When Dead Husbands Walk Again

er came back from th

my home office, the one that used to be his,

nored it. Maria, the ho

tairs. A woman' s sharp, unfam

felt like a ghost wa

the call

of the grand stairca

tended three years ago. The man whose ashes, or what I

d gained a little weight arou

sn' t

ide them stood two children, a boy and a girl, both with Michael

at me, their

mooth, as if he' d just come back

nk. The world ti

s is Chloe Davis. And these are

little smile. It was

chael said, starting to wa

came out as a raw whisper.

had to get away, Ava. The company was going under, the

s if he were explaining w

th?" The words felt

Michael' s mother, followed by his sister, Sarah, and bro

r cried, hugging him tightl

' t look at him like that. He had amnesia. H

dest, weakest l

inued, her voice rising. "Miller Corp was

ing her and the twins closer. It was a

he company is doing well again. That' s goo

me all about you. It must have been so hard for you, all a

o sound sweet, but the

nted a chubby finger at me.

lives in our house for no

ct you to be reasonable about this. Accept Chloe and the children. We'

an ultimatum. He thought h

at his mother' s smug expressio

had n

e who had held things together. They didn' t see t

ng Miller Corp they heard about w

I had no choice, Ava. The creditors were g

t wanted to bubble ou

a guest room? Welcome your new family with o

he most natural thing in the world. "Y

pay the salaries of hundreds of employees. I thought about the endless meetings, the beg

constant, grinding pressure th

ld we were supposed to

heavy to share with anyone. The stress of saving his com

ront of me with two new childr

hand. "Ava, I' m the head of this f

d my ha

e touching my lips for the first

kicked my shin. It was a weak, childish blow,

" he yelled. "This

gled. "Oh, kids

gh, it was the fina

ce. The ultrasound machine, cold against my skin. The silence that was

, the grief, the sudden weight of a crumbling empire... it had been too muc

for his legacy, while he

ife, his new children, into my