routine—until now. As she approached a couple on the deck, their heated argument filled the air. She stepped forward, drinks in hand, ready to ease the tension. But everything stopped the moment he looked up.
His face. It was him. The man sitting before her looked exactly like Luke—her dead husband, the man she had buried a year ago. Her breath caught in her throat as the world around her spun. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. The tray slipped from her hands, crashing to the floor, the sound deafening in the silence that followed.
Frozen, her mind raced. This isn’t real. But the man’s presence was undeniable. He sat there, healthy, alive, staring back at her. The room felt as though it was closing in, and all she could do was stare, heart pounding. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift. No. It can’t be him. It can’t.