“How old are you?”
He tilted his head, puzzled.
“Uh… I’m nineteen.”
Nineteen.
The exact age Daniel would be today.
The Woman Who Shut the Door
A woman’s voice called from inside the house.
“Tyler? Is everything okay? I heard something break.”
Tyler glanced back.
“I’m fine, Mom. A woman dropped something.”
Mom.
Hearing that word stung in a strange way.
He bent down to gather the broken pieces of the plate.
A woman stepped into view behind him.
I forced a smile.
“I’m sorry about the mess,” I said. “My son… if he had grown up… he would have looked a lot like your boy.”
Tyler rose to his feet quickly.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said gently. “Don’t worry about the plate.”
But his mother suddenly stopped moving.
Her gaze shifted slowly from me… to Tyler… then to his unusual eyes.
Her expression changed completely.
“Sorry for your loss,” she said stiffly.
“But you need to leave. We have a lot to do.”
Before I could say anything, she pulled Tyler inside and closed the door.
Just like that.
My Husband’s Secret
I hurried back home.
Carl was sitting on the couch reading when I burst through the door.
“You’re back already?” he asked.
I sat down beside him, my hands trembling.
“Carl… the boy next door.”
“What about him?”
“He looks like Daniel.”
Carl slowly lowered his book.
