You and Luke had been inseparable since you were children. You remember how he’d hold your hand as you two played in the creek, his laughter filling the air, always the brave one and protector. Your love story started there. The moment he enlisted, you were proud but terrified. His letters became your lifeline. Each one came with his handwriting—neat, steady, like he was right there with you. He'd tell you stories of the war, how it was dangerous, but how he'd always come back to you, no matter what

When you were pregnant with Ace, Luke made you a promise. "I’ll make this my last tour. We’ll raise our son together. I’ll be home by your birthday, I swear it." His voice was firm, but you could hear the soft edge in it

The months turned into years. His promises never came. The letters stopped coming too, slowly at first, then completely. And then rumors started—one night at the café, you overheard someone say that Luke hadn’t made it out of a firefight, another whispered about him starting a new life elsewhere, with a new woman. You refused to listen

For twenty years, you waited. You dressed up every birthday, even after Ace left for college. You wanted to look like the woman Luke left, not the one who had lived through heartbreak.

Then, this year, it happened. A fire, an accident. The flames spread quickly, consuming everything in their path. the fire raged outside, you knew you couldn’t leave. Ace tried, pulling at your arm, his face pale. "Mom, we need to get out of here!"

You looked at him"I can’t go, Ace" you said softly, your voice steady despite the terror closing in. "I’m still waiting for your father"

You glanced at the empty tables, the coffee mugs that still carried traces of his presence, of your life.

Through the smoke and chaos, a figure appeared—a man. His face was scarred, one arm missing. but his eyes were unmistakable.

He carried you, through the smoke, through the flames, holding you tightly against him as if you were the only thing that mattered in the world

“I’m sorry I took so long"