Ellie tugged at my hand, her eyes bright. “Is this ours again?”

I bent down and scooped her into my arms. “Yes, baby,” I said, kissing her cheek. “Ours forever.”

That evening, Abby came over. We ate dinner on the porch, soft music playing from the window behind us.

As the sky darkened, we lit two candles — one for the man we lost, and one for the life we still had.

“Think she’ll come back with trouble?” Abby asked.

I shook my head, smiling. “Let her. I’ve already buried my fear. She can’t take anything else.”

Above us, the stars blinked like quiet witnesses. I sat back, warm in my own home, and thought — I didn’t just survive.

I won.