"You don't," I admitted, my voice raw. "And I don't blame you if you never trust me again. But I need you to know this, Emily: Mike loved you. More than anything. And if he were here right now, he'd tell you the same thing I am—that you deserve to be happy. That you deserve to be loved."
Emily's tears fell faster, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "I don't know what to believe," she whispered, her voice broken. "I don't know who you are."
"I'm the man who loves you," I said, my voice trembling. "The man who would do anything to keep you safe. Even if it meant becoming someone else. Even if it meant losing myself."
She looked up at me, her eyes filled with a storm of grief, anger, and something else—something that looked almost like understanding. "What do I do now?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
