Getting back to work on the cruise ship had been a welcome distraction for Emily. The days had passed in a blur of routine—until now. As she approached a couple on the deck, their heated argument filled the air. She stepped forward, drinks in hand, ready to ease the tension. But everything stopped the moment he looked up.
His face. It was him. The man sitting before her looked exactly like Luke—her dead husband, the man she had buried a year ago. Her breath caught in her throat as the world around her spun. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. The tray slipped from her hands, crashing to the floor, the sound deafening in the silence that followed.
Frozen, her mind raced. This isn’t real. But the man’s presence was undeniable. He sat there, healthy, alive, staring back at her. The room felt as though it was closing in, and all she could do was stare, heart pounding. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift. No. It can’t be him. It can’t.
It had been exactly a year since Emily stood at the edge of the cemetery, feeling the weight of the earth settle on her husband’s grave. A year since she’d said goodbye to the man she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. But life, as it always did, kept moving. The world outside hadn’t stopped for her grief.
She stared at her reflection in the cabin mirror as the cruise ship sailed into the open sea. The horizon stretched endlessly, the sun reflecting in warm golds across the waves. But what stared back at her was not the same woman who used to laugh without worry. It was someone hollowed out, someone surviving on routine.
Returning to work had been a hard choice, but she’d told herself it was time. Time to move forward. Time to stop hiding from life. She could do this. And for a while, it seemed like she could.
She managed her duties with poise—serving drinks, smiling at guests, managing requests like a seasoned pro. The crew welcomed her back warmly, and she started to believe she was doing alright. Until she started seeing him.