Then I saw it, a dimple on her right cheek. Just one. The same one Alaric had. My breath caught in my throat.

My late husband’s laugh, smile, and warmth all seemed to flicker in that tiny baby.

“Alaric… is that you?” I whispered into the wind.

I’ve always believed in reincarnation, that souls return in ways we don’t expect.

I know how it sounds, but I wasn’t crazy. I was grieving, desperate to believe life hadn’t just snatched everything from me without offering something back.

That baby… I don’t know how to explain it, but I felt it in my bones. She wasn’t Alaric, of course—that was impossible—but maybe she was my second chance at something good.