That medal belonged to Ethan Miller—his closest friend, the man he had considered a brother. Ethan had died years earlier in a violent car crash that still haunted Jonathan’s nights. They were meant to be together that evening. Jonathan had given him that medal as a token of luck.
“Where did you get this?” Jonathan asked, his voice breaking in a way no one had ever heard.
Emily froze, terrified. “It was my husband’s,” she said shakily. “He passed away before Lily was born. It’s all I have left of him.”
The hallway seemed to tilt.
Ethan had never mentioned a wife. Never spoken of a child. Could this frightened maid be his widow?
Jonathan studied Lily’s face. The shape of her nose, the firmness of her chin—it was Ethan. There was no doubt.
The supervisor tried to interrupt again, but Jonathan turned sharply. “Leave. All of you.”
The staff scattered.
He looked at Emily, emotion flooding his features. “Ethan didn’t leave this world empty,” he murmured. “Why didn’t he tell me about you?”