I lowered my eyes for a moment, thinking of Cole, of all the effort he put into rebuilding himself day after day, and then I looked back at Liam.
“But he’s incomplete. He’s lonely. He needs to feel whole again. And to do that, he needs your support and your love. More than anything, he needs his family.”
Liam’s gaze lowered slowly. The hardness in him seemed to crack under the weight of what he was hearing. He sat down heavily in the chair, looking stunned and lost in thought.
I figured he was probably trying to process everything I had just revealed.
I stood there for another second, my emotions tangled between hope and fear.
“That’s all I came here to say,” I said quietly. “The rest is up to you.”
Then I turned and walked out of his office.
Just before I fully stepped away, I glanced back and saw him still staring at me, his mouth slightly open, as if he had been left with more than he knew what to do with.
22
COLE
Afew days later, I took Jiya and Emma apartment-hunting with me.
I knew I had made the right decision to sell my house. It was time to move on from it.
Silvia had helped me come to that realization during one of our therapy sessions.
“To help with the healing process, what do you think you should do to move on?” she had asked.
I knew exactly what she was hinting at the moment she said it. A part of me had already been thinking the same thing for weeks. I wanted a fresh start. I wanted a new chapter in my life, one where I could carry the memories of my daughter and wife with me without feeling trapped inside them. This house had once been filled with laughter, with Chloe’s tiny footsteps echoing in the hallways and Eva’s voice calling out to me from the kitchen. Now those same memories clung to the walls like ghosts. Even the good ones haunted me. Every room reminded me of a moment that no longer existed.
Time did heal, slowly and quietly, and I was beginning to feel that healing taking place inside me.
The birth of Emma had stirred something deep within me. Watching her come into the world had reminded me of the day Eva gave birth to Chloe. The same nervous excitement. The same overwhelming love. The same fragile moment when life changed forever. Through that experience, I had felt a connection to Jiya.
Over the past couple of months, spending time with her and her family had made me realize just how much I missed the presence of family in my life. The warmth of their home, Lucas’s laughter, the gentle chaos of a house filled with people—it all reminded me of what I had lost and what I still longed for.
Another family could build their memories in my house.That thought stayed with me as I now watched Jiya inspect each apartment with the realtor, moving through the spaces with a thoughtful seriousness that made me smile.
“What about the appliances?” she asked the realtor with her eyebrows raised slightly. “Are they included?”
I could tell she was enjoying the outing. It gave her a break from her routine of juggling the restaurant, Lucas, and Emma. Over the next couple of days, we viewed nearly ten different apartments before I finally chose one that Jiya thought was perfect.
The realtor smiled warmly as she gestured around the apartment. “You both will love it. A beautiful and spacious one-bedroom plus den, perfect for you and your new bundle of joy.”
My cheeks grew warm immediately, and I glanced at Jiya. She had not heard the comment because she was busy checking the closet space and the kitchen cabinets.
“Oh no,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “We’re just good friends.”
Now it was the realtor’s turn to flush with embarrassment.
Despite that awkward moment, I felt grateful to have Jiya in my life.
Over the following days, she came with me to furniture stores, helped me pick out colours for the walls, and offered suggestions that brought out parts of my personality I had forgotten existed.
While I was going through Eva’s and Chloe’s belongings before the packers and movers arrived, my phone rang.
I glanced down at the screen.
It was Liam.
